Dominican Beef

By Chezlamere

Courtesy Family Table cookbook

Once in a while, a favorite family meal dish makes the jump to the menu. If it’s beloved by a bunch of restaurant professionals, why not share it with the customers? Victor Estrella, a porter at Union Square Cafe, has been serving up this traditional Dominican beef stew at family meal since he came to the Cafe in the early 1990s, and over time it’s become part of restaurant lore, an informal entry on the list of standard employee benefits. Now it’s part of the weekend brunch menu so that patrons can enjoy it as well.

Ingredients

• Serve over rice.
• 3 pounds hanger or skirt steak, excess fat trimmed
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups Chicken Stock (recipe below)
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 scallions, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Preparation

Step 1

Slice the hanger steak into thin strips about 3 inches long and ¹⁄8 inch thick, or slice the skirt steak against the grain into strips about 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the tomato paste, beef, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, until the beef is very tender but not falling apart, about 2 hours; if the dish gets too dry, add up to ½ cup water at a time, but no more—you don’t want it to be soupy. (The beef can be cooked to this point up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated; you may need to add water when reheating.)

Add the cilantro and scallions and cook for 10 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for 5 minutes longer, then serve.

Chicken Stock

FAMILY TABLE by Michael Romano & Karen Stabiner

3 quarts

5 pounds chicken bones, rinsed well under cold water

3 celery stalks, quartered

2 medium carrots, quartered (2½ cups)

1 large onion, coarsely chopped (2½ cups)

1 large parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped (1½ cups)

¼ cup fresh Italian parsley sprigs

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1 bay leaf

10 whole black peppercorns

Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, add 4 quarts water, and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat and simmer very gently, uncovered, for 4 hours, skimming the surface every 30 minutes or so and adding more hot water if the level gets too low.

Strain the stock through a colander and then through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl or other container. (The stock can be refrigerated, tightly covered, for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months; remove any hardened fat from the surface before using.)