Hello all another beautiful day, another two great recipes in our week featuring Diana Barrios Trevino from Los Barrios in San Antonio, Texas. Today I feature a dish from the town of Zuazua in the state of Nuevo Leon. Here is how Diana describes this earthy dish in her cookbook
“Cortadillo is one of my favorites of the dishes my mother’s beloved godmother, Madrina amelia, used to make when we visited her. Similar to a stew , it is braised cubes of beef tenderloin, with lots of oregano for its distinctive flavor.”
Diana suggest serving this dish with Spanish rice, I have followed her suggestion and featured both. My home smelled heavenly of oregano last night and dinner was amazing. Enjoy! Sweet Life
**if you missed part 1 or part 2 of this great interview click here… part 1 part 2 …..and please enter for your chance to win you own cookbook, comment on any of these post or comment on all for extra entries…. contest ends friday
Sweet Life- Can you share with us one of your fondest food memory?
Diana – Oh my gosh there are so many. Probably what I really loved the most was cooking side by side with my mother as we wrote our cookbook, Los Barrios Family Cookbook~Tex-Mex Recipes from the Heart of San Antonio. None of our recipes had ever been documented so we sat there for about two years, when time was allowed, testing the recipes and documenting them. You know most great cooks just cook without measuring or timing. I learned a whole lot more and spent great quality time with my mom. I always tell friends to make sure they document those special family recipes so that they may be passed down through generations.
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Sweet Life- What would be your last meal on this earth?
Diana- Los Barrios cheese enchiladas with a yummy puffy taco on the side, a great salsa and a margarita or two!
Cortadillo Zuazua
Beef Stew Zuazua- Style
Los Barrios Family Cookbook
serves 6
3 tbsp vegetable oil
3 pounds beef tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
pinch of garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup water
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large deep skillet or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the beef with the garlic powder and salt, pepper. Add to the pan , in batches, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Drain the juices into a small bowl and set aside. Return all the meat to the pan.
2 Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the pan, then add the tomatoes and onion and cook about 8 minutes. Return the reserved juices to the pan, add the water and oregano, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
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Spanish Rice
Los Barrios Family Cookbook
serves 6 to 8
1/4 pound (1stick) butter
1/2 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cups white rice
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in 2 cups hot water.(i used chicken broth)
1 melt the butter in a large skillet, over low heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook stirring, until coated with butter. Add the carrots and the bouillon broth, then add 4 cups water and bring to a boil, increase the heat to high and cook, uncovered for 3 minutes.
2. reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the rice is tender and all the water has been absorbed about 10 minutes longer.
Congratulations, your work is absolutely awesome.
Beautiful recipes, lovely colours and flavours.
Great photos too.
Wishing you a great week ?
Know what I love about Hispanic food? The COLOUR!!! I love oregano and glad to see this recipe doesn’t shy away from it!
I am a rice lover defiantly making some Spanish Rice tonight for dinner.
like the sound of the roast, quick cooking too and flavorful, so is the rice – a perfect combo… I bet Diana makes a great Margarita…
Mmmm…. stews are great from any culture, any time, of any day. LOVES! And Spanish rice reminds me of Portuguese style rice I had last week. Lots of butter and flavour…. YUM!
It looks like your godmother knows something about great flavor!
Oohoooh….I would love to have this for dinner. Looks awesome! Love the rice!
Gosh, this looks so good!
Carmen
Ahhh I want to eat all of the food from this cookbook! Diana’s last meal sounds like what I would want my last meal to be. Plus cheesecake.
Now I know why spanish rice tastes so good…all of that yummy butter!
We have recipes in our family that in the process of being documented as well. It’s amazing how mom-to-daughter dishes have been passed for generations–without the use of paper!
Gorgeous dish!
I love that the cookbook was developed with her mother – figuring out amounts and timing when mothers just “know.” All looks utterly delicious. She knows what she is doing!
This really sounds and looks incredible. Another bookmarked! And those puffy tortillas peeking out from that photo. Love this meal.
Bonnie, how delicious is this? Sounds like Ms. Diana really knows what she’s doing. I’ve had a dish like this before and it’s all about a good cut of beef stewed just long enough to pull the flavor of the oregano but not so long as to overdo the nice cut of meat-so easy and delicious. I love it!
p.s. I dreamed I got your package last night, and then I woke up thinking I had it (smile). It always takes a while for me to get stuff here, so I get antsy about it…
What a delicious looking dish! Yum!
what a beautiful dish…how I do miss the food and my family in San Antone
truly, truly makes my mouth water! and I’ll bet your house smelled heavenly – I bet the whole neighborhood smelled heavenly!
Totally going to Los Barrios this weekend.
MM, this looks delicious. I love all the juice at the bottom soaking into the rice.
This is one recipe I definitely have to try. Wow!
Oh wow, this sounds fantastic :). I am pretty sure I would love this.
*Kisses* HH
Amazing combination of flavours and crunchy textures!
Cheers,
Lia.