Easy mexican recipe for espinazo de res

Recipe for Espinazo de Res (Mexican Beef backbone stew)

The espinazo de res is a mexican stewed meat recipe, using the "espinazo" beef meat cut which relates to the american beef backbone cut. The way mexicans butcher meat is quite different from how it is done in the US, but, since of course we are talking about the same animal, you can always find a similar cut outside Mexico! This mexican dish is basically slowly cooked meat in a chile salsa with corn masa balls on the side.

The Espinazo de Res

Ingredients for four people:

* 2 lb. of Beef Backbone Cut Piece
* 1 or 2 bunches of purslane depending on how big they are
* 2 Guajillos Chiles
* 1 Onion
* 1 Ancho Chile
* 2 clove garlic
* 1 cup corn masa flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 2 tablespoons melted butter

Preparation:

1) Liquefy well all the chiles with the onion and garlic using a blender, adding four cups water; then pass this salsa through a sieve to take out any undesired solids; pour this chile salsa in the pan where you will be cooking the meat.

2) Mix the corn flour with the melted butter and the baking powder, adding water gradually until the masa flour powder becomes a paste. Knead the dough carefully until it is uniform. Shape all the dough you have in small balls about the size of a lemon and by pressing a finger in the dough hollow the center; add these corn flour dough balls to the pan where you will cook the meat.

3) Wash well the Beef Backbone meat and let it soak in water for 30 minutes; then start cooking it in the pan, in the salsa we just made in step 1, seasoned with salt to taste. Flip the meat from time to time while cooking it. When it is almost finished cooking add the purslane.

Thats it! Serve this Espinazo de Res to your guests and enjoy your meal...