What's For Dinner?

I frequently find inspiration from the pages of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine and this month's issue was no exception.  This delicious "Carne Guisada" caught my eye but I thought I might tweak it a bit as I didn't have the ingredients for tacos on hand, nor did I have 6 hours to devote to the slow cooker method.  I eliminated the peppers and jalapenos, doubled the diced tomatoes, and added a dash of red wine vinegar before serving to brighten the flavor.  Then I served it over couscous with lemon and chopped cilantro and it was this lovely cozy comforting stew-like dish.  Just heaven on this cold night.  The dish was cooked perfectly after 3 hours at 350 degrees.

Recipe after the break.

Slow Cooker Carne Guisada

Ingredients:

2 1/2 pounds beef chuck roast or bottom round, cut into 1-inch pieces

coarse salt and ground pepper

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium white onion, diced medium

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and diced medium

1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced small

5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon chili powder

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

6 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Flour tortillas, warmed, grated cheddar, and cilantro, for serving

Directions:

Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoons oil over high. In two batches, cook beef until browned on all sides, 5 minutes per batch (add 2 teaspoons more oil for second batch). Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

In same skillet, cook 2 teaspoons oil, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano, and flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes, then transfer mixture to slow cooker, along with tomatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 6 hours. Serve in tortillas with cheese and cilantro. (Refrigerate cooled mixture in an airtight container, up to 3 days, or freeze, up to 2 months.)

Serves 8 to 10