Mannys Machaca Plate
 

In East LA there is a small but real popular little Cafe on Evergreen Street right across the street from the church. I started going there in the late 1970's, usually sitting at the counter and ordering the Machaca dinner. From the time the waitress took the order to the steaming plate of food being placed in front of me was 90 seconds. Manny would sometimes come by and serve you a shot El Presidente.

To recreate this at home you take a 3 to 4 pound Chuck Roast and Crock Pot it or boil it in a stock pot with a few cloves of Garlic and Bay Leaves, salt to taste.When nice and tender and cooled you shred the meat.

To make the Machaca you take a big hand full of Shredded beef and put it in a large cast iron frying pan with 2 to 3 Tblspns of sizzling Manteca, brown the shredded beef throw in a medium sliced onion, 3 or 4 coarsely chopped Jalapeno peppers, and 2 coarsely chopped tomatos. Cook all that up then throw in 3 eggs and scramble up the whole mixture finally throwing in 3/4 of a cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese and when melted put on a plate

Serve with refried Beans, Mexican rice and Tortillas.

For the Beans you wash and soak 4 cups of Pinto beans over night. Cover with plenty of water, throw in a couple of Bay Leaves, cloves of Garlic and a smoked Ham Hock. Cook till the beans are tender. In a heavy skillet heat till hot a couple of Tblspns of Manteca and then a couple of ladles of beans and liquid mash with a potatoes masher into a nice creamy mixture and serve.

For the Mexican rice put about a cup of rice into a medium sauce pan with 3 Tblspns of heated vegetable oil and brown the rice to medium brown put in a 6 OZ can of El Patio Tomato sauce and water to cover cook till the rice is tender and serve.

If u like u can even make your own Tortillas. Add a little Mexican sour creama and mashed Avacados with a bit of garlic and salt if desired.

The one thing you can not substitute for is the Manteca for it imparts the unique authentic flavor to the cusine.

deeelissshussss!

Don't forget to add the Caldo de Pollo to the rice.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1461857510.jpg

Does it have MSG? No Bueno if it does. Better to add some of the Beef broth from the cooking of the Beef but not necessary.

When I stir fry shrimp I use the shells to create a Shrimp Stock for the rice.

Other things you can make with the shredded beef are Taquitos and Enchiladas.

Taquitos are a few ounces of Shredded beef in a slightly warmed Tortilla rolled up and deep fried.

Served with Guacamole. Lots of variations on the Guacamole. Generally ripe mashed Avacados, couple of Serrano or Jalpeno Chile's finely chopped a finely chopped fire roasted Tomato and some finely chopped onion with or with out a clove of garlic salt to taste.

For Enchiladas it is all about the Red Chilli sauce. I use a blend of New Mexico.Negro and a couple of other dried chillies stems removed and brought to a boil to soften. Once cooled they go into a blender to puree with some of the reserved cooking liquid. Then I strain the pureed chilis using the liquid to thin the sauce. Bring to a boil in sauce pan to reduce so that it coats a spoon.

Dip slightly warmed Tortillia in Red Sauce fill center with shredded beef a few pieces of sliced black olives and some cheddar chess roll and place in roasting pan. Repeat, spoon some Red Sauce over the top of the Enchiladas and top with Cheddar Cheese and black olive slices you can also put some sour cream. Place in a 375* oven until cheese melts.

You can also use a blend of Cheddar and Quesco Freshca Mexican white cheese.

"A bit of history about Manuel’s Original El Tepeyac Café. Founded in 1942 by the Rojas family; originally called El Tupinamba Café, located in downtown LA; which then moved to Lincoln Heights, there known as La Villa Café. In 1952 the family made its final move to Boyle Heights, where it would be known as El Tepeyac Café, now the home of the ever famous “Manuel Special” – - the FIVE POUND BURRITO! After the untimely death of his father, Salvador Rojas, Manuel stepped in and along with his mother Rebecca, took the restaurant and built it to become the neighborhood restaurant of Los Angeles and for all who come."

1812 Evergreen - Great food, great people. When I used to go there in the mid '1970s during school, the sign read El Tepeyac #2. As I recall the Manuel Special was free if you could finish it in half an hour. Not many did.

might be my favorite mexican dish.

Lucy's Diner in El Paso has my favorite rendition. they make a cheese sauce and dump it over the top. like meat nachos.

You're making mexican food, and concerned with MSG?! Half the authentic places in the valley use lard. Lard in everything. Beans "ever wonder why they're so creamy", tortilla, chips, chimies, everything. haha

Manteca is pure lard.

Craig,

You say that likes it's a problem, or something.

For enchiladas (chicken), I use canned chipotle peppers.

remove the seeds from 2 or 3 peppers, slice them into bits, and use the smoky adobo sauce, dissolved into chicken broth. Let it reduce down to a thicker liquid, and then pour that over the enchiladas before baking with cheese. Very delicious. I pour a bit more chicken broth over them before baking so that the corn tortillas absorb the chicken broth and soften to the proper level.

Reminds me of a friend coming to LA from Nova Scotia and asking me what "JAA-lap-anow" peppers are.

The MSG comment, LMAO.

El Tepayac is the bomb. They still have ostrich egg omletes?

That damn thing is the size of a small child. I couldn't finish it. God knew I tried. We started going there in the mid 80 when we were old enough to drive. Many of my best friends growing up were Mexican American kids, so there was no shortage of homemade Mexican food to eat after school. This was in Echo Park near Elysian Park. We had our local favorites but nothing beats the Monster Burrito of El Tepeyac. For us, it was Tommy's. If you ever go there. there's a black and white photo of people in line during the 80s. We happened to get caught in the lens of said camera. I have not been there in years, not sure if its still up on the wall? If it is, just look for the good looking dude with hair parted in the middle covering my ears like Jackson Browne but much better looking.

Oh, there's nothing like handmade tortilla. Nice and thick with some cheese and burn it over the open fire of the stove is best. Simple and delicious.

I had a friend from New Jersey who used to say "Sep-uhl-veedah" for Sepulveda. Don't even ask me how he pronounced Cahuenga or Hueneme.

I find it ironic that a dish that was formerly made from rehydrated dried beef is now made by boiling it.

Why are we now getting cooking lessons from tabs?

JR

I'm pretty sure I'd butcher them too.

I still vividly recall being in 6th grade, reading aloud in class and coming across the word Yosemite....

Yose-might :D

Now I tend to do it with lots of words on porpoise :p

For future reference they are pronounced Kah-wanga and Why-neemee, just so you can sound like a local. :)

Funny coincidence, even though it's a Spanish name, no one ever has a problem pronouncing Oxnard.

There's a ritzy section of a local city... Buena Vista

If you don't pronounce it Buna Vista, you WILL be corrected :cool:

hah..
not so sure i could eat the original version. sun dried meat..yummy.

You eat beef jerky, right? You hunt, therefore you must like jerky.

What tabs describes would be called carne deshebrada, which is different from machacha. Not that either is a bad thing...

JR