Theme Recipe: Peublo Green Chile Stew With Beef & Garbanzos

I didn't have a chance to get a recipe up yesterday, so here's a native American recipe that also happens to be Kosher, leaving out the optional bacon of course!.  Even some native cultures, especially in the southwest have prohibitions against eating pork.  The Indeh (Apache) for example have prohibition against eating pork, bear, shellfish AND even fish!  Another way to go with it is you use all turkey bacon, if you do that, add extra oil.  But then again, some Native cultures do not allow turkeys to be eaten either.  It hails from the pueblos in New Mexico by way of a the coffee table book Spirit of the Harvest by Beverly Cox, who writes the food column for Native Peoples magazine and photographer Martin Jacobs.

Pueblo Beef Stew w/ Green Chilies and Garbanzos

2 lbs. Beef, top round, cubed for stewing
1/2  cup unbleached flour
2 cups chopped onion
4 slices of thick bacon, chopped  (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp. vegetable or native oil + 1 tbsp. if you are not using the bacon
2 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups beef broth or water
2 cups chopped mild or medium green chilies roasted, peeled and seeded (New Mexican or Anaheim are good) or you can use 4 four ounces cans (Hatch is a really good choice there!)
1 to 2 Jalapenos fresh or canned, minced (the real canned pickled Mexican Jalapenos are the best choice for this) (optional)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. MEXICAN oregano 
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste
1 1/2 dried Garbanzo beans, soaked, or 1 16 oz. can

1.  Dry the beef and dredge into the flour--set aside, while you are doing this, heat a very heavy stock pan.  

2.  Fry the onion and garlic (and bacon, if using), for 4 minutes, until the onions start to wilt.  If you are not using bacon or are using turkey bacon, heat 1 extra tbsp. of the oil.  Remove to a bowl and reserve.

3.  Heat the 4 tbsp. of oil and brown meat on all sides.  Return the onion mixture the pan and mix well.  Stir in the tomatoes, broth, chilies, jalapenos (if using), the cumin and the Mexican oregano.  Stir well and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring up to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for for 1 1/2 hours.  Add the garbanzos (my note:  save the soaking water or the liquid from the can, in case extra liquid is needed for the stew.) and cook for a further hour, or until the meat if tender (like "fork tender").  

You can make this with other types of chiles, like poblanos.  You can even make it completely milk with the use of roasted green bell pepper.

Serve it garnished with Mexican crema and chopped fresh cilantro.  These days even Walmart carries the crema, of course, this I know isn't kosher.

You make it with different meats.  For example on the Navajo reservation, where sheep herding is still big business, it is made with lamb and mutton.  You can even use chicken!

Sometimes corn dumpling are dropped into the stew.

Use different types of dried beans.  Pintos and Red Kidneys are good choices, hard to find Anasazi Beans and Tepary Beans are really traditional!

In some places, grated mixed cheese is a popular garnish, that is especially so in Tejano communities.  Again, I know, not kosher.

This is a recipe coutesey for Margarite Guiterrez of Santa Clara Pueblo.