Here is a Red Chile Stew Recipe!

Pueblo Red Chile Stew!

This recipe is from one of our many wonderful cookbooks "Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations" by Lois Ellen Frank.

Every Pueblo has a version of red chile stew that is served on their Feast Day. A Pueblos Feast day is the day of their Patron Saint given to them by the Spanish. Pueblo households host visitors to their Pueblo, feeding up to several hundred people in a day. Every home table is filled with a multitude of different dishes of which red chile stew is a standard favorite. Each red chile stew recipe varies slightly from Pueblo to Pueblo, all of which are delicious and very traditional to this region. This recipe is a combination of a red chile stew that I was taught by Margaret Archuleta of Picuris Pueblo. This stew is a hearty dish, simple in ingredients but rich in taste. It wins the hearts of many, especially those who crave the hot, spicy taste of chiles so common in southwestern cooking. Many native New Mexicans have developed a palate that is quite sensitive to the different varieties of chiles. As you experiment with them yourself, you too will learn to discern their differences. © Lois Ellen Frank

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound boneless chuck roast, cubed
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
8 medium Russet potatoes, peeled, if desired, and cubed
1/4 cup New Mexican Red Chile powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
8 cups water

DIRECTIONS:

In a skillet over medium to high heat add the oil and brown the beef for approximately 3 to 4 minutes on each side, then reduce the heat to medium and add the diced onion and dried red chile powder stirring constantly.
Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a medium sized sauce pot bring 6 cups of the water to a boil with the meat and dried red chile mixture.
Reduce the heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender.
Add the potatoes, salt, dried oregano and 2 more cups of the water and continue to simmer another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.
If the stew seems too thick, add a little more water, if it is too thin, simmer a little longer until it reduces and the stew is thicker.
Serve hot.

Any of the traditional Indian breads go wonderfully well with this meal.
Serves 6 to 8

NOTE: Freshly ground red chile powder tends to be quite hot, but the flavor becomes less potent with time. I advise you to taste the chile powder before using it in this recipe. The amount used can be adjusted to suit your palate.

Follow us to our blog to read more.

Used with Permission.

Excerpted from Foods of the Southwest Indian Nations, Published by Ten Speed Press, © By Lois Ellen Frank