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More Ann Heller recipes

Houston Nachos

By Ann Heller

Dayton Daily News

The recipe for the Reliant Stadium nachos comes from ARAMARK, the food-service provider there. With apologies to that company, I'd suggest there's an easy way out for its recipe, which calls for cooking flank steak marinated with chile powder and garlic.

Go to Smokin,' 3002 Woodman Drive, Kettering, or City Barbecue, 5 E. Franklin St., Centerville, and pick up 1 pounds of Texas-style beef brisket, cooked and ready to use. That way you can skip marinating and grilling the beef. Just be sure to buy it without the barbecue sauce, which would not be right for this recipe. Cut the meat into morsels, then wrap them in foil. Heat the package in a 350-degree oven before half time. The onions and beans can be cooked ahead of time, then heated just before serving.

At Reliant Stadium, these are sold as Baja Nachos. For this year, we'll call them Houston Nachos.

Makes10 servings
1 1/2 pounds beef flank steak
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon chile powder
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) black beans, drained
1 jar (15 1/2 ounces) salsa con queso *
Corn tortilla chips, about a 16-ounce bag

Place beef in a two-quart shallow baking dish. Combine the cup oil, chile powder and garlic. Pour over the beef, cover and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.

Remove beef from marinade. Grill or broil beef for 10 minutes until medium rare. Let stand 10 minutes. Cut beef into half-inch cubes. Refrigerate if preparing recipe ahead. (If substituting cooked brisket, only cut into cubes.)

Saut onion and cumin in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in saucepan. Add drained black beans and heat through. Heat salsa con queso in separate saucepan until hot.

Warm the beef cubes in the oven or microwave. Place the chips on a large platter and top with the onion-and-bean mixture, then add the beef. Pour the cheese sauce over.

Serve with pico de gallo, sour cream and jalapenos.

*Look for commercial Nacho Cheese Sauce, a mixture of cheese and salsa, with Mexican specialties in the supermarket.

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