Happy 2010!

Happy New Years to all my fellow readers! I had an amazing New Years Eve! And of course I did some cooking. I made moro de habichuelas negra, which is a rice mixed with black beans. And I helped mom and abuela make Carne Mechada. Carne Mechada is sort of like a Latin version of beef pot roast. We originally were going to make pernil, which is shredded pork. It's very popular amongst Latinos, but Dominicans and Puerto Ricans are more known for it. However, as delicious as it it, it's definitely on the fattening side. So Carne Mechada was our healthier alternative. Below are the recipes for the moro de habichuelas, and Carne Mechada.

Carne Mechada

Ingredients: 3 lbs of beef pot roast, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 red onion, cilantro, garlic gloves, adobo, worchester sauce, white cooking wine, oregano, olive oil, ham steak, vinegar and tomato paste.

You're going to need a blender and pressure cooker as well.

1. The first step was to season the beef. First we washed the meat and than sprinkled some adobo on it and than poured a little bit of worchester sauce.
2. Afterwards abuela and I took a green pepper and a red pepper and cut them in half and placed them in a blender. Than we added cilantro. We sliced a whole red onion into fine pieces and added it in. And than cut slices of garlic cloves as well and placed them in the blender.
3. After all the ingredients were mixed, we took our sazon(our home made seasoning from the blender) and seasoned the meat with this.
4. Than we added a little bit of white wine and placed it in a pot in the fridge until the next day. Than on New Years Eve we took out the meat and poked holes in it.
5. Than we took some ham steak and cut fine pieces and stuffed it in the beef.
6. This is optional but abuela also likes to slice some pieces of green olives and stuff them in the meat as well. I personally am not crazy about olives so I didn't let her.
7. Than we took the beef and placed it in a pot for a while until it browned.
8. Once it browned we placed it in a pressure cooker and added 2 cups of water. Than we chopped some more onions, peppers and garlic and put it in.
9. After that we added a tablespoon of tomato sauce and sprinkled a little bit of oregano.
10. Than we added a little bit of olive oil and a cap full of vinegar
11. Cover the pressure cooker and let it cook for about 45 minutes

It was delicious!

Than I made the moro de habichuelas negra. Rice mixed with black beans.

Moro de habichuelas negras

Ingredients: Olive oil, adobo, red onion, green and red peppers, garlic gloves, oregano, cilantro, vinegar, tomato paste, two cans of Goya black beams, Sazon Goya (con cilantro y anchiote). White rice, we used Goya Canilla, but Carolina rice is pretty good too.

1. Pour a big spoon of olive oil into a pot.
2. Let the oil sizzle and than sprinkle some adobo.
3. Chop up half a red onion and place it in the pot.
4. Than slice half a red and half a green pepper and place it in the pot.
5. Than chop up some pieces of garlic and place somewhere you can mash it. You can use a garlic press but I personally use a pilon (mortar and pestel) because i like to sprinkle a little bit of adobo and oregano on the garlic and than mash it.
6. Than place the mashed garlic in the pot.
7. Throw in some pieces of cilantro.
8. Pour a cap full of vinegar.
9. Than throw a tablespoon of tomato paste.
10. Stir it around for a while than throw in the two cans of black beans. And fill half a can with water and pour it in.
11. Stir it and let it take in some flavor.
12. Than pour 3 cups of water.
13. Taste it, if it needs salt add a pack of Sazon Goya (con Cilantro y anchiote). I usually always add this because it just gives it so much taste.
14. Than pour the rice. The trick is usually when you make rice you have to add the same amount of rice and water.b Like when i make white rice for 5, I usually put 3 cups of rice and 3 cups of water. However, since there is some water in the cans of beans and we added some additional water before, I added 4 cups of rice. This feeds like 6 and up. You figure we're 6 and we had leftovers so this feeds a good amount.
15. Stir the rice around and when it starts to dry up, cover it.
20. Once it is cooked, remove all the pieces of cilantro, pepper and onion.
And enjoy!