Stobhach Glas Mairteoil/Green Beef Stew

Stobhach Glas Mairteoil
Guisado de Res en Salsa Verde
En memória de los soldados Irlandeses del batallón San Patricio

Green is my favourite colour and the Mexican classic Guisado en Salsa Verde, made either with beef or with pork, is one of my favourite dishes. Amata and I have been making this stew on a regular basis for many years and have never been afraid to make little changes to how we prepare it. One of the best changes we made to the original recipe we used (so long ago, I'm not sure which it was) was to add potatoes, something which is, of course, not in any way unreasonable from the standpoint of traditional Mexican guisado cookery.

1 Meat browned, onions and chiles chopped.


2 The residue of the browning, awaiting the aromatic vegetables.


3 Onions and chiles; garlic; tomatillos awaiting their fate.


4 The vegetables cooking together to form a tangy sauce.


5 The flesh reenters the fray, dressed finely in some fresh green herbs.


6 Long, slow cooking transforms colours and flavours; 'tis time to bring on the noble spuds.


7 A day without beans is like a day without... flatulence... or something like that. (Don't forget the epazote.)


8 Beannacht ó Dhia orainne.


But remember, it's Friday.

Antonius (Ó Gallchobhair)

A lucht chleachtas an phóit go mór is feoil Aoine,
's gach iomlat spóirt ó bhord go leaba aoibhinn,
flaitheas na Glóire más dóigh gur gealladh dibhse,
mealladh go mór iad ord na gCaipisíneach.*

Links to other recipes and cooking notes by this writer: http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=55649#55649


"You who indulge in drink, in meat on Fridays,
and all the pleasures from table to blissful bed,
if the promise of Heavenly glory applies to you
then much has the Capuchin Order been misled."

But remember, it's Friday

Luckily, however, on this particular Friday eating meat is kosher, so to speak:

From the official website of the Chicago Archdiocese:

The optional memorial of SAINT PATRICK, March 17, 2006 falls on Friday of the second week of Lent. Because of this, Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., has given a general dispensation from the norm to abstain from meat on this day. Please note that this dispensation is for Friday, March 17, 2006 only. On this day (Friday, March 17, 2006) Catholics in the Archdiocese of Chicago who choose to make use of this general dispensation are asked to substitute another form of penance for the Lenten Friday abstinence.

Hopefully this doesn't mean that the meat we eat today must be corned beef, because that Guisado looks delicious.

Could you post your recipe, or maybe just a general outline of the ingredients you use? Or maybe my allternate penance will be that I have to try to make this sans recipe...

geli wrote:Hopefully this doesn't mean that the meat we eat today must be corned beef, because that Guisado looks delicious.

Could you post your recipe, or maybe just a general outline of the ingredients you use? Or maybe my allternate penance will be that I have to try to make this sans recipe...

Geli,

Thanks! I could give a formal recipe but that would take some time to compose. My cooking is done almost all 'grandma' style -- no measurements and a fair amount of variation with regard to all sorts of parameters, depending on all sorts of factors...

- Large piece of cheap, flavourful but not tender beef, maybe 1.5 - 2 lbs, trimmed and cubed.
- season meat and brown in a little olive oil in a very hot deep pan (I use the Belgique Dutch oven shown in the pictures). Don't crowd the pan so that it stays hot and the meat browns.
- remove meat to bowl as it's done browning.
- pour off fat (I do this to keep the animal fat down (if you don't care about a little extra cholesterol, it's not necessary). Put in a some fresh olive oil, heat to medium and sautée a coarsely chopped large white onion and some sliced fresh chiles (see picture). I use jalapeños, serranos, or both, depending on what I have on hand and adjusting the piquancy depending who's going to be eating the stew. I like it hot.
- After the onions and chiles have cooked a bit, add the chopped garlic (see picture).
- After the garlic has cooked a little, add the chopped fresh tomatillos. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, season, lower heat a little, cover (with a slight opening) and allow to cook for a little while, so that the liquid in the pan reduces and the tomatillo chunks start to break down. If the liquid cooks off, add a little water.
- Add meat to the pot, plus some water and a handful each of parsley and cilantro, coarsely chopped; bring the stew to a good simmer, lower heat, cover, and allow to cook for at least an hour. If the stew grows dry, add a little water as needed.
- Peal some potatoes, cut them in large chunks, add them to pot (with a little seasoning). Add a little water if necessary. Cover and cook until the potatoes are done.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and/or cilantro and serve with some raw garnishes on the side (lettuce, tomato, radish, cucumber, cilantro, raw onion) as desired, perhaps crema, a good green hot sauce (I recommend El Yucateco habanero or jalapeño sauce) tortillas, and frijoles de olla.

Depending on my mood, I sometimes add an herb; Mexican oregano is nice, as is thyme. But the dish is quite flavourful without any herb, beyond the cilantro and parsley.

As with all stews, this one is as good or better the next day and since there is a fair amount of work involved in the preparation, it's worth it to make enough to get at least two meals out of the pot.

I hope you try it and I hope you like it!

Antonius