Greek Stew Meat Tacos

Beef cubes, marinated in artichoke, lemon, and olive juices served taco style with avocado dip.

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One way to be a meat-eating local food eater is to buy a cow, or part of a cow.  We did, and that's how I got the cow that lives in the freezer.  One of the cool things about going in on a cow (ok, technically he was a steer), like I've mentioned, is that you get a LOT of cow parts that may be new to you.  And in cooking them, you learn new dishes that you love. Like tail.  I love me some tail!  You also get meats you may be less desirous of--thanks Dawn for bringing over the liver your family isn't fond of--we use it in meatloaf.  When you get a portion of cow all at once, you can find yourself with a package of stew meat tucked away in the corner of the freezer when you're not really interested in fixing a stew.

Just because a package says "stew meat" doesn't mean you need to make stew with it.  It just means that the meat needs tenderizing, either by long slow moist cooking, or by a long soak in a tenderizing marinade.  I opted for the latter this time.


This goes back to my mom wanting to use up the liquid left in the olive and artichoke jars because she never throws anything away without some sort of reuse.  (See where I get it from?)  When I made the Slow Cooker Greek Chicken Tacos the artichoke/olive juice marinade made for tasty meat--so I did the same thing with beef.  Note:  this has an overnight marinade!

For more recipes using avocados, please see my Avocado Recipes Collection. For more recipes using carrots, please see my Carrot Recipes Collection. For more recipes using olives, and artichokes, and other veggies in jars, please see my Recipes Using Veggies in Jars Collection. These collections are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.


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The medieval way to tenderize meat. And oppress peasants.

 [If you're worried that your kids won't like this avocado dip, throw it all into a food processor to make it uniform. Don't worry if you've just shredded some carrots in the same food processor, it's OK. Layers of flavor and all.] 

Greek Stew Meat Tacos

Ingredients

• 1 pound stew meat cubes, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup liquid leftover in a jar of marinated artichokes
• ¼ cup liquid leftover in a jar of green olives
• 1 lemon, divided
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 avocados
• ¼ cup onion, finely chopped
• ½ cup feta cheese crumbles
• 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
• ¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons finely chopped green olives
• 1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeño
• shredded carrots
• tortilla shells

Instructions

1. In a shallow container or zip top plastic bag, combine stew meat with artichoke and olive liquids and ½ of the lemon, juiced (save the other half for the avocado mixture).  
2. Let marinate overnight in the refrigerator, or up to 2 days (you can also let the meat thaw for up to 2 days in this marinade, stirring occasionally or turning the bag over so that all sides of the meat are steeped in the juices).
3. When you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Dump the whole thing, marinating liquid and meat, into a shallow pan.  Bake, covered, for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake for 20 more minutes or until most of the liquid is evaporated.
4. While the meat is baking, make the avocado dip. Thoroughly combine the Greek yogurt, avocado, onion, and juice from the other half of the lemon.  Stir in the feta, herbs, and jalapeño.
5. Serve the tacos on the tortilla shell of your choice, topped with shredded carrots and avocado dip.

Simon would like to help Grandma in the kitchen.

This post is shared with What's Cookin' Wednesday, Fiesta Friday, the From the Farm Blog Hop, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Hot Fun in the Summertime #2, Tasty Tuesdays