Photo by Sonia Mendez Garcia Bistec Ranchero is a close cousin to carne guisada. The difference, in my experience, is that typically carne guisada is stewed or braised for a longer period of time. And many times a less expensive cut of beef is used. At home, Mom would prepare bistec ranchero with already thin slices of steak or “bistec” as they were labeled in the market. Most often they were sold with the bone in.
It is a very simple recipe that would consist of the bistec, salt, pepper and “la bandera” or chile, cebolla y tomate (hot peppers, onion and tomato). My abuelita used to refer to those three ingredients as “la bandera” because they were the colors of the Mexican flag. Funny how some things stay with you all your life. For this recipe, I found myself with too many poblanos and so I decided to use them two ways in this recipe. Some are diced and some are blended to make this delicious dark green sauce that the bistec ranchero will braise in for a short time.
Ingredients
- For the Meat
- 2 flat-iron steaks sliced thin (1-1 1/4 pounds) *I suggest a cut of beef with some marblingit. The little bit of extra fat will resulta tender bistec ranchero
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper sliced
- 1 Fresno pepper sliced (if you can’t find red fresno, use 2 jalapeño peppers)
- 1 small red bell pepper diced
- 3 poblano peppers diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Roma tomatoes or 1 vine ripe tomato, diced
- 1 teaspoon chicken or beef bouillon granules
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon flour cornstarch or masa harina, optional (I add it to thicken the sauce a little)
- 3/4 cup water
- For the Chile Colorado Sauce
- 12 dried New Mexico or guajillo peppers
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed cumin seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon crushed Mexican oregano
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- salt (about 1 teaspoon)
Directions
- After slicing the steak as thin as you can, transfer to a bowl or plate and season lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Let the steak come back to room temperature before cooking. In a large skillet, preheat 2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium/high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the steak to the hot skillet and brown and sear the beef for 5 to 6 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove steak from pan onto a plate, set aside. If pan is too dry, add just 1/2 tablespoon more of olive oil and again heat to medium/high.
- Take 1/3 of the diced poblanos and add them to the blender. Along with the poblanos, you will add 1 teaspoon bouillon granules, 1 teaspoon of oregano, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire, 1/2 tablespoon flour and 3/4 cup of water. Blend on high until smooth. Set aside.
- To the skillet, add the onions and all remaining peppers. Again, season lightly with salt and pepper and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and cook for another few minutes. Add the poblano sauce from the blender to the skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer. Taste for salt, add the steak back in, cover and continue cooking for 15 minutes or until sauce becomes thick and reduces.
Chef Notes
Turn your leftover bistec ranchero into a special breakfast! Make a Bistec Ranchero Omelet. The recipe below yields 2 servings:
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon hot sauce (I used Tapatio brand)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup warm bistec ranchero
1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup Chihuahua cheese
Green onions for garnish
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