MEAT FEAST: SPICED PERUVIAN BEEF IN FRUIT & BEER (Archive)

Spices, orange & beef give this budget-friendly steak a Latin American punch

Wallet-friendly steak, Peruvian-style: spicy, fruity and with beer!
'The meat is so tender; the flavouring intriguingly subtle.  Perfect to launch metal rock holiday.' tester
                                                                                                                                               

This savoury beefsteak is tender but full of body, layered with flavours evoking heat, dust and lowing cattle.  It's a Peruvian dish but more than stands on its own as a fab summer recipe, perfect for the grill or BBQ.  

And it can be prepared ahead!

It was adapted from the internet but the site reference has been lost.  Apologies to the site but who knew there are so many web addresses for Peruvian cuisine?   

Peruvian Beef Steak is designed for the cheaper cuts of steak -- skirt, flank or Denver.  These cuts are better seared and served pink in the middle, the way (apparently real) men like their beef.  The flavour is excellent but the meat can be chewy if overcooked.

67 tested supermarket Denver steak, in a packet. The blogger is not a fan of beef that's still pink but tested a slice (intrepidly)! It was surprisingly good; the meat was flavoursome and not at all raw.  The kebabs, cooked slightly longer, were chewy.  

If there are any qualms about texture, best buy the least expensive standard steak, rump. Or take supermarket specials on beef roasts, which can sometimes be a little tough, slice thickly and treat like steaks.  

The flavour of the marinade was gorgeous but some men might prefer more heat.  Try serving finely diced de-seeded red chillis in a separate dish. 

Costs: £6-7
Feeds: 3-4

Ingred:
   1 lb/1/2 kilo flank, skirt or Denver steak left whole OR the more expensive rump steak 
   2 large oranges, zest and juice  
   1/2 cup finely chipped cilantro or chives (67 used chives)
   1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced 
   2 tsp salt-reduced soy sauce (Amoy or Pearl River Bridge)
   1/2 tsp cumin
   1/2 tsp smoked paprika
   1 garlic clove, finely grated
   1/2 tsp oregano
   1/4-1/2 tbsp dried chipotle or a small dried chipotle soaked in water, drained and finely chopped
   1/2 mug Mexican beer (see below) or no-alcohol beer   (67 used a similar Czech Pilsner which was sold in singles, not 4-packs,  500 ml, £1.70) 

  Garnish: red chillis, de-seeded and finely diced 
  
Method:

1. Put meat and onions to one side
2. Once the oranges have been zested, remove white pith.  
3. Put peeled oranges and all other ingredients in a bowl or blender; whizz with stick or bowl blender
4. Pour into a sealable freezer bag or plastic bag without holes 
5. Add meat and sliced onions
6. Seal bag; lay on plate or tray
7. Refrigerate several hours or overnight, turning once or twice
8. If making kebabs, cut meat into cubes; otherwise keep steaks whole
9. Remove meat and set aside marinade
10. Cooking: (a) in one piece, on a BBQ or under a grill on high until charred but pink inside, 6 mins each side (b) kebabs, thread cubes on kebab sticks alternately with squares of raw peppers and baby tomatoes; grill or bbq 4 mins each side   
11. The meat will release wonderful juices as it cooks; save them to add to the marinade to make a sauce
12. Sauce: bring marinade to the boil and bubble vigorously 5 mins; add juices; blend until smooth; reheat when ready to serve 
13. Serve with roasted vine tomatoes and Skinnier Twice-Baked Potatoes

  (14/6/16) 

Tips:

• leftover sauce can be used to add flavour to a beef casserole
• good Mexican beers include Corona or Sol, both pale ales with alcohol content above 4.5%, 4-packs, £5.
• bamboo kebab sticks sell from 50p to £1.50 at major supermarkets; soak them in water before using and if kids are around, trim off the points

Interesting Facts: The recipe has Oriental overtones probably due to the large population of Chinese in Peru -- the biggest in Latin America. Peru was once thought to have been populated by Asians and Siberians crossing the Bering Sea land bridge.  Peruvian cuisine is more usually associated with ceviche -- raw fish cooked in marinade) 

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This recipe  has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.