The other day I saw a pic for
Chili Colorado on Everyday Paleo that got my tastebuds all revved up! I had been avoiding Mexican dishes because I thought it would trigger a craving for homemade tortillas, Mexican rice, tamales, et cetera, et cetera. Mexican cooking is home to me, it's what my taste buds were brought up on and living without everything that is the soul of Mexican cooking is what always brought me to my knees before. I always wondered if I was really going to live the rest of my life without a taco and then I'd give in and be back to my old habits. Well, this time I'm pretty sure I've made it past all the looming doubt and am satisfied with my choice but I've been avoiding anything remotely Mexican out of fear of failure. I have taken a few baby steps like making Mexican Cauliflower (a riff on the rice dish) and I did eat at Chipotle the other day (salad, thank you). So when I saw Sarah's chili colorado I had enough of avoiding my favorite cuisine. I stopped at the store and picked up some stew meat, went to the pantry and grabbed my jars of chiles and spices and got with it! I never really have a recipe when I'm making a chile sauce and I never knew the proper name for a red sauced beef dish is Chile Colorado. But it's never to late to learn a few things and now I'll actually have a record of what I put in the pot. While my sauce is a little darker due to ancho and negro chiles it's still tasty! I've been eating it for breakfast in lieu of my standard bacon and eggs and I'm loving it!!
CHILE COLORADO
10 Pasilla chiles
2 Ancho chiles
2 Negro chiles
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 small can Herdez salsa casera
Chicken stock
1T. cumino
2T. mexican oregano
1-2 lbs of beef stew meat
- Stem and seed the chiles then put them in a pot with about 3-4 cups of stock. When the stock begins to boils turn the heat down and let them simmer 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile brown the beef in a dutch oven or pot then remove.
- Add the onions to the pot and saute until soft then add the garlic.
- Add the spices and beef back to the pot along with the salsa casera.
- Add the chiles and liquid to a blender and puree.
- Pour the chiles sauce into the pot and stir well.
- Cook at a low simmer for about an hour so the sauce reduces and the meat is tender.
- Serve with a big dollop of guacamole!
