disappointment & dinner

SEC football is something I really love. So much so that I had all three SEC games on today (yes, even that horribly boring Vandy/Auburn game.) All the teams I wanted to win today lost instead. I'll be honest and say I didn't think Florida would win -- or even get that close -- so I spent most of the game finishing cleaning the house while listening to Mick Hubert's play-by-play on the radio. But by the fourth quarter I was hopeful. I mean, we were still up by 10! We'd held them at the goal line! Then they let LSU come back and win. I am so disappointed I can't sleep, which is why I'm posting this in the middle of the night. Sigh.

The real point of this post was to share the dinner I made tonight. I love Cuban food and cook it often. However, most of my favorite dishes require several time-consuming steps that make them impractical for weekday meals. I did a big fall cleaning day today, which was perfect for making vaca frita since I could go back and forth from the two without wasting any time. Vaca frita is basically a crispy beef stir-fry with hints of citrus, garlic, and cumin. It is delicious.






Here is my version of this classic Cuban dish:

Vaca Frita

1 1/2 lb flank steak, cut in half
2 bay leaves
1 teasp salt
1 teasp cumin

juice from 2 limes
juice from 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teasp cumin
salt & pepper to taste

3 tblsp olive oil
1 small to medium onion, cut in half then thinly sliced
2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
lime wedges for serving

Place the steak, bay leaves, salt, and cumin in a large saucepan with enough water to cover the meat. Cover and cook over low heat 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit covered for 1-2 hours for meat to cool.

When meat is relatively cool, remove from stock (save stock for another use -- good black bean or soup base.) Shred the beef using your fingers or two forks (it should pull apart easily) and place meat in a large glass or plastic bowl. Add the citrus juices, garlic, cumin and salt & pepper. Mix it well and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight (give it a turn every now and again if you think about it.)

Remove the meat from the marinade, or just pour out the excess juices. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until warm and cook the meat, stirring often, until starting to fry, about 5-7 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, continuing to stir. When the beef is crispy, take the pan off the heat and add the parsley and juice of several lime wedges. Alternatively, you could add the parsley and a lime wedge to each individual serving. Serve with white rice. Yummy!