Hatch Chile Pepper Stew

It’s chile pepper season, as you may or may not know, and we’re having a good time experimenting with them at the old O-P abode.  Today’s recipe is courtesy of my son, Andrew, who is quite the fan of chiles both mild and hot.  This recipe requires hatch chiles, and if you’ve not tried them I encourage you to do so.  They have a distinctive, flavorful taste that adds so much to any recipe in which they’re used.  Andrew found his recipe here, but adapted it as shown below.

Hatch Chile Pepper Stew

1 lb. ground beef

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 red onion, diced

2 heaping cups of Melissa's Hatch chiles roasted* and chopped

1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

2-3 ears of fresh sweet corn, cut off the cob

1 14-oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 32-oz. container of beef stock.

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon freshly ground coriander

Kosher salt, ground pepper, minced onion, & cayenne pepper to taste

1-2 fresh limes

1 1/2 tablespoon sugar

For serving:

Sliced avocado

Sour cream

Fresh cilantro or lime zest

Instructions:

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet and pour off the fat. Into the Crockpot add the beef, olive oil, garlic, onion, roasted Hatch chiles, sweet potato, corn, and tomatoes. Stir together.  Finally pour the broth in a give it another stir.

Cook on high for 6 hours, or on low for 8 hours or more.

After a few hours taste the stew for further seasoning. You may add kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper, minced onion, or cayenne pepper for a bit more kick.

Depending upon how thick you like your stew you may want to use a roux to thicken. (This may be required with the faster cooking time.)

Before serving, add the lime juice to brighten flavors. Serve with slices of ripe avocado and a dollop of sour cream and cilantro for garnish.

*How to roast chiles: On a foil-lined jellyroll pan place your chilies about a quarter of an inch apart. Move your oven rack to the highest level and turn your oven on broil. Once up to temp put the chilies in for a total of 15-20 minutes, flipping them half way through. They should have a bit of a charred look to them when they are done. Once they are removed from the oven, place your chilies in a zip top or sealable bag for 20 minutes. This will steam the chilies and make it very easy to remove the skins. Once the skins are removed slice open your chilies and remove all seeds and ribs. Then rough chop for recipe use.

This post is linked to:

What's Cooking Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

Iron Horse Steak Chili

Locally owned Sauce Magazine – the only independent culinary publication in St. Louis – has been one of my favorite food information sources since its inception in 1999.  Featuring articles, reviews, and interviews with chefs, restaurateurs, purveyors, mixologists, sommeliers, culinary innovators, and home cooking enthusiasts, it also contains a wide variety of interesting recipes.  A lover of chili from my youth, this months (November 2011) issue featured a recipe from Mile 277 Tap & Grill that called my name: Iron Horse Steak Chili.

I’ve made a lot of chili in my day, but surprisingly never made a variety containing stew meat, so I thought I’d give this a try.  I followed the directions as written, with one exception.  Since I’ve never known stew meat to tenderize in less than an hour this seemed off to me, so I made the entire recipe and then poured it into the Crockpot and cooked it on low for two hours and high for one hour.  Perfect!  The meat (that I cut into ¾-inch pieces) was tender and flavorful.  The mixture of spices was well suited to my taste; the ratio of tomatoes to beans to meat was just as it should be.  I will certainly make this again, but since old habits die hard, I’m going to try it with ground chuck rather than stew meat.  Who knows?  I may end up with chili perfection.

Iron Horse Steak Chili 
Courtesy of Mile 277’s 
Jason Tilford and Chris LaRocca 
2 lbs. beef stew meat 
1 small yellow onion, minced, plus ¼ cup minced for garnish 

¾ green pepper, minced 
1 jalapeño pepper, minced 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
1 10-oz. can diced tomato, including juices 
2 15-oz. cans kidney beans 
½ cup barbecue sauce, preferably Bull’s-Eye 
2 Tbsp. chili powder 
1/5 Tbsp. cayenne pepper 
1 Tbsp. ground cumin 
1 bay leaf 
1 cup beef broth 
Salt to taste 
Cheddar cheese to garnish 

In a large stockpot, cook the beef until browned and cooked through. Remove from the heat and drain half of the grease. Return the stockpot to the heat and, using remaining grease, sauté the onion, green pepper, jalapeño and garlic for 10 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients, except cheddar cheese and reserved ¼ cup minced onion. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, adjusting seasoning as needed.  Garnish each serving with grated cheddar cheese and a sprinkle of onion.

This post is linked to: 

On the Menu Monday

Mouthwatering Monday

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Tasty Tuesday

What's Cooking Wednesday

Foodie Friday