Carne Con Chili Verde

A one pot wonder spicy beef dish that is a true cowboy food from the north of Mexico made with some great yet simple ingredients, a single pot and some patience, all that is required to make this classic recipe.

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Recipe Card

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‍Method of Preparation:

• Place the steak, salt, onion and garlic in a 2-2.5 litre-capacity, heavy-based straight-sided saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1½ hours, until the liquid reduces.
• Meanwhile, use an open flame to cook the outside of the green chillies until charred. Quickly place in a bowl and cover to let them steam and soften. When cool, wipe the charred skin from the chillies (don’t use water to clean them as you will lose the smoky flavour), then split, remove seeds and tear into strips. Reserve.
• Place a comal or flat frying pan over medium heat and roast the tomatoes, turning as they soften, for 8 minutes or until soft through and lightly charred. Remove from the heat.
• When the liquid from the beef has reduced, check the meat for tenderness. If it requires further cooking, add 1 cup hot water and continue cooking until tender.
• Meanwhile, to make the salsa, dry-roast the garlic and tomato on a comal or frying pan over medium heat for 3–8 minutes. Remove the garlic when toasted but not burnt. Remove the tomato when tender and slightly charred on the skin. Toast the chiltepin for about 30 seconds, or until slightly changed in colour. Remove and let cool.
• Peel the garlic and crush with a pinch of salt and the chiltepin in a molcajete (see Note) or mortar and pestle. Add the tomato and crush roughly. Add more salt to taste.
• When the steak is tender, allow the pan to almost dry and let the fat that has rendered from the beef gently fry and colour the ingredients. Stir occasionally to ensure the ingredients do not over-colour. After 5 minutes of gentle frying, add the roasted tomatoes and mash lightly. Stir all the ingredients to coat, then place the roasted pepper strips on top.
• Serve the beef still in the pot, with warmed tortillas and chilli sauce for each person to serve themselves.

Notes:

• Chiltepins are small fiery chillies sometimes known as chile pequin. If unavailable, chile de arbol or any dried red chilli with some heat is an acceptable substitute.
• The molcajete is a rough textured granite mortar and pestle used in Mexico. If using a standard mortar and pestle or blender, leave the salsa rustic and chunky rather than smooth.

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Peter Kuruvita

A chef, restaurateur, television host, author, consultant and industry speaker, the Aussie Sri Lankan Peter Kuruvita is everything one could imagine of an acclaimed Chef to be. Peter is known for his rich and culturally inspired cooking, highly influenced by his Sri Lankan father and Austrian mother.

Peter Kuruvita began his culinary journey in the traditional kitchen of his ancestral home in Colombo, Sri Lanka, cooking along with his grandmother. He started cooking professionally at the tender age of 15 at a small suburban restaurant in Sydney, Australia.

After establishing himself as a well-known chef in Australia and cooking around the globe, Peter opened Sydney’s award-winning Flying Fish Restaurant & Bar in 2004, and successfully led the kitchen team as Executive Chef for 8 years. Today his legacy still lives on through its creative modern dishes with a strong seafood focus and great reputation. By now, he owns and runs Noosa Beach House in Noosa, Australia, and Flying Fish Tokoriki & Flying Fish Samoa in Fiji Islands.

Peter has worked with Dilmah Tea in an ambassadorial role for many years, developing the concept of tea gastronomy. This involves hosting the annual "Real High Tea Challenge" for chefs and consumers, now a worldwide event, and recipe development.

Memories of an idyllic childhood spent in Sri Lanka, inspired his first cook book "Serendip – My Sri Lankan Kitchen". The book takes food lovers on a journey through the kitchen experiences of his childhood with traditional recipes and stunning photography.

This was followed by Peter's first TV series "My Sri Lanka with Peter Kuruvita" which combines breath-taking scenery with spectacular spicy fare as Peter travels across the country, experiencing the wealth of Sri Lanka's beauty, culture and culinary diversity.