Worth It Carne Seca Food

CARNE SECA

Steps:

• Place the flank steak in the freezer for an hour or so, until it is very firm -but not frozen- to make slicing easier.
• With a long, sharp knife, cut the meat into diagonal slices less than 1/4in (6 mm) thick.
• Lay the slices flat in a large glass or enamel baking dish.
• Combine the red wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, peppercorns and garlic.
• Pour over the meat, cover, and marinate in the refrigerate for about 4 hours, turning the slices occasionally.
• Remove the meat from the marinade and pat it dry with an absorbent paper towels.
• Arrange the slices in a single layer on wire racks (such as those used for cooling cakes and cookies) and set the racks on foil-covered baking sheets.
• Place in a 175°F (80°C) oven for about 2 to 3 hours, until dry and dark brown, but still pliable.
• Watch it closely; during the last half hour or so the meat can burn quickly.
• Let cool completely, then store airtight.

WORTH-IT CARNE SECA

Steps:

• Place meat in a roasting pan and cover with water. You may add the optional ingredients at this point if you wish. I generally do. Cover the pan and roast it overnight at 250 to 300 degrees.
• In the morning drain the meat, reserving the broth and discarding the onion and garlic if used; the meat should be very tender when pierced with a fork. Cool the meat for at least 1 hour or until it can be handled easily.
• Using your fingers, shred meat, pulling it apart where the grain allows separation. Pull off and discard all fat, bone and gristle.
• Combine the shredded meat with salsa; let marinate overnight.
• Next day, add meat to frying pan with a little of the reserved broth and simmer, uncovered, until heated through and most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• To serve: Keep Carne Seca warm by placing on a warming tray or serrving in a frying pan set to warm. Accompany with a bowl or platter of 6-inch flour tortillas, cut into sixths. Guests spoon a little of the Carne Seca onto a tortilla wedge to eat.
• About those leftovers: This recipe makes a large amount but the leftovers keep well -- up to 4 days in the refrigerator or in the freezer for up to a month. Carne Seca is very versatile: you can use it in a casserole or as a filling for traditional Tex-Mex foods such as tacos, burritos, or taco salad. It can be a fine side dish accompanying a Mexican-style diner or may be the main course, accompanied by pinto beans and flour tortillas.
• Variation: Apache Burros. On the main street of Whiteriver, Arizona, on the Apache reservation, the Native-Americans come out at noon-time, sellling foods to other natives and to tourists alike. One of the most popular of the foods is Apache burros which are nothing more than the unadorned shredded meat of step 3 rolled into a flour tortilla. The meat is so well flavored, folks gobble these up.

CARNE SECA ROSTI

Steps:

• Cut the top sirloin into 2-inch cutlets. Thoroughly salt the cutlets on all sides and refrigerate, covered, in a large container, adding more salt every 24 hours, until the meat is dehydrated, 3 to 5 days. Rinse the salt from the cutlets and place into a clean container. Cover with water and return to the refrigerator for 24 hours, changing the water every 4 to 6 hours.
• Cut the cutlets into big chunks and put into a pressure cooker. Fill with enough water to just cover. Cook for 40 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the pressure cooker to release all the pressure before opening. Transfer the meat to a bowl and pull into strips with a fork while still hot. Reserve.
• Pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and stir until soft, about 3 minutes. Transfer this mixture to the bowl with the meat. Add the cilantro and mix everything together well. Set the carne seca filling aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine the shredded potatoes, black pepper and 2 tablespoons salt. Mix well and set aside.
• In a 7-inch nonstick skillet, scoop 8 ounces of the shredded potatoes to form the base of the rosti. Layer with about 2/3 cup of the carne seca filling and top with another 8 ounces of the shredded potatoes. Place the skillet over high heat. Drizzle vegetable oil around the rosti (enough so that you can see it sizzling on the sides). Fry until golden brown, about 7 minutes, draining the oil halfway through (see Cook's Note). Flip the rosti and repeat this process. When both sides are golden brown, transfer the rosti to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining shredded potato and carne seca filling.
• To serve, top each rosti with about 4 ounces of the Catupiry, piped in a crisscross pattern. Place 2 Sweety Drop peppers in the center and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the dried parsley.

MEXICAN-STYLE RICE (SOPA SECA)

Steps:

• In a large heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over the rice enough to cover. Stir only once, and let stand 10 minutes.
• Transfer to a colander over the sink and rinse rice under cold water. Drain again. Set rice aside, spread out on a cookie sheet to dry slightly. (I usually do this first thing in the morning.).
• In the meantime, put the tomatoes, onion, garlic and half of chili pepper into a food processor or blender. Process until smooth like salsa. Set tomato mixture aside.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy saute pan and cook rice until a light golden brown color. Stir constantly so that rice does not burn, scraping bottom of pan with spatula because the rice grains will stick.
• Next add the pureed tomato mixture and keep stirring over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. If mixture starts to boil, reduce heat. *Stir in the stock, salt, and green peas. Continue to cook the mixture on low-medium heat stirring occasionally until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, another 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to burn.
• *NOTE: DO NOT stir rice too often after adding the stock or the grains will become too starchy.
• The original directions say to remove pan from heat, cover with tight-fitting lid; letting stand in a warm place 10 minutes or so. I remove pan from heat, cover and place pan in low oven, at approximately 150-200 degrees. Sometimes I'll let the rice set in the oven for a good hour or longer, as long as the rice grains are tender and rice doesn't dry out too much.
• Transfer the cooked rice to a serving platter, fluff with fork and serve sprinkled with freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with thinly sliced chilis or serve on side.

CARNE SECA

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a plastic zipper bag and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, if using your oven to dry, cover your oven racks with foil and preheat oven to 180 degrees F.
• Transfer drained meat to baking racks and dry for approximately 6 hours; depending on how thick the meat slices are, drying could take between 5 and 7 hours.
• Be sure to place a couple of potholders in the oven door to keep it slightly ajar so moisture can escape and the meat can dry more thoroughly.

CARNE EN SU JUGO (MEAT COOKED IN IT'S OWN JUICE)

Steps:

• In a large frying pan cook all the bacon to a nice crispy texture.
• While the bacon is frying place the onion, garlic, tomatillos, bouillon and cilantro in a blender. Squeeze the lime wedges into the blender and mix well so everything inside forms a frothy uniformed consistency.
• Remove bacon from the drippings and sear the roast on all sides in the bacon fat. This will ensure that the juices in side the meat are sealed in side. So make sure every raw spot is well browned.
• After browning the meat return the bacon to the pan and pour the contents from the blender over the roast. Or transfer everything to a crock pot.
• Cover and allow to simmer for 1 hour on the stove. If using a crock pot set for 6-8 hours but add 2 cups of water of beef broth.
• Serve over black or pinto beans with grilled corn tortillas and enjoy.