This dish is prepared in Northern Mexico year-round regardless of the weather, but it is particularly comforting on a very cold day, just as we are experiencing in many regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including here in Southern Ontario, Canada, and even some Southern states in the US.
Northern Style Shredded Beef with Cabbage –
Deshebrada con repollo estilo norteño
Printable recipe: Northern Style Shredded Beef with Cabbage
Ingredients
2 lb (1 kg) stewing beef
6 cups cabbage; finely sliced, washed, and drained
1 lb (454g) tomatillos; husks discarded, and washed (or one 28oz can whole tomatillos)
½ white onion; peeled and divided into 2 pieces
1 clove garlic; peeled
1 small bunch cilantro; washed
4 serrano or jalapeño peppers; washed
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Water, as needed
To serve: warm tortillas (corn or wheat)
Prepare shredded beef: Place stewing beef chunks, bay leaves, and half a teaspoon of salt in a large pot on the stove; cover with water, and set temperature to high (photo below, left). Bring to boil, then reduce to medium, cover the pot and cook for one hour. Take one piece of meat on a board or plate, and prick with a fork, and as needed, continue cooking and testing, until beef shreds easily when pricked (photo below, right):
Remove pot from heat and let cool down. Transfer meat to a plate or bowl, shred, and reserve.
Prepare sauce: Place fresh tomatillos, one piece of onion, and garlic clove in a pot with water over high heat (photo below, left); bring to boil and cook just until tomatillos change colour (photo below, right):
Remove from heat and allow to cool down for a few minutes.
NOTE: Finding fresh tomatillos might be hard sometimes, especially during winter, so canned whole tomatillos may be used instead. In this case, skip above steps for cooking them; simply take them from the can, use onion and garlic raw, and continue the directions below:
Transfer drained tomatillos, onion and garlic to a blender jar, and add about one cup of broth from the meat (photo below, left). Process until well blended, then add cilantro and half a teaspoon of salt (photo below, centre). Process for a few seconds (photo below, right):
Reserve sauce.
Chop the other piece of onion; slice peppers, discarding stems, or keep whole (I kept one whole for garnish, and sliced the rest). In a large pan, warm up oil over medium heat. Add peppers and chopped onions; stir and sauté until onions are translucent (photo below, left). Stir in reserved shredded beef (photo below, right):
Cook for a couple of minutes, then mix in sliced cabbage (photo below, left). Pour in reserved sauce (photo below, right):
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another then minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste, and keep hot until serving time:
Tortillas made with all-purpose wheat flour are the staple in Northern Mexico, but this dish is equally good with corn tortillas. Warm them up and offer on the side with a generous portion of hot Shredded Beef with Cabbage:
This dish takes some time to prep, but gets put together and finished with minimum effort; the heat generated during cooking, along with a generous portion at the table, will warm up body and soul, banishing the winter chill, especially as a reward for shovelling after a snowfall.
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My Slice of Mexico 
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