Seco de Res (Peruvian Cilantro-Beef Stew)

A couple years ago, we found ourselves hungry for lunch in downtown Denver. We were near the convention center, and wandered about for a bit looking for an interesting restaurant - preferably with a lunch buffet. We came across a small restaurant called Los Cabos II, a Peruvian restaurant with a reasonably-priced buffet option. At the time, we weren't very familiar with Peruvian cuisine, but we knew we liked aji de gallina, so for that alone, went inside to check it out. 

It was that day that we came across this dish, Seco de Res (or also Seco de Carne, depending on who you ask). It's a hearty green stew with big chunks of succulent beef, usually served on rice or with stewed wheat. Unfortunately, at the time, we had this at the buffet, and didn't catch the name of it. We had to wait several months to visit the restaurant again on an unrelated trip to Denver, and check the name again. We've since learned how to make it, and it's delicious.

Peruvian Cilantro Stew (Seco de Res)

Ingredients

• ~1 1/2 lb beef, chuck or round
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic
• 3 bunches cilantro
• 1 bottle (12 oz.) beer
• ~1 cup chicken or beef stock
• 1/2-3/4 cup frozen peas
• 2-3 tbsp aji amarillo paste (optional)

Cooking Directions

1. Trim and cube the beef. Pieces should be about 3-5 cm on a side. Toss them in a bowl with the salt, pepper, and cumin, and set out, uncovered, for a couple hours. The idea here is to dry the meat out a bit. If you want to leave the meat for longer than that, put it in the fridge, still uncovered.
   
2. Heat a tablespoon of oil over very high heat in a wide pan. Add the beef and quickly brown on all sides - just brown, don't worry about cooking through. Remove the pieces from heat as soon as they've got their color - no more than four minutes on heat total. Set the beef aside to rest.
   
3. Brown the onion in a couple teaspoons oil over high heat in a dutch oven, or other thick-walled pot, until the onion caramelizes a bit. If it sticks or starts to dry out as it cooks, deglaze with the stock, a little at a time. Reduce heat, and if using, stir in the aji amarillo paste.
   
4. Put the cilantro and garlic together in a food processor, and run until you get a thick green puree. If the processor needs some help, add a bit of water at stages.
   
5. Preheat the oven to 300 F. To the pot with the onions, add the beef, the beer, and the cilantro puree. Stir together and, if necessary, add enough stock to bring the liquid level up to just cover the meat. Turn the heat up to medium or medium-high and allow the pot to just come to a simmer, then immediately cover and transfer to the oven.
   
   
   
   
6. After a couple hours, open the pot and toss in the peas. Stir briefly, cover again, and return the pot to the oven for an additional twenty minutes. Serve over steamed rice. 
   

One thing to note about this recipe is the beer - it comprises the majority of the liquid in this stew, and consequently, there will be a strong beer flavor (though, don't worry, the alcohol has plenty of time to cook off completely). I quite like it - it's good grain flavor that soaks deep into the beef and pairs well with the cilantro. We use lager for this, I should mention. However, there are some who may find the bitter notes from the beer and the cilantro to be a bit much, and for those folks, I would just recommend using less beer and more stock. I've not tried it, but I think it may also work to forgo the beer completely, using only stock, but adding a couple tablespoons of grain liquor, like bourbon. The flavor would be quite different, of course, but still essentially the same dish. However you make, do make it.