Mario Batali, Mexican Style
Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Mario Batali took a turn away from the Italian fare he is famous for at an event recently to benefit his new charity, The Mario Batali Foundation at the Food and WIne Festival in Aspen. Batali prepared a gigantic batch of machaca for his friends, family and fellow chefs. The Mario Batali Foundation has a mission to educate and empower children with a goal of making sure that all children are well read, well fed and well cared for. Also on Batali's board is his longtime friend, musician Michael Stipe.Batali's machaca is a little more labor-intensive than your standard taco meat but definitely worth the effort. For the event Batali used Strauss Meadow Reserve veal from Allen Brothers. The meat was marinated in a mixture of Worcestershire, lime juice, garlic, chipotle, cumin and black pepper overnight. After browning, onions, peppers and herbs are added. The meat is cooked for two hours until falling apart, shredded, and returned to the liquid. Then the mixture is slowly cooked down until the meat is close to dry. The result can be used in tacos, flauta and just about any other Mexican preparation. The complete recipe is after the jump.
Mario Batali's Carne Machaca Taco Filling:
For the Marinade:
For the Machaca:
Process:
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large freezer bag. Cut the skirt steak or veal shoulder into 1/4 lb. pieces and place in the bag. Refrigerate overnight.
In a large stock pot, fry the pieces of meat until brown. Once the meat has rich coloring, add the onion, peppers, oregano, and cumin. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful bits of browned meat. Reduce the heat and simmer for two hours or until the meat is just falling apart. Add water or beef broth if needed.
Remove the pot from the heat and remove the meat pieces. Shred with a pair of forks and return to the liquid. Reduce liquid until the meat is almost dry.
For the Marinade:
- 2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
- Juice of two limes
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon of chipotle chile in adobo minced (substitute chili powder)
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
For the Machaca:
- 3 pounds of Allen Brothers skirt steak or veal shoulder
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 poblano pepper, diced (substitute a green pepper)
- 1 Jalapeno, diced
- 1 can of diced tomatoes (with or without chilies)
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin seed
- 1 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Oil for frying
Process:
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a large freezer bag. Cut the skirt steak or veal shoulder into 1/4 lb. pieces and place in the bag. Refrigerate overnight.
In a large stock pot, fry the pieces of meat until brown. Once the meat has rich coloring, add the onion, peppers, oregano, and cumin. Cook until the onions are soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful bits of browned meat. Reduce the heat and simmer for two hours or until the meat is just falling apart. Add water or beef broth if needed.
Remove the pot from the heat and remove the meat pieces. Shred with a pair of forks and return to the liquid. Reduce liquid until the meat is almost dry.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
hey dude7 Jun 25th 2009 5:43PM
WRONG YOU ARE...!
Mario made whatthehell but machaca.
I am a Mexican Chef with 23 years experience in the kitchen, i was born and lived in Mex until 18 and i know machaca, and what he made was NOT machaca.
Machaca is shredded jerky meat pan fried with peppers ,onion and egg. It`s eaten with flour tortillas usually for breakfast,
What a shame Mario knows better than that.!!!
chipotlecoyote Jun 25th 2009 7:18PM
Hey Dude (ha): with all respect, machaca is just the meat -- if you turn it into a breakfast dish with egg, it's "machaca con heuvo." And you don't start with jerky; you're drying the beef out in the process of cooking it ("reduce liquid until the meat is almost dry"). What you're describing is a shortcut to machaca con heuvo by starting out with the meat pre-dried, and there's nothing wrong with that -- but it doesn't make Batali's recipe wrong, either.
hey dude7 Jun 25th 2009 8:04PM
Sorry Chipotle...
I stand by my comment :
Machaca is the meat that went to the process of dry air curing, for days and then MACHACADA,, in a stone mill, now days are more modern methods ,but the machaca has to be dried and shredded to be called machaca, then you can do what ever you want with it, huevos con machaca is a good example , and if you add some guajillo salsa you can make chilorio.
But the Machaca name comes from the" machacado " process, not the fact that you can dry up any meat if you cook it long enough,
And yes Batalli`s dish is wrong if he , him self called it machaca, as i did not go to the process of becoming traditional Mexican authentic machaca.
It just might be that it was misinterpreted , and he called that out of ignorance or as a tribute.
BTW I am a LCBA Chef and Mexican versed in my foods, i lived there from birth to 18 YO, and have been in Machaca factories in Sinaloa and Sonora, so please let Mario be wrong and enjoy a tequilita anejo con cueritos ,pal calor que no?