Carne Guisada

This carne guisada recipe is a crowd favorite at Ninfa’s in Houston. Founded by local legend Mama Ninfa, the 50-year-old Texas institution has two locations, each filled nightly with families that have been visiting for generations. “The kids grow up and come back,” says chef Alex Padilla who’s worked on the line for 17 years. “And now they’re bringing their kids.”

A hallmark of Tex-Mex cuisine, this slow-cooked beef stew is the descendant of a Puerto Rican dish by the same name (the main difference lies in the base aromatics of the dish). Though the cook time here is an investment, the results are worth the multiple-hour braise: tender, shreddy short ribs in a deeply flavorful tomato sauce. Padilla cooks carne guisada on the stovetop, but you could easily do the first round of braising in a slow cooker for a partly hands-off approach, then cool and chill the mixture for up to three days before continuing.

Serve the spiced stew meat and sauce over white rice, or with warm flour tortillas for tacos. The chunks of beef, potato, and veggies also make a great filling for enchiladas, a topping for tostadas, or the base of a breakfast hash. Save any unused braising liquid to use in place of beef broth in your next batch of soup.