30/08/2014

Tostada with braised beef, beans and caramelized onions

• 8 soft flour tortillas
• 500g braising steak in 6 pieces
• 4 onions, peeled and sliced
• 4 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1 small tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ teaspoon all spice
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon minced chipotle chilli
• zest of half an orange
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 250ml beef stock
• 1 tin borlotti beans, drained

Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a pan and heat until smoking.

Season the beef with salt and sear on both sides.

Do this in 2 batches and place in a casserole. Fry off half the onions in the pan with the garlic and when coloured, add the all spice, cumin seeds and split cinnamon stick. Cook for a minute then add the chili, orange zest, red wine vinegar, sugar, chopped tomatoes and stock. Pour over the beef, cover and place in a 140oc oven for about 2 hours or until most of the liquid has evaporated and the meat is tender. Cool for 5 minutes then shred the beef and add the beans. Check seasoning.

Fry the remaining onions in 2 tablespoons of oil until golden and set aside.

Set oven to 200oc.

To make the tostadas - place a soft flour tortilla in a pan and toast in the oven for 5 minutes. Alternatively just place on a baking trays and cook until crisp.

Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Tomato Salsa

• 4 large tomatoes
• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
• juice 1 lime
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped red chilli
• handful chopped fresh coriander

Cut the eye out of the tomato and cut in half and then into about 6 chunks from each half.

Mix in the remaining ingredients.

Check seasoning.

To serve top a tostada with some of the beef and then the onions.

You could also add some crumbled feta cheese.

Serve with the salsa.