Seco De Carne

I was looking online for interesting soups when I came across Seco De Carne. The is a Latin American stew based soup, frequently associated with Peruvian cuisine, but other countries have their versions. The idea of this soup, is to marinate the beef overnight in an acid based herb forward blend to help season and tenderize the meat. After the marinate, you then stew the meat on low heat, with those same flavors, or similar flavors that they are paired well. The stew is finished with a variety of vegetables and served with rice to give you a complete meal.

This soup is a little counter intuitive to me, as too much acid doesn't pair with green herbs and vegetables. As you cook them together, the green begins to fade and becomes less vibrant in your dish. I addressed this concern by creating a base marinade of spinach, cilantro, parsley, and some chicken broth, and pureeing it together. I then split it into three parts so I could add the bright green mixture at different times in the cooking process.

After I prepared the beef, I started the stew with a 1/3rd of the puree, once the meat was tender and I was about to add the vegetables I added a 2nd portion. The last portion I kept out of the stew and added it to the final heat when I was serving the soup. This gave me a bright finish, to a herb and acid based soup.

Another step I took in this, to help build flavor and texture, was to rinse off and dry the beef before starting the searing process. If you're trying to get a decent sear on your beef, you can't put it into a pan coated in the marinade, unless it's more of a dry brine or spice blend. This particular one, was very wet, and would have steamed the beef, instead of searing it.

For the vegetables in this soup I decided to go with corn carrots, onions, and potatoes stewed with the meat. I then added two more vegetables when I served the dish, green peas, and zucchini that I charred separately. I didn't want to include either of the last two items in the soup, as they have a tenancy to fade or bread down, reducing the life of the soup itself.

To finish the soup I made a quick little tomato and radish relish to contrast texture and color of the soup itself.

Enjoy.

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Ingredients

Marinade

• beef, top round, cubed 3 lbs

• extra virgin olive oil 1 T

• rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup

• scallions 1 bunch

• parsley 1 bunch

• garlic cloves 8 ea

• cilantro 1 bunch

• cumin 1 T

• coriander 1 T

• chile powder 2 tsp

• adobo seasoning 2 T

Braising Liquid

• scallions, 1 bunch 2 ea

• spinach 2 lbs

• parsley 1 bunch

• cilantro 1 bunch

• chicken stock 1 qt

Stew

• onion, diced 2 ea

• garlic, minced 4 ea

• extra virgin olive oil 3 T

• carrots, oblique cut 4 ea

• potatoes, peeled and chopped 8 ea, medium

• cumin 2 T

• adobo spice 2 T

• hot pepper, minced 2 ea

• zucchini, large cut 2 ea

• corn kernels 1 cup

• green peas 1 cup

• salt and pepper to taste

• rice wine vinegar 1/4 cup

• chicken stock 1 qt

Garnish

Diced radishes, and halved grape tomatoes, tossed with cilantro leaves, salt, and a splash of vinegar

Method of Procedure

1. Mix all ingredients for the marinade in a blender or with a stick blender.

2. Trim and cube your beef.

3. Mix the beef and marinade thoroughly and marinate for 24 hours.

4. Remove and rinse beef in a colander, then dry completely.

5. Take all ingredients for the braising liquid, and puree in a blender or with a stick blender. Split into three portions. Reserve one for finishing the soup on pick-up.

6. Begin cooking your stew by heating your pan and adding oil

7. Sear the beef in batches to make sure you're getting color on it.

8. Once you've worked through all the beef, return it all to your pan, then add your onions, hot pepper, and garlic.

9. Cook while stirring to remove the fond and soften up the onions.

10. Add your cumin and adobo seasonings.

11. Add 1/3 of your braising liquid, 1 qt of chicken stock, and your vinegar. Cook on medium heat for 2 hours until the beef is tender.

12. Add your corn, potatoes, and carrots to the stew and another 1/3rd of your braising liquid.

13. Simmer until the stew is reduced and the vegetables are tender.

14. While the stew is cooking, sear your zucchini in a cast iron pan, char on a grill, or roast to get the color you are looking for.

15. Once cooled, cut your zucchini into appropriate sized pieces for your dish.

16. Once reduced, season your stew to taste, adding salt, vinegar, and pepper as needed.

17. To serve, heat a portion of your soup in a sauce pan, add your diced zucchini, and peas. Season to taste, garnish if desired, and serve with rice.