2 Tbsp butter
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, minced
½ c minced carrot
½ c minced celery
1 slice bread, crusts removed, torn into rough pieces
4 oz white mushrooms
½ c sofrito (recipe below)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ lb ground beef
1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning (Oaktown Spice Erbe Italiano di Lusso)
1 large egg
Kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
Glaze:
½ c sofrito
2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
¼ c cider vinegar
½ tsp ground black pepper
Cayenne or other red pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a skillet, heat butter over medium heat until it foams. Add garlic, onion, carrots and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Let cool. In a food processor, coarsely chop bread and mushrooms.
In a large bowl, combine beef, mushroom mixture, cooled vegetables, spices and egg. Mix until beef is tacky.
Prepare glaze:
Combine ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and cook over medium high heat until thick – 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
Press meat into pan (8×8 square works). Cook for 10-15 minutes, then top it with ½ c glaze and continue cooking 10-15 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut and serve.
Red Sofrito (makes 3 cups)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, small, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 tsp paprika
4 oz canned diced green chiles
2 roasted bell peppers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
½ c chicken stock
Put oil in skillet and place over medium heat. When hot, add onion, garlic and shallots. Cook until onions start to brown, about 12 minutes. Stir in paprika; cook 2 more minutes. Add chiles, roasted pepper, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook until almost dry, about 30 minutes. Use a potato masher to break up tomatoes into smaller chunks, if desired. Add salt to taste.
