OK! I KNOW what you are thinking! Corned beef does NOT look like that! Trust me, this isn’t the same as the equally delicious corned beef and cabbage that I LOVE (and indulge a little too much in) around St. Patrick’s Day (or any day of the year really)! This corned beef is the one that I grew up on, it’s the one that I thoroughly enjoyed when I went to visit family on the island. It is (or was) the “poor man’s” meal since it was super economical back in the day, where now a can costs upwards of $6.
Yes, this one comes in a can but it is NOT to be compared with spam or things of the sort. The ingredients in the can (which brings that classic key to open the can and peel the aluminum back) are cooked beef, sugar, salt and sodium nitrate (which is a preservative). The BIGGEST drawback on this canned stuff is that the sodium is WAY too high for the serving size. If you want to remove some of that salt though, there is a solution! Soak it for 30 minutes in cold water before cooking or you can lightly blanch it for a few minutes. I always suggest the cold water method so that you don’t run the risk of overcooking it and making it too dry.
Overall, this may look like a strange thing to eat for some and others may compare it to corned beef hash but, trust me it isn’t. If you remember or have seen a few of my other recipes, the base of this one includes all of the key ingredients that most Puerto Rican creole dishes call for. This includes: Sofrito (of course), sazon and tomato paste. These are the key ingredients that most dishes from the Island will have (whether it has a sauce or it is used in beans or even in making rice!) If you have NO clue what Sazon or Sofrito are, check out this link here for a better look and explanation of what they are and where you can purchase them.
OK, back to the can and the reason WHY I even had this at home…well, it was one of those darn quarantine purchases when meat was basically non-existent. When I did the MANY trips to different supermarkets, I couldn’t find much of anything in the meat section and if I did find it, it wasn’t like it was enough to get us through a few weeks so, you do what you have to do when situations like this come up… You head to the canned food and try to come up with the best items that you can think of. The HUGE surprise (at least for where I live) was that the aisle that had cans of vienna sausages, spam and corned beef were barely touched! I’m guessing the need wasn’t that dire or that so many just aren’t sure what to do with these items, especially the corned beef. So, I gathered a few cans of this plus some vienna sausages (as gross as they sound trust me, in a pinch you can use them in rice and with pasta. My husband actually makes a surprisingly delicious pasta dish with the vienna sausages that is spicy) I mean, you do what you gotta do right? Plus, it was a HUGE lesson in being prepared for situations like this since we have always stocked up in case of emergencies but, hadn’t done it in a while. So, if you have any corned beef in your stash where you haven’t a clue what to do with it aside from serving it with eggs, no fear! This recipe might have you buying cans of it just because.
Puerto Rican Style Corned Beef
Ingredients
- 2.5 C Cooked White Rice
- 2 Cans Corned Beef Not the hash
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 Envelope Sazon or 1 tsp if using from a large jar
- 1.5 Tbsp Sofrito If using the store bought jars, use 1 tsp of each
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 C Water + 1/2 C reserved
- 2 C Diced potatoes Small Dice
Instructions
- If you are choosing to soak the corned beef to remove some of the sodium, soak it in cold water for 20-30 min. Remove from water and place on plate lined with a paper towel. Gently squeeze some of the excess water out
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Once pan is hot, heat your olive oil. Place the sofrito in the oil and saute for about 45 seconds
- Next add in the corned beef and with a wooden spoon, shred the meat. Add in the tomato paste, garlic, oregano and pepper. Carefully stir in the water and sazon.
- Bring to a light simmer and lower heat to medium. Next stir in the potatoes and cover. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are softened (remember, the beef is already cooked so the cooking process won't take very long)
- **If needed, add in the extra water that you reserved if the meat looks like it's too dry. You will want a light sauce to form.
- Remove from heat and serve hot over cooked white rice