Have you ever heard of ‘salpicon’? It is basically an amazing marinated cold brisket recipe with onions, tomatoes, chipotle peppers, cheese and cilantro. Amazing and totally reminds my of my hometown. This recipe came from my mother who contributed it to an old Junior League cookbook from El Paso, Texas, where I grew up. I still have this cookbook and decided a holiday open house would be the best time to make it again. It is a perfect dish for a crowd of people and because it can be made in advance. I made the brisket on a Sunday and had the party on a Tuesday.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. beef brisket
• 2 onions, 1 halved, 1 chopped
• 1 large carrot, quartered
• 1 stalk celery, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 cup homemade beef stock (where to buy online?)
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro, separated into two halves
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes (or 1 12 oz can whole tomatoes), for cooking the brisket
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large tomato, diced, reserved for the cold salpicon
• 1 4-ounce can chile chipotle in adobo sauce, drain chipotle chili and chop, reserve sauce
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 pound Jack cheese, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
• 2 large avocados, sliced lengthwise

Directions

Place brisket in a heavy pot with a lid and cover with beef broth and water. Add halved onion, carrot, celery, garlic, 1/2 cup cilantro, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook in oven approximately 4 hours until very tender.
Remove from liquid, cool slightly and shred thoroughly with a fork. In a large bowl, combine shredded beef, chopped onion, diced fresh tomato, remaining cilantro, chile chipotle and reserved adobo sauce to taste, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Let cool in refrigerator at least 4 hours. Before serving toss with cheese. Garnish with avocado. Serve with warm tortillas, black beans and guacamole or a tossed green salad.
For spicier flavor, use more of the chile chipotle sauce and pickled jalapenos or chopped or fresh green chile strips. Gringo variation: use 1/2 chopped chile chipotle and 1 4-oz can chopped green chiles. Muy gringo variation: omit chile chipotle. Use two 4-oz cans chopped green chiles.