Leslie Meredith, round 4
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COURTESY OF LESLIE MEREDITHLeslie Meredith made Beef Barbacoa and Spiced Cauliflower Tacos with Curtido and Cashew Lime Crema for week four of the Cook of the Week Challenge.
This week was a revelation. I hate pot roast, so I had never cooked a chuck roast. I felt nervous about the remaining secret ingredients, unsure of how they could ever be combined into a tasty dish with the beef. In the end, the tacos were the most delicious meal I've had in a long time, and certainly the best thing I've made in this competition.
I was happy to turn once again to my garden for inspiration. Home-grown habaneros, jalapenos, garlic, onions, carrots and tomatillos all made their way into my recipe. I knew "low and slow" were the keys to cooking a chuck roast, especially one from a grass-fed and finished cow, which is leaner than the corn-fed variety. A braise would be a good approximation of Mexican barbacoa, and I could use the cauliflower for a vegan filling. Many recipes I researched called for pickled onions, but I added other vegetables to put my spin on the Latin slaw called curtido. They added color and texture for a visual as well as a flavor and nutrition boost.
The spicy heat of the beer-braised beef was tempered by the sweet nuttiness of the cashew butter, and the acidity of the curtido cut through its richness, with the radish giving a welcome crunch. I like that the recipe is easy to adapt for a slow cooker or pressure cooker after browning the beef. The spices made the cauliflower pretty tasty on its own, but the citrusy-nutty crema made it extra special. I washed it all down with the additional beer.
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