El Charro Chile Con Carne (Red Chile And Beef Stew)

Source: Clay's Kitchen

3 Pounds beef roast (eye of round or brisket)
1 Cup flour
1 Tablespoon salt -- or to taste
1 Teaspoon pepper
1/2 Cup oil
3 Cups Salsa De Chile Colorado (recipe follows)
1 Tablespoon garlic puree --
1 Teaspoon oregano

Garlic Puree - peel 8 whole heads of garlic by smashing the cloves with
the side of a wide knife; the peel will slip off easily then. Put the
peeled garlic in a blender with about 2 cups of water, and puree. Drain,
if necessary, and store in a tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator.

This is the basic meat preparation that we serve in bowls along with
tortillas, on combination plates or as filling for Burros, Chimis,
Chalupas, Enchiladas and Tamales.

Cut meat into 1-inch pieces and place, a handful at a time, into a paper
bag containing flour, salt and pepper. Shake well. Repeat with remaining
beef.

In a large skillet, heat oil. Add beef, a batch at a time so that the
skillet is not crowded, and brown slowly. Add Salsa De Chile Colorado,
garlic and oregano. Cook over low heat 1 hour or longer, until meat is
tender, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. Add a little hot water
if necessary.
 

Salsa De Chile Colorado (Basic Red Chile Sauce)

12 dried red chiles
2 quarts water -- boiling
3 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup garlic puree --
1/2 teaspoon salt -- or to taste
3 tablespoons flour

garlic Puree - peel 8 whole heads of garlic by smashing the cloves with
the side of a wide knife; the peel will slip off easily then. Put the
peeled garlic in a blender with about 2 cups of water, and puree. Drain,
if necessary, and store in a tightly closed glass jar in the refrigerator.

Salsa De Chile Colorado is used in countless Mexican dishes. It is
available canned and is usually called enchilada sauce. But nothing
commercial is as good as the sauce you make yourself from dried red chile
peppers.

To prepare a sauce, the peppers are softened in boiling water, then ground
into a rich red paste. The paste is thinned with the cooking liquid for
use as a sauce for enchiladas, et cetera. Left unthinned and spiced with
oregano and vinegar it becomes adobada and is used as a marinade for carne
(beef) adobada or puerco (pork) adobada.

Wash chiles in cold water and remove stems. Cook in boiling water until
tender. Remove chiles and reserve the cooking liquid.

Place a few of the chiles in a blender, along with 1/2 cup resreved
liquid, and blend to a paste. Remove to bowl. Repeat with remaining
chiles. (It is now unseasoned red chile paste).

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add garlic puree and flour, stirring until
four browns. Add the chile paste, stirring constantly until it boils and
thickens. Season with salt. Thin slightly with cooking liquid.

Yield: 2 quarts