• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

TIP SHORT RIBS CAN BE PURCHASED ON THE BONE OR BONELESS. I PREFER THE BONE-IN PIECES BECAUSE YOU GET SO MUCH FLAVOR WHEN YOU COOK MEAT ON THE BONE, ESPECIALLY IN BRAISED DISHES SUCH AS THIS ONE.

SALPICÓN

COLD SHREDDED BEEF SALAD

SERVES 12

2 pounds boneless beef brisket

1 large onion, quartered Salt

¾ cup olive oil

6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

¼ cup fresh lime juice ¼ cup minced red onion

2 tablespoons crumbled dried oregano

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chopped seeded tomato

1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber

½ cup capers, drained

¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 radishes, finely chopped

24 tostadas (see Tips)

3 avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, and sliced

Bottled hot sauce (such as Huichol)

This shredded beef salad is perfect for a crowd or for a leftover-friendly family. It actually tastes better a day or two after you make it, when the flavors have had more time to combine. Although capers aren’t traditionally found in salpicón, I think they make perfect sense in this summer dish, adding just a touch of salt.

Put the brisket in a large pot and add enough water to cover the meat by 1 inch. Add the onion pieces and ¼ cup salt. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, partially covered, for 2½ hours, or until the brisket is very tender. (Add more water if needed to keep the meat covered.) Remove the pot from the heat and let the brisket cool to room temperature in the cooking liquid. Then drain the brisket, discard the water, and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the brisket. (Brisket can be made 1 day ahead.)

Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette by whisking the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, red onion, and oregano in a medium bowl. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.

Shred the cooled brisket into a large bowl. Add the tomato, cucumber, capers, cilantro, and radishes, and toss to combine. Add the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season the salpicón with additional salt and pepper if needed. Spoon enough salpicón on a tostada to cover and then garnish with avocado slices. Serve with hot sauce.

OSSO BUCO DON TONY

SERVES 2

2 veal shanks (about 2 pounds total)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped carrot

½ cup chopped celery

2 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into pieces

4 garlic cloves: 2 minced, 2 whole

1 cup dry white wine

One 14.5-ounce can peeled tomatoes, with juice

½ cup beef broth

4 tablespoons grated lime zest (from 6 to 8 limes)

⅓ cup (packed) fresh cilantro leaves

My dad, Antonio (a.k.a. Tony), inspired this dish. Like a painter’s body of work, his culinary life is marked by distinct periods. When he went through an osso buco period, I decided that if I was going to be making a lot of osso buco, it was going to be a Mexican osso buco, spiked with lime, chiles, cilantro, and garlic.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Season the veal shanks all over with salt and pepper. Place the flour on a plate and dredge the veal shanks in the flour, shaking off the excess.

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Add the veal shanks and cook for 5 minutes per side, or until browned all over. Transfer them to a plate.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, chiles, and minced garlic to the same pot. Cook for 3 minutes, or until the vegetables begin to brown. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Then stir in the canned tomatoes with juice, beef broth, and 3 tablespoons of the lime zest.

Return the veal shanks to the pot and push them down into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and then turn off the heat. Cover the pot tightly, and carefully transfer it to the oven. Braise the veal shanks for 2 hours, or until tender.

Uncover the pot and continue to cook in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Meanwhile, combine the cilantro, whole garlic cloves, and remaining 1