Prepare chile puree. Place chiles in large nonreactive bowl. Add boiling water to cover and try to ensure that chiles stay submerged. Let stand 30-40 min to soften. Remove chiles to blender. Taste soaking water; if it's bitter discard it and use plain water for the rest, else use a mixture of soaking water and plain water. If you don't want to taste it, it's safer to toss it and use plain water. Add 1 to 1 1/2 c water to chiles and blend until very smooth, 1 to 2 min. Pour mixture through strainer, pressing pulp with spoon or rubber spatula to get all the puree out. Set aside.

Heat 2 T oil in heavy skillet. Add meat and cook until browned. Add 2 c water, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add chile puree to meat and stir in. Mash salt and garlic together to make a paste. Saute chopped onion in 1 1/2 T oil until tender. Mix in salt/garlic paste and 1 1/2 T flour. Stir 1 min to get raw taste out of the flour and add mixture to simmering beef. Add cumin, pepper and oregano. Cover and simmer 2 hours.

Here's the recipe I use. This is a Sonoran style dish and here in Tucson (just north of Sonora) *every* mexican restaurant you go to serves this dish. For variety I sometimes like to use different combinations of chiles. A favorite is a mixture of ancho, New Mexican mild, NM hot, pasilla and chipotle.Rick

From: Richard Thead
Posted By: The Chile-Heads Recipe Collection
Post Date: