Chili Colorado
The lazy way
4 ancho or mulato chiles or other large, dried red chiles
4 pounds beef chuck or brisket, fat trimmed and cut into ¾-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup chile powder, preferably Gebhardt
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup Mexican beer, beef stock, or water, or more if necessary
2 cups diced red potatoes
2 fresh or canned fire-roasted mild green chiles, such as Anaheim, split and cut crosswise into ¼-inch strips
Garnish:
Fresh cilantro leaves
Finely chopped onions
Sliced avocado
Shredded mild cheese
Hot sauce or salsa cruda
Serves 8 with leftovers
Soak the dried chiles in boiling water to cover for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Season the meat all over with salt and pepper. Place it in the casserole or Dutch oven.
Drain the chiles and remove the stems and seeds. Put the chiles into a food processor, along with the chile powder, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, and salt. Pulse the processor to chop the ingredients and then process to a thick paste. If the mixture gets too thick, add a little of the beer, stock or water. Pour in the remaining liquid and process to blend. Add to meat in the casserole and mix well. (At this point, you can marinate the meat in the sauce overnight in the refrigerator if you wish.)
Cover the casserole with foil and then put the lid to make a tight seal. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours. Carefully peel back the foil and check to see if the meat is fork-tender; if not, continue to cook until done. Add more beer, stock or water to the sauce as the meat cooks if it seems too thick.
While the meat is cooking, boil the potatoes in a saucepan of lightly salted water to cover until tender, about 10 minutes.
When the meat is done, degrease the sauce. Stir in the potatoes and green chile strips and bake for 5 more minutes to warm everything through. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with Mexican style rice and cooked pinto beans, with warm tortillas and the suggested garnishes.
Adapted from "Complete Meat Cookbook" by Bruce Aidells
Website: www.aidells.com
