Sunday, February 03, 2008

Beef Carnitas

Beef CarnitasThese may not be exactly light and low-calorie but they're easy to make and smell viciously good while they're braising.

Just don't make a pig of yourself and you'll be okay (yea, easy for me to say--I have no self-control when it comes to things wrapped in tortillas--maybe I should start wrapping my veggies in them).

2 pounds of lean beef, trimmed and cubed
1 4-ounce can of chopped chilies
1 cup finely chopped onions
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup prepared adobo sauce (found in Latin section of supermarkets)
1 cup beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin
24 corn tortillas
shredded cheddar
guacamole
sour cream

Combine the chilies, onions, garlic, sauce, broth, salt and cumin in a large casserole dish and add the meat then let it set overnight to marinate. The next day preheat the oven to 300 and bake for 1-2 hours. I kind of "eyeball" it and cook it at a low temperature until the meat is soft, tender and falling apart and the sauce is thickened.

Serve over the tortillas (which are best lightly fried with non-stick spray in a skillet before serving) with the toppings of your choice--tomatoes, green onions, even lettuce would be good too. There are no rules when it comes to Tex-Mex.

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Here are a few posts on food-related topics I've seen lately:

* Got an Easy Bake Oven? Sandy and Kurt has make-it-yourself mixes.
* Why have regular cake when you can bake it in an eggshell? (via Delicious Days)
* Budget 101.com has a list of convenience mixes with directions for making them yourself.
* Sea Star Academy has a recipe for homemade yogurt using dried milk. Give it a go!

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And if you're looking for a good video rental--not an A+ thriller or anything, just a good solid B movie--try The Invisible. We watched it this weekend and I thought it was pretty good, the kind that kept you wondering where it was going until the end. A few cliches here and there but pretty clean and reasonably suspenseful. A good, solid B rental.

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17 comments:

Amanda said...

If you love tortillas you should wrap veggies in them. I used to take 2 to eat with lunch salads--what a treat!

Laura Paxton said...

This recipe looks delicious! will have to try it on the fam! Thanks for visiting my blog!

luvmy4sons said...

Always looking for good movie ideas...and recipes. Thanks! Also thanks for stopping by!

Anonymous said...

This would be perfect for the Super Bowl today :)

Susan from Food Blogga said...

Who can resist anything Mexican in warm, chewy tortillas? Looks great, Michelle.

Daisy said...

Yum, yum. I could make it on the weekend and then serve it during the week. Handy!

Anonymous said...

2 pounds! How many does that feed? One herd or two?
Cheers

Lore said...

Did you say chillies, beef and cheddar? I know someone who will most definitely become a fan.
Don't be mistaken: I'm drooling too, trying to resist the temptation...but I can't.
Looks incredibly delicious!
Thanks for this rich recipe Michelle!

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

What cut of beef did you use? I think I'll try this with brisket -- not lean, but shreds easily.

Claremont First Ward said...

I'm going to have to try this one....it looks absolutely delicious, and I smell it in my mind.......yummy!

Shannon said...

Sounds delicious! I am a sucker for the tortilla too. Dangerous! I am so going to try this!

Valerie said...

As a native Texan, I'm a little leery of taking Tex-Mex advice from an Alaskan, but even Mr. at Home agreed that those look and sound yummy. I know what I'm cooking at least one night this week!

Amy said...

This recipe looks so good. I wish that I could eat more Mexican foods, but I have such a touchy stomach.

I love the food linkage- thank you!!

Re said...

that dish looks soooooooo good! i'm going to try it this week :)

Anonymous said...

I love carnitas! I am lazy, so I usually make them in the crock pot instead. And I got very interested in making my own yogurt but never found solid directions that didn't result in something I was scared to eat; so thanks for the link with that info.

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

Carnitas are the best. Your recipe looks so straight-forward compared to most...I will have to make it.

Anonymous said...

hey who cares about calories! when something looks as delicious as these beef carnitas, i have to try it