3650 Webber St.

No matter the culture, every cuisine has some form of slow-cooked meat reserved for special family gatherings. When it involves large, cheap cuts of beef, it takes the form beef stews flavored with the corresponding flavor profiles of the region. In Colombian cuisine, it takes the form of sobrebarriga en salsa criolla (pictured above), a braised flank steak served with accompaniments emblematic of the country’s diverse culinary lineages from Africa, Spain and its indigenous peoples.

The biggest stamp of the dish’s Colombian origins comes from the creole sauce. Before colonization of the New World and the subsequent spread of tomatoes, which are endemic to Central and South America, Spain’s sofrito consisted of onion, garlic and green bell peppers stewed in oil. The addition of tomatoes was a New World invention that spread back to Europe and is now seen as a standard ingredient in Italian and Portuguese cuisine as well. In Colombian cuisine, it’s called hogao and may include spices like cumin, pepper or coriander.

Mi Sitio’s version includes bell peppers, onions and garlic, and the potato and yuca that accompany the cut of flank steak also stew in the hogao, absorbing some of its flavor and color. Overall, the hogao colors everything with a layered profile of tang, savoriness, a touch of sweet and something a little earthy. Ultimately, though, it does what all slow-cooked roasts do: it comforts and fills by elevating cheap ingredients with time and care.

Mi Sitio is located at 3650 Webber Street at the Southeast corner of Webber and Beneva. Open 9am – 9 pm Monday through Sunday for dine-in, takeout, and delivery (through Grubhub).

3650 Webber St.

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