This is another recipe from Mexican Made Easy, a current favorite show on FoodTV. Marcela used it as part of hearty “Beef Tostadas“. Salpicon brought childhood memories because my Mom used to make a similar dish called “roupa velha”, (ropa vieja in Spanish, old clothes or rags in English). The name describes the nature of the beef, shredded into pieces that are melt-in-your-mouth tender from a long, slow cooking. My Mom used to make “roupa velha” with leftovers from pot roast, and served it as a braised dish piping hot over mashed potatoes or rice. Confession from my young days: I loved to have “roupa velha” as a sandwich. All that tasty, saucy meat, served between slices of crusty baguette. Maybe not appropriate to serve for company, but totally awesome! Napkins were mandatory, though… 😉
SALPICON
(adapted from Marcela Valladolid)
One 2-pound boneless beef brisket
1 large white onion, quartered
Kosher salt
3/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons dried crumbled Mexican oregano
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup seeded chopped cucumber
1 cup seeded chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup capers, drained (or to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Put the brisket in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover the meat by an inch. Add the onion quarters and 1/4 cup of salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer partially covered until the brisket is very tender, 2 and a half hours. Add more water if needed to keep the meat covered. Turn off the heat and let the brisket cool in the cooking liquid to room temperature. Drain the brisket, discard the water and cool completely.
Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil and vinegar in a medium bowl until well combined. Add the lime juice, red onion and oregano and whisk again. Season with salt and pepper.
Shred the brisket into a large bowl. Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, capers, and cilantro and toss to combine. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: I was not sure if Phil would like this recipe, as beef salad is not something he would normally go for. To my delight, he absolutely loved it, and kept telling me to include salpicon in our regular rotation. I suppose that every food blogger’s partner lives in fear of never tasting a dish again once it is published in the blog… 😉 No risk with this one, because I already made it twice! The second time I used top round, a cut that is not that popular for its fibrous nature, but perfect for this dish. I used my pressure cooker, and advise you to do the same if you have one and would like speeding up the process. The recipe makes a pretty big batch, so leftovers were my lunch for several days. But, as Marcela mentioned in the show, it’s great to have a batch of salpicon in the fridge for little snacks throughout the day.
I served salpicon with rice, refried beans, and slices of avocado, but I suggest you to stop by the FoodTV site and take a look at Marcela’s Tostadas.
ONE YEAR AGO: Pork Kebabs
TWO YEARS AGO: Fondant au Chocolat
THREE YEARS AGO: Got Spinach? Have a salad!
Bewitching Kitchen 