RED CHILE WITH MEAT CHILE COLORADO CON CARNE This is the way they make chile in northern Mexico. 2 lbs. beef stew-meat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1� cups water 5 dried California chiles 1 dried New Mexico chile water 2 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano, crushed � teaspoon ground cumin Cut meat into bite-size pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy skillet or Dutch oven. Add meat. Cook until browned. Add water. Cover and simmer 1 hour. While meat is cooking, place both California and New Mexico chiles in a medium saucepan. Add water to cover generously. Cover and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand until softened, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain chiles. Discard stems and seeds. Place chiles in blender with about 1/2 cup cooking broth from meat. Blend until pur�ed. Press puree through a sieve to remove bits of peel. Add sieved puree to meat and broth. Mash garlic with salt to make a paste. Heat 1 TBS oil in a medium skillet. Add garlic paste and onion. Cook until onion is very tender but not browned. Add flour. Cook and stir 1 minute. Add onion mixture, oregano and cumin to meat mixture. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Taste and add more salt if needed. Variation: For a hotter dish, substitute as many New Mexico chiles as desired for California chiles. If dried whole chiles are not available, substitute 1/4 to 1/3 cup chile powder. Makes 4 to 6 servings. |