We’ve been having some really beautiful warm weather on the coast. I’ve been taking full advantage of it spending the afternoons yesterday and again today, laying out on the patio working on my tan. All the sunshine and Carlos Vives music I was listening to inspired me to make some yummy Colombian food today. I used to love this dish when I lived there but I’d never made it myself so I was hoping my memory would serve me after 18+ years and it did. Only thing missing was the corn Arepas I wanted to serve with fresh guacamole. I called my nearest (and only one in the city) Colombian Brewery, Andina and ordered some, drove down and picked them up.
I’ll just share the recipe for the beef as guacamole recipes are pretty easy to find online.
Colombian Carne Desmechada – (Shredded Beef)
For the Beef
(Makes approximately 4-6 servings)
2 lbs of flank steak
1/2 medium white onion (whole)
3 stalks of green onion sliced in large pieces
3 whole garlic cloves
4 cups chicken stalk
1/2 cup water
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and pepper to taste
For the Hogao
2 tbsp olive oil
½ medium white onion, finely chopped
2 stalks green onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 red pepper finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes chopped (small)
Powdered Cumin to taste (about 1 to 1 1/2 tsp)
1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
1-2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tblsp garlic tomato paste
Salt and pepper to taste
2. Take the beef out of the slow cooker, place on a cutting board and shred it with two forks and set aside in a bowl. Reserve the beef stock from the slow cooker in a cup and set it aside.
3.For the hogao, heat olive oil in a large deep pan on medium heat. Add the chopped white onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until it’s translucent. Then, add the green onion and garlic and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Now, add the chopped tomato and red pepper and cook for 5 minutes or until it’s softened. Season with the ground cumin, garlic powder, tomato paste and Old Bay seasoning.
4. Add the shredded beef to the pan and combine completely with the hogao. Slowly add some of the beef stock that was reserved previously and mix. At this point, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, extra cumin, Old Bay, tomato paste, garlic powder and reserved stock until you get the flavour you like.
