A little something from the South...

Beef Roulades with Black Beans and Pico de Gallo

Becky is known to be a bit of a food pack rat. Living sixty-five miles from what she considers a suitable supermarket, stockpiling has become an obsession. Three refrigerators, a huge freezer, and yards of dry and canned goods shelving offer proof of the paranoia of running out of crucial supplies. It’s not surprising, then, that when visiting, Chef Rob feels duty-bound to rummage around and indulge his creative abilities, utilizing that which needs to be consumed in a timely manner. The result is always innovative and tasty, as illustrated by this dish.

Beef Roulades with Black Beans and Pico de Gallo

Note that this recipe needs to be started a day or two prior to serving. Although it may appear to be intimidating, it’s more time-sensitive than labor-intensive. 

Black beans:

4 ounces dried black beans, rinsed, picked over, and soaked overnight

¼  cup diced onions

¼  cup diced carrots

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ cups chicken stock

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¾ teaspoon cider vinegar

2 tablespoons sour cream

Cilantro oil:

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped (reserve 4 sprigs for garnish)

1 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Juice of 1 lemon

½ teaspoon ground coriander

Beef roulades:

2 canned chipotle chilies, seeds removed

1½ teaspoons cilantro oil

8 ounces ground pork

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 egg yolk

4 very thin 5-ounce top round steaks

2 tablespoons chopped scallions

1 tablespoon olive oil

Pico de gallo:

1 ½ cups chopped fresh tomato

1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic

1 ½ teaspoons red onion

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon cilantro, minced

½ tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

Sour cream

Reserved cilantro sprigs

Black beans: Drain and rinse the black beans that have soaked over night. In a medium pot, combine beans, onions, carrots, garlic, and stock. Cook over low heat, covered, for two hours or until beans ate tender, adding water if necessary.

Place hot, cooked beans in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add ground cumin, salt, pepper, cider vinegar, and sour cream and puree to mix well. Place the mixture in a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Cilantro oil: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a small bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Beef roulades: In a small mixing bowl, combine chipotle chilies, cilantro oil, pork, salt, pepper, and egg yolk, mixing well. Lay the steaks out flat and top with the filling, leaving about 1 inch uncovered at one narrow end. Roll up the steaks, ending with the end not covered with filling. Wrap each cylinder tightly in plastic wrap and chill overnight in the refrigerator.

Pico de gallo: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Cover and let stand at room temperature for two hours to allow flavors to meld.

When ready to prepare the beef roulades, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Remove plastic wrap and sear the beef roulades on all sides just to brown them. Wrap each roulade individually in foil that has been sprayed lightly with non-stick spray and place on a baking tray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until a meat thermometer inserted in a roulade registers a temperature of 150 degrees.

Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Before removing the foil, cut each roulade in half diagonally.

Meanwhile, place the black beans in a small saucepan and reheat.

Plating: Divide the heated black beans evenly among 4 plates. Place the roulades on top of the beans, laying one horizontally and stacking the other crosswise against it. Top with pico de gallo and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with reserved fresh cilantro sprigs on top. Lightly drizzle cilantro oil on each plate. Serve immediately with any extra pico de gallo, sour cream, and additional cilantro oil. Serves 4.