I reached back into the past for tonight's supper of Steak Picado. As with many of the old school meals that I enjoy cooking, there is a personal memory involved.
In 1974 I was working with my uncle Joe "Angel" Moreno. He was married to my aunt Margaret, my mother's sister. He was the foreman of a midsized Furniture company (Monarch Furniture) that produced sofas, loveseats, chairs and any and all upholstered furniture. He ran the mill that made all the wood frames for the furniture. I was nineteen at the time. It was during this time that we had a chance to really get to know each other.
It was also during this time that he taught me to make Steak Picado. This was his undisputed favorite dish. I can hear him now, all these years later, "Randy, don't cut your onions so big! No one wants to bite into a large piece of onion". I feel lucky and Blessed that he took the time to show me. I was thinking about my uncle Angel tonight as I was cooking. He was one those special people in my life. I have never forgotten him.
Steak Picado is diced or cubed beef (I use sirloin) cooked with onion, bell peppers, tomato, garlic and tomato sauce, plus seasoning. It starts off with somewhat of a stir fry and than a short braise, about 20-30 minutes. I made some pintos and rice to go with it.
This is a fairly mild dish, unless you consider bell pepper spicy. I had a hot jalapeño on the side because as everyone knows, "Comida sin chile no es comida!" (A meal without chile is no meal!)
God Bless you, enjoy your memories and stay safe.
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