They say time is a friend to no man, but they never said it wasn’t kind to bell peppers. Carne Mechada agrees.
Why Peppers are the Soul of Carne Mechada
First of all, the ripeness factor is something that I feel most Americans tend to overlook.
Most of our vegetables are imported from around the world, which means they were picked at a horrifying stage of maturity aka as green as you can get.
I’m not sure when it became the norm, but somewhere along the way, ‘green pepper’ became synonymous with ‘bell pepper‘.
Honestly, I grew up thinking that red, orange and yellow peppers were a special kind of pepper. It didn’t occur to me until recently that green peppers aren’t necessarily a completely different vegetable…they are just less ripe.
Of course, green bell peppers certainly have their place, but they tend to be more bitter because, well, they haven’t matured yet.
I used to hate bell peppers…because I thought they were all green and I didn’t like the bitter aftertaste. I know I’m probably preaching to the choir here, but I honestly didn’t know that for many years. I even grew up eating dishes in South America that used beautifully ripened pepper sauces…and I thought all that flavor was coming from tomatoes.
Understanding Your Peppers
The maturity level of a vegetable or fruit can also be directly linked to the amount of possible flavor it can lend to a dish. So, why do we insist on mostly cooking with green peppers when eating green bananas or potatoes is considered weird? The bitterness has its place, but so does sweetness and ‘ripened on the vine’ flavor. There’s a reason why vegetables and fruits that are allowed to mature on their tree, bush or vine are so much tastier. When we cut the process short, we cut out flavor.
Imagine if we only used green tomatoes in salads, soups and sauces.
At the end of the day, I think we would be doing ourselves, our recipes and our poor peppers a favor if we let them ripen a bit more before we consumed them.
I know even the red peppers we can buy at the store don’t have the same flavor a home grown one would, but it’s a start.
We do what we can with what we have. Until we are all able to produce as many peppers as we need in our own backyards, we can at least try to buy non-green peppers as much as possible. The flavor is really that much better.
Summer is fast approaching, though even in the south we are still dealing with freezing temperatures half-way through April. We know all too soon the intense heat and humidity will descend with a vengeance and to that end, I would like to present you with a slow-cooked recipe featuring delicious RIPE bell peppers and beef.
If you’ve never tried this Venezuelan staple, trust me, it’s amazing.
A “Set It and Forget It” Meal for Hot Days
Additionally, if you are also trying to cook fewer meals in the oven during hot summer months, this is a great slow-cooker or instant pot option!
My partner was initially horrified that I was making ‘boiled beef’ for dinner the first time I cooked this carne mechada for him. I told him to hush and trust the process and my Venezuelan experience. He has since been converted and is now a firm believer in boiled beef…at least as long as it includes the pepper broth.
If you made it this far without skipping ahead to the recipe, thank you!
Here is your reward. 😉 Happy Peppers = Happy Life.
Carne Mechada
Ingredients
- 1 – 2 Onions
- 4 – 5 Cloves of Garlic (or 1 T. Dried Garlic Powder)
- 3 – 4 Bell Peppers
- 1 T. Dried Oregano or 5 – 6 Sprigs Fresh Oregano
- 2 t. Smoked Paprika
- 1 T. Garlic Powder (if you didn’t use Garlic already)
- 2 t. Lawry’s Salt or Montreal Steak Seasoning
- 1 T. Cumin
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 T. Olive Oil
- 1 Chuck Roast
- 2 T. Olive Oil
- 4 c. Water or Broth
- 1 (6 oz.) Small Can Tomato Paste or 1 Large Can Tomato Sauce
- 1 Medium Can Stewed or Diced Tomatoes
Instructions
- Dice garlic and slice onions.
- Slice peppers.
- Add all the spices, salt, peppers, onions and bay leaves. to a large soup pot.
- Add 2 T. olive oil and sauté everything over medium heat.
- I like to do the onions and garlic first for a few minutes, then add the peppers. It doesn’t matter, you are doing most of the cooking in the broth, so keep them crunchy for now.
- Season all sides of the chuck roast with Montreal Steak Seasoning.
- Heat 2 T. olive oil in an iron skillet on medium high until almost smoking.
- Sear chuck roast on at least two sides.
- Add chuck roast to the pot of peppers and onions.
- Cover with liquid.
- Add tomato paste/sauce and stewed/diced tomatoes.
- Partially cover with lid and boil on medium high for about 3 hours.
- When meat is pull apart tender, you are done!
Notes
- The peppers are key to this recipe. I like to use mostly sweeter ones like red, yellow and orange. I throw in a green one for fun.
- Also, for those of you, like me, who forgot to thaw the roast yesterday...don't worry. Thaw it as much as you can before it's time to add it to the pot and then let the magic boiling water do its thing. I have tested this and it is just as delicious if it is cooked from mostly frozen state. I hope you all appreciate the expertise I am able to provide thanks to my lack of planning.
- You may have to add water a couple of times, just to make sure the meat stays covered. You can also use a lid to retain moisture while cooking.
I love putting this over Jasmine Rice or Arroz Blanco Venezolano with fresh avocado or Guacamole*, Venezuelan Black Beans* and grated cheese or just using it as a filling for Arepas* or Empanadas*
* I will eventually upload these recipes. I promise!
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