Chile Colorado Basic Red Chile Sauce Food

CHILE COLORADO

Steps:

• Cut the meat into large stewing pieces about 1 to 2 inches across. Salt well and set aside.
• Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles, tear them into pieces and put into a large bowl. Pour boiling water over them and cover. Let this stand until the chiles are rehydrated, about 30 minutes. Once the chiles are soft, put them in a blender with enough of the chile soaking water to make a puree the consistency of ketchup. If you want -- and I recommend this -- push the sauce through a fine-meshed strainer (into another bowl) to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin.
• In a heavy, lidded pot or Dutch oven, heat the lard over medium-high heat. Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and brown it well. Do this in batches and take your time. Remove the meat as it browns and set aside.
• Add the onions to the pot and cook them, stirring occasionally, until they just begin to brown on the edges. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Return the meat to the pot and mix in all the remaining ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until the meat is tender.
• Serve with tortillas or over rice, garnished with queso seco, cilantro, maybe some raw onion, avocado and hot sauce.

RED CHILE SAUCE (CHILE COLORADO)

Steps:

• Rinse chiles and split open, discarding stems, seeds, and ribs.
• Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat, then toast chiles, skin sides up, in batches, about 30 seconds (be careful not to burn them, or sauce will be bitter). Transfer chiles as toasted to a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover bowl and soak chiles, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 15 minutes.
• Purée chiles with three fourths of soaking liquid, reserving remainder, in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Pour purée through a coarse sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, and discard solids. Whisk reserved soaking liquid into chile mixture.
• Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and oregano in oil in a large heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 2 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Whisk in chile mixture and simmer, partially covered, whisking occasionally, until reduced to about 2 1/2 cups, about 30 minutes. Season with salt, vinegar, and sugar.

RED MEAT CHILI: CARNE CHILI COLORADO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• On a sheet tray or baking pan, place onion, tomatillos, tomatoes, and garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Place under the broiler or roast in a preheated 500 degree F oven until the vegetables start to get a little charred on the outside. Remove and set aside. On another sheet tray or baking pan, place the dried chiles, and toast in a 500 degree F oven for 1 minute or until the chiles start to release some smoke. Remove and plunge in to bowl with hot water and set aside.
• In a blender, begin pureeing the chiles and roasted vegetables in batches with chicken stock until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• In a saute pan, toast the cumin, coriander, and mustard for 3 minutes or until they start to smoke. Remove from pan and place in a small mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, and pepper, to make a paste. Rub this paste all over the piece of flank steak and allow to marinate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Preheat a grill or grill pan on high.
• Grill the flank steak for 3 minutes on each side. Place the flank steak in a roasting pan and pour the pureed chile sauce over it. Add 2 cups of water, cover with foil, and cook in the oven for 1 hour until the meat becomes flaky.
• Remove the meat from the pan, shred the meat, and reserve the sauce. Place 6 of the tortillas onto a baking sheet. Put a small amount of the shredded meat on the tortilla and spoon over some of the sauce. Top with some cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Bake for 5 minutes and serve.

CHILI COLORADO

Steps:

• Spread the flour out on a plate and coat the beef cubes one by one in it, dusting off the excess. Don't skip this step because the flour also helps to thicken the sauce at the end.
• Brown the beef in a heavy-bottomed pot in the oil over medium-high heat. You want a lot of color on them because color equals flavor.
• Pour in all the spices, the tomato paste, and the water. Bring this to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, and cook low and slow for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the beef is tender and falling apart. A good test is to take a piece and try to mash it on your cutting board with a fork. If it falls apart, you are golden.
• Serve it just by itself with mexican rice and refried beans or use it as a burrito filling.

BASIC RED SAUCE (SALSA DE CHILE ROJO)

Steps:

• Soak chiles in warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain; strain and reserve liquid. Remove stems and seeds and membranes from the chiles. Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil in a 2-qt. saucepan until onion is tender. Add chiles and 2 cups of the reserved liquid , the tomato sauce, oregano, cumin and salt. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Cool.
• Transfer to blender container; cover and blend on low speed until smooth. Strain. Refrigerate sauce no longer than 10 days.
• Note: I strain mine in a mesh strainer or colander. It takes a few minutes, but keep thinking of how great this is going to taste!