I don’t remember anyone bringing food to my house when I was a kid. We were fortunate to never have some AWFUL turn of events that kept us from cooking our own meals. In fact, the first time people ever showed up to our house with casserole dishes was when my own mother passed away. Believe me, we needed it then. Seeing all the food in Mom’s kitchen meant the world to me, so I promised myself I would ALWAYS bring food to people in their time of need. That’s why I’m making Salpicon today.

When Mom died, we got some incredible food and so much lasagna that we would eat ONE just to make room in the fridge for another. My girlfriend Suzanna made her famous Salpicon for us and I fell in love. It was her signature dish which she brought anytime there was a birth or a death, so we all got to try it eventually. We even nicknamed it “Sloppy Corn,” because most of us struggled with the pronunciation.

I’m making Salpicon for my friend Rebecca today because she’s recovering from knee-surgery. Rebecca had some sort of massive spill while skiing recently, so they had to give her a bionic knee. I don’t honestly know WHAT happened because anytime you ask Rebecca, she just face-palms and utters what might be obscenities. Whatever happened on that ski-slope had to be awesome and deserves 2 million views on Youtube.

To make Salpicon, you will need these things:

2 lb beef brisket

2 cans Rotel

2 large limes

2 C fresh cilantro

1 bottle Italian salad dressing

I know that last ingredient has you scratching your head but I promise, it makes ALL the difference.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Trim the fat from the brisket and put in a Dutch Oven. Pour both cans of Rotel over the top. IF you don’t like spicy things, just use one can of Rotel. Squeeze in the juice of one lime and toss in a handful of cilantro. I actually just found Cilantro-Lime Rotel at the store so I’m giving that a try today. Fill the pot with water until it just covers your beef. Put it in the oven and cook for 3 hours or until the beef pulls apart easily. Take it out of the Rotel-water mixture, place on a large plate and shred it with a fork. Then (here’s the weird part) pour about a cup of Italian salad dressing on it. Start with a cup and then add more if you want to. Squeeze one more lime over the whole mixture and then stir in about another cup of chopped fresh cilantro. I send this to friends with fresh tortillas and shredded cheese so they can make quesadillas IF their kids don’t like the Sloppy Corn.

OH, and make sure you set aside some for yourself. I’m not the only one who does that when I’m cooking for friends, am I?