2025 Taste Canada Cooks the Books
presented by Canadian Beef
Beef Bavette Carne Asada with Arroz Rojo, Salsa Verde and Crispy Tortilla Strips
Recipe by: Student Chefs Alvin Morris and Megghan Sherritt
Team: New Brunswick Community College | Moncton, New Brunswick
Robust with seasoned beef, salsa verde, and pickled shallots, this dish uses Canadian products to represent Global flavours.
Beef Bavette Carne Asada with Arroz Rojo, Salsa Verde and Crispy Tortilla Strips
Ingredients
Salsa Verde:
- 1 each (120 g) green bell pepper seeded
- ½ each (90 g) yellow onion peeled, quartered
- 2 each (60 g) jalapeno seeded
- 4 cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
- ½ bunch (60 g) cilantro, fresh (leaves and stems)
- 2 each (60 mL) lime juiced
- 1 tsp (5 mL) NBCC sea salt
- water
Tortilla Strips:
- ½ cup (125 mL) Masa flour
- ¼ cup (68 mL) warm water
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
- ½ tsp (2.5 mL) NBCC sea salt
Queso Fresco:
- 2 cups (480 mL) Lactalis 3.25% (whole) milk
- 1 ½ each (45 mL) lime juiced
- 1 tsp (5 mL) NBCC sea salt
Pickled Shallots:
- 1 cup (200 g) white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (50 g) NBCC sea salt
- 1 tsp (2 g) whole black peppercorns
- ½ tsp (1 g) whole coriander seed
- 3 each (0.5 g) whole cloves
- 2 cloves (6 g) garlic peeled
- 1 cup (240 mL) apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup (125 mL) water
- 1 each (75 g) shallot sliced thin
Lime Crema:
- ½ cup (125 mL) Lactalis Sour Cream
- 1 ½ each (45 mL) lime juiced
- ½ tsp (2.5 mL) NBCC sea salt
Beef Bavette (Flap Steak):
For the Rub:
- ½ tbsp (7 mL) black pepper (ground)
- ½ tbsp (7 mL) chili powder
- ½ tbsp (7 mL) cumin (ground)
- ½ tbsp (7 mL) garlic powder
- ½ tbsp (7 mL) onion powder
- ½ tbsp (7 mL) paprika
- 1 tsp (5 mL) NBCC sea salt
- ½ tsp (2.5 mL) cayenne pepper
For the Beef:
- 3 lb, 2 oz (1.4 kg) PEI Certified Beef Bavette
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) canola oil
Arroz Rojo:
- 1 cup (240 mL) Dainty® Royal Long Grain Rice
- ½ each (90 g) yellow onion small diced
- 1 clove (3 g) garlic minced
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) tomato paste
- 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock
- 1 sprig (2 g) oregano fresh
- 1 tsp (5 mL) NBCC sea salt
Garnishes:
- 1 each (20 g) radish sliced thin
- 12 each (5 g) cilantro leaves (fresh)
Instructions
Salsa Verde:
- Quarter and toss bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, and garlic in canola oil and place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet – roast in the oven at 375˚F (190˚C) for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, vegetables will be browning on the sides. Place into a blender, add cilantro, and lime juice – puree. Add water to thin if needed. Season to taste with salt.
Crispy Tortillas:
- In a bowl, mix Masa flour and warm water together until a soft dough ball forms. Set to the side, allow to absorb all the water (approx. 10 minutes). After dough has rested, portion dough into 3 equal balls. Using a tortilla press lined with plastic wrap, gently press and shape the tortillas. Fry in a dry pan (no oil) at medium-high to cook through. Wrap in a clean, dry cloth to keep fresh. Once all tostadas are cooked, julienne (slice into strips) and crisp them in a pan over high heat with the canola oil listed, stirring to fry all sides. Tortillas are cooked with they puff slightly and brown around the edges. Season with salt to taste.
Lime Crema:
- In a bowl, mix sour cream and lime juice, Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until needed.
Beef Bavette:
- Mix all ground spices together in a bowl. Prepare the Bavette – trim fat and remove silver skin from the meat. Slice the Bavette lengthwise (with the grain of the meat) into 8-10 cm thick bars. Rub the spice mix onto the bavette bars and set aside for 5 minutes.Sear all sides of the bavette bars in a pan at high heat with 2 tbsp of canola oil. Brown evenly and place the pan into an oven at 375˚F (190˚C) for 8-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Queso Fresco:
- Heat milk over medium-high heat until just before simmering. Remove from the heat, add lime juice, stirring constantly. Once curds form, set the mixture aside for 5 minutes to develop. Strain through cheesecloth, mix in salt, and refrigerate until needed.
Pickled Shallots:
- In a small pot, bring the sugar, salt, peppercorns, coriander, cloves, garlic, vinegar, and water to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat off and strain into an insert with shaved shallots. Set aside until needed.
Arroz Rojo:
- In a pot over medium-high heat, heat the canola oil, add the rice, and toast slightly. Add diced onion and minced garlic, sauté lightly. Add the tomato paste and stir, add the chicken stock and oregano sprig, bring to a simmer. Simmer with a lid slightly askew for 9 minutes. At the 9-minute mark, turn off the heat and place the lid completely over the pot. Allow to sit until plating the meal.
Plating:
- Using a ring mold, place roughly ½ cup of cooked Arroz Rojo in the center of the plate.
- Spoon a tablespoon of Lime Crema on the rice. Slicing against the grain, thinly slice the Beef Bavette. Toss sliced beef, ½ cup of Salsa Verde, and pickled shallots together in a bowl. Place roughly 5oz (150 g) on top of the Arroz Rojo. Garnish the sliced beef with more Salsa Verde and sliced radishes.
- Crumble Queso Fresco over top of the garnished beef. Place crispy tortilla strips on top of the cheese and beef, place cilantro leaves to finish.
Notes
- If you’d like a spicier Salsa Verde, do not remove the seeds from the jalapeno, or use a hotter pepper for a bigger kick!
- For this recipe we used Sea Salt made in-house at New Brunswick Community College. After filtering sea water, we reduced the water to a salt “slush” and then dehydrated it in an oven on low heat. We wanted to bring a taste of home to the Cooks the Books competition!
The 2025 student chefs selected a unique cut of beef for their recipe by exploring a new web-based education tool, the Canadian Beef Information Gateway. The Gateway has information on over 70 cuts of beef with cut descriptions, complete nutrition info per cut, how-to-cook recommendations, over 300+ recipe videos and more.
Taste Canada Cooks the Books presented by Canada Beef is a cooking competition that invites Canadian culinary students from across the nation to compete for the title of Canada’s Best New Student Chefs. The theme for this year's competition was “Global Flavours Grow in Canada”, which challenged the students to explore the rich tapestry of global cuisines and cultural influences that have shaped their culinary journeys. Drawing from one or more cultural cuisines or heritage(s) that has inspired their culinary journey, students were challenged to develop a unique recipe using a variety of Canadian ingredients, branded partner products, and a unique cut of Canadian AAA beef.
Using the Canadian Beef Information Gateway, a web-based platform, students were able to explore all that Canadian Beef has to offer.
This year's kitchen battle took place in the beautiful professional kitchen at Cirillo's Academy in Toronto. The student chefs prepared their dishes, start to finish, live in front of the crowd while being scored by two Culinary Federation international gold medal-winning chefs. Then, competitors presented their dishes to the judges' panel for tasting. The winners were announced during the Taste Canada Awards Soirée, with the Gold Winning team taking home a $3,000 bursary, some amazing kitchen swag and the title of Taste Canada’s Best New Student Chefs!
Photo Credits: Cathy Connally, Charley Best and Stephen Chu
Special Thanks to the 2025 Taste Canada Cooks the Books Sponsors:
Presented by Canadian Beef
