serves
6
prep
20 minutes
cook
1:30 hour
difficulty
Mid
serves
6
people
preparation
20
minutes
cooking
1:30
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 8 bacon rashers, chopped
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 kg beef chuck steak, cut into 1 cm pieces
- 750 ml (3 cups) chicken stock
- 4 canned tomatillos (see Note), drained, rinsed
- 2 serrano chillies (see Note) or 1 jalapeño or long green chilli
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 4 onions, sliced
- coriander leaves, to serve
Frijoles negros
- 400 g (2 cups) dried black turtle beans (see Note), soaked overnight
- ½ onion
- 1 bay leaf
Soaking time overnight
Instructions
To make frijoles negros, drain beans and place in a saucepan over medium heat with onion, bay leaf and 2 tsp salt. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 1½ hours or until very soft. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, place bacon in a large, deep frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 4 minutes or until crisp and golden Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat oil in same pan over medium heat. Season beef with salt and pepper, then, working in batches, cook beef, turning, for 3 minutes or until browned all over. Remove from pan and set aside.
Place chicken stock, tomatillos, chillies and garlic in same pan and bring to the boil. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool slightly. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth.
Transfer mixture to a pressure cooker with beef and onions. Cook on medium, following manufacturer’s instructions, for 45 minutes or until beef is meltingly tender. Alternatively, place in a heavy-based saucepan with tight-fitting lid and simmer over medium–low heat for 2½ hours. Season, then serve topped with warm, drained frijoles negros, reserved bacon and coriander leaves.
Note
• Fresh tomatillos are difficult to source in Australia. If you do find them, remove the husk and rinse. Canned tomatillos are from select delis and Mexican food shops.
• Serrano chillies are long, green Mexican chillies. They are from select greengrocers and also dried from Mexican food shops.
• Black turtle beans are available from Asian food shops and specialist food shops.
Photography by Mark Roper.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.