Steak Tacos with Salsa Negra

Serves 4

I love Mexican food and the fact that it is unapologetically time-consuming to prepare. This recipe isn’t especially difficult but does take a little effort to get hold of the chiles and make the salsa.

A great source for Mexican ingredients is the Cool Chile Company who sell at least 6 varieties of dried chiles. Once the salsa is made you can usually get several uses out of it before it is all used up.

Ingredients

2 steaks - sirloin, rump, hanger, or flank would all be good
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 white cabbage, finely shredded
a handful of coriander leaves, finely chopped
corn tortillas

Salsa Negra

8 tbsp vegetable oil
85 grams dried chipotle chilies, rinsed
12 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tsp salt
500 mls boiling water 

Crema Mexicana

250 mls creme fraiche
4 tbsp buttermilk

Instructions

To make the salsa negra, warm 4 tbsp of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add the garlic and chilies. Saute for 5 minutes of until the garlic is golden and the chilies have puffed up. Set aside the garlic.

Place the chilies in the boiling water and leave to soak for 15 minutes or until soft. Carefully remove and discard the stems and pound the chilies with the garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle to a coarse paste. Alternatively place the mixture in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Place the chili-garlic paste in a saucepan and whisk in the chili soaking liquid. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until the mixture is thick enough to start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Light a barbecue or heat a griddle pan on maximum. Season your steaks well with salt and pepper and cook them for 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice on the diagonal into thick slices.

Make the crema mexicana by whisking together the creme fraiche and buttermilk.  Place some of the steak slices in a corn tortilla and add some of the cabbage and coriander. Spoon over some salsa negra and drizzle generously with the crema mexicana. Eat with your hands and letting some of the sauce escape and dribble down your fingers.

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by JK

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Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved.