Pickled Onion
- 1 red onion, peeled
- cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- handful cilantro leaves
- 1/4 beet, scrubbed well
Make the pickled onion. Slice the onion very thinly and put it in a microwaveable container. Add the beet, cilantro, salt, and sugar. Cover everything with 1 part water to 2 parts vinegar.
Microwave for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for another minute. Cool, then refrigerate overnight. The beet will turn the onion a really pretty hot pink color. Remove the beet before serving.
Barbacoa Beef Cheeks
- 1 tsp instant espresso
- 1 avocado, sliced
- corn tortilla
- 3 limes
- 1 cup chicken broth (you can use beef too; I just had chicken on hand)
- 1 tsp salt
- handful fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp smoked sweet paprika
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
- 4 clove garlic, chopped
- 1 dried ancho chile
- 21/2 lb beef cheeks or short ribs
Prepare the cheeks: Clean and trim the beef cheeks. Put them in a container in which you can marinate them.
Remove the stem and seeds from the ancho chili, cut it into chunks, and rehydrate it in a little hot water (I stick it in a ramekin and microwave for 30 seconds).
Combine the ancho chili and soaking water, garlic, peanut butter, espresso powder, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the honey, cumin, paprika, cilantro, and salt in a food processor and blend into a paste. Toss the paste with the cheeks, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or, better yet, overnight.
When it is time to cook, heat the oven to 275°F and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the cheeks on both sides. Use the broth to rinse the rest of the marinade into the Dutch oven, then squeeze the juice of the limes in.
Braise for 3 1/2 hours, turning the cheeks over once or twice while they cook. If the liquid dries up, add a bit more broth.
When the cheeks are fall-apart tender, use two forks to pull the meat apart in the pan so that it mixes in with all the fatty juicy goodness.
To serve: Heat 2 tortillas (I like to double-wrap the tacos, as they are juicy). Fill with the barbacoa, a slice of avocado, some of the pickled onions, and some fresh cilantro. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe courtesy of The Food 52 Cookbook by Amanda Hesser and Merrill Stubbs/William Morrow Cookbooks, 2011.
