This is such a beautiful, wholesome, warming dish. The ancho chile adds just enough flavour to make this stew so tasty and extra special. Adding chochoyotes or corn dumplings adds not only texture but also a lot of extra flavour. These lovely dumplings cook in the stew, absorbing all the flavours, so much so, that biting into them is like biting into tamales! Don’t believe us? We beg you to try this dish.
Ancho Braised Ribs
-1kg short ribs, we used boneless. You can also use a chuck roast.
-2 medium carrots, diced
-2 medium potatoes, diced
-1 celery stick, diced
-½ leek, thickly sliced
-3 garlic cloves
-1 ancho chile
-1 tbsp tomato paste
-1 400g crushed tomatoes
-1 cup beef stock
-½ cup red wine
-2 bay leaves
-1 tbsp rosemary, chopped
-1 tbsp thyme, chopped
-Salt & pepper to taste
-1 tbs vegetable oil
1 Clean the ancho chile by removing the stem and seeds. Rinse with cold water to remove any dirt. Place it in a bowl and cover it with hot, boiling water. Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes. Once the chile has softened, blend it with the beef stock, tomato sauce and garlic until smooth. Set aside.
2 Pat dry the short ribs or the beef you are using. Make sure they are cut into roughly the same-sized chunks so they cook evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Set a large pot pan to medium-high heat and add about a tablespoon of oil once hot. Sear the ribs/beef on both sides until they are nicely browned. They don’t need to be cooked at this stage, we are just giving them some colour and an extra layer of flavour. Once they are nicely seared, remove them from the pan and set them aside.
3 Add the potatoes and carrots to the same pan and let them brown a bit for about 8 minutes. Add the leek and stir for about 3 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, rosemary and thyme and cook for 3 more minutes.
4 Pour the tomato mixture and the red wine. Stir to combine and bring it to a boil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Place the beef back into the pan and once it starts to boil again, bring down the heat to a minimum, cover and cook for 1 hour or until the beef is nice and tender. This time will depend on the cut of beef used so check often.
5 Once the beef is ready, add the little corn dumplings and make sure they are covered with the sauce. Cover once more and cook for 20 minutes until the dumplings are cooked.
Notes
- This is such a beautiful, warming dish only made better by the little bite-sized corn dumplings.
- Chochoyotes are often served with freshly made beans. The lovely dumplings are cooked in the beans stock making something very simple, absolutely lovely!
- This is a perfect recipe to use any cut of beef! Just adjust the cooking time accordingly. There is no way you can overcook it, the longer it stays on the stove, the tastier it becomes.
Corn Dumplings / Chochoyotes
-¾ to 1 cup of warm water
-½ tsp salt
-2 tbsp vegetable oil
-2 tbsp chopped cilantro *optional
1 In a bowl, mix the corn flour with the salt and add the warm water little by little. This is the same corn flour and technique to make corn tortillas. Work the dough until it is soft and doesn’t stick to the bowl or your hands.
2 Once the dough is nice and soft, add the two tablespoons of vegetable oil and work it into the dough with your hands once more until is very soft and silky.
3 If you are adding cilantro, add it at this stage and work it into the dough.
4 Make small dough balls, between 1 and 2 cm. Roll them into your hand and once you have a perfect ball, press in the middle with your finger to make a little dent.
5 Reserve the dumplings until they are ready to use.
Notes
- Chochoyotes or corn dumplings are a little, beautiful thing. Not only do they add texture to soups but they also add a lot of flavour!
- We added fresh cilantro to our dumplings but they are equally lovely natural or with other herbs.
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