Slow-Cooker Cuban Steak Tacos with Mojo Cream Sauce

I don't know about you but 85 degrees in the middle of May is not my ideal spring day.  Because my husband and I are pushing ourselves to see how long we can survive before turning on the air conditioning, I thought a crock pot meal would be appropriate for dinner.  These Cuban steak tacos are hearty, succulent and perfectly complemented by the intense tart and tangy mojo cream sauce.  

Ingredients:

Serves 8
Adapted from Epicurious

• 1 1/2 lb flank steak
• 4 c water
• 1 c dry red wine
• 1 large carrot, chopped 
• 1/3 c Vidalia onion, chopped 
• 1 celery rib, chopped 
• 3 large garlic cloves, minced, divided 
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin, divided
• 3/4 tsp dried oregano, divided 
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 whole black peppercorns 
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced 1/4-inch thick 
• 1/2 c red onion, julienned 
• 8 oz diced tomatoes, undrained 
• 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste 
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 1/2 c frozen peas, thawed 
• 1/4 c green olives, sliced 
• Whole wheat tortillas 

Creamy Mojo Sauce:

• 1/3 c olive oil 
• 1/3 c heavy cream 
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped 
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice 
• Pinch cayenne, or to taste
• 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp pepper, or to taste

Directions:

Season the flank steak generously with salt and pepper.  Add the flank steak, water, wine, carrot, Vidalia onion, celery, 2 of the minced garlic cloves, 1/2 tsp of the cumin, 1/2 tsp of the oregano, salt, bay leaf, and peppercorns in a crock pot.

Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, or until the steak shreds easily with a fork.

Remove the steak from the liquid.  Strain the liquid with a colander into a large bowl, pressing down on the solids.  Discard the solids.  Reserve 2 cups of the liquid and return it to the crock pot.  Shred the steak with two forks and return it to the crock pot.  Add the green bell peppers, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, red onion, tomatoes, tomato paste, the remaining minced garlic cloves, 1 tsp of the cumin, 1/4 tsp of the oregano and cayenne pepper.  Season with salt and pepper and stir well to combine.

Cover and cook on high for 1 hour longer.  Stir in the frozen peas and green olives during the last 15 minutes of cooking.  

Meanwhile, make the mojo sauce.  Process or blend together the olive oil, heavy cream, garlic, cilantro, orange juice, lime juice, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper until smooth and creamy.  

Arrange the tacos.  Stack your tortillas between two damp paper towels.  Microwave on high for 45 seconds to 1 minute.  Spoon a generous amount of the steak mixture into the center of each tortilla and evenly drizzle the creamy mojo sauce over all.

Enjoy!