Hilachas

(Guatemalan shredded beef in tomato-tomatillo sauce)

Yield: 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Beef, skirt steak	cubed	2 lbs
Water		5 cups

Oil		2-3 Tbsp
Onion	chopped	1 each
Tomatoes	chopped	1 cup
Tomatillos	chopped	1 cup
Chiles guajillos	warmed over a flame, deseeded, and chopped	2-3 each
Salt and pepper		to season

Potatoes	chopped	1 lb
Carrots	peeled, chopped	2-3 each
Breadcrumbs		1/2 cup
Cilantro	chopped	1 bunch

Basic Steps: Simmer → Shred → Sauté → Simmer

Bring the beef, water and a big pinch of salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until beef is very tender. Remove beef and cool, reserving broth. When cool, shred beef well with your fingers and set aside.
While beef is simmering, place onion, tomatoes, tomatillos and chiles in a food processor or blender and puree well. Add a little water if necessary.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add onion-tomato puree and cook until the puree is reduced down and darkens, about 10 minutes. Do not burn.
Add beef and about 3 cups of broth to the onion-tomato puree, season with salt and pepper and simmer about 15 minutes
Add potatoes, onions and a little more broth or water if necessary. Simmer till potatoes and carrots are cooked through. Thicken the sauce if necessary by adding the breadcrumbs. Stir in the chopped cilantro and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with tortillas or rice.

Use 1 or 2 shredded fresh corn tortillas instead of the breadcrumbs if you like. If the sauce has thickened enough while simmering, neither thickener may be necessary.
Add 2 tsp achiote seasoning to the onion-tomato puree if you like.
Potatoes and carrots can be eliminated if you like.
Canned tomatoes and tomatillos work just fine in this recipe.
Two cups of chopped tomatoes can be used if you would like to eliminate the tomatillos.
If you can't find chiles guajillos, use anchos or pasillas. Or substitute with 1 Tbsp Paprika and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper.