A CHILDHOOD FAVORITE: CARNE GUISADA | MEGAN LEARNS TO COOK

A lot of my favorite memories growing up revolved around food: the aroma of my mom’s homemade chocolate chip cookies warming the kitchen, my grandma showing us how to roll out the perfect tortilla, and my dad giving me the responsibility of being the “taste-tester” of the first fajita off the grill. Although, I didn’t quite take to all the skill sets that go into making an amazing meal, I definitely know how to enjoy one. But, over the last few years I’ve been trying to enhance my skill set of cooking (cue Megan Learns To Cook).

This week on the blog, I’m going to be making a childhood favorite: Carne Guisada

I mentioned to my dad how much I missed that meal the other day, and the next day my mom had emailed the recipe so I could give it my own try. Here’s what you’ll need if you want to try it out yourself!

What You Will Need

• 2 - 3lbs of Stew Meat (I used sirloin for mine)

• Green Bell Pepper

• White Onion

• 1 Large Tomato (You can also use canned tomatoes or sauce)

• 2 tsp Garlic Salt

• 2 tsp Cumin

• 3 tbsp of Flour

• Pepper

• Olive Oil/Your Oil of Choice

• Chicken Broth or Stock (optional)

Let’s Cook

Step 1: Cut your steak into cubes and season with 1 tsp of cumin, 1 tsp of garlic salt, and pepper to your liking.

Step 2: Roughly chop your bell pepper (making sure to remove the seeds), medium dice the onion, and roughly chop your tomato and set aside. (If using canned tomato, I like to use some of the juice from it.)

Step 3: In a large pan, add your oil and meat and begin to brown on medium high heat.

Step 4: Add your onion and green bell pepper and stir occasionally.

Step 5: Add the roughly chopped tomato, continue to cook the meat, and let the bell pepper and onion soften.

Step 6: Once the meat is browned, add your 3 tablespoons of flour. I would suggest adding water or stock to your flour first and stirring out any clumps with a fork, and then pour and mix in.

Step 7: Add the additional cumin and garlic salt and any additional stock you want (I did a small splash of broth in mine).

Step 8: Bring the heat down to low and let it continue to simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Stir occasionally and taste to see if theres anything else you want to add. The flavors will continue to meld and become so delicious.

Step 9: Let’s eat! Serve with tortillas and rice or my personal favorite is with a side of fideo or beans. You don’t even need utensils, I usually just use a tortilla to scoop it all up and its always delicious!

Some Things I Learned

• This is a recipe all about patience. It’s an easy meal, but not a quick one. It’s all about the long simmer and letting all those flavors meld together.

• My dad cooks all with feeling. I’m so precise and measured, but I’m learning there’s always some wiggle room.

• Because so many of my memories revolve around food, I want to continue to get better at cooking so I can share some of these family favorites like my dad has with me.