Despite that it has been an annoyingly warm winter in some parts of the country (like where I'm living!), it's still winter, and hot stews are the best defense against it. Any kind of hearty beef stew would do, but I have a thing about the chili (or chile) stews that come from the Pueblos in the New Mexico. The use of red chile denotes that it is strictly a winter concoction--green chiles are used straight off the vine, red dried pods from ristras are for the lean non-fertile months of deep cold. On my native food blog, I've previously given a recipe from Jemez Pueblo that is very good, but I've got lots to spare, and they do vary from Pueblo to Pueblo. Here's one from Cochiti Pueblo. It comes from an all American cookbook by Joan Nathan, which first peaked my interest because she is renown for her books on Jewish food, and yet she was willing to write a book containing multi-ethnic recipes from the States that included pork, as this recipe sometimes does. Don't worry, if you don't eat pork, it's just that good with beef. It is from the Suina family of the pueblo and comes from An American Folklife Cookbook.
[Cochiti] Red Chili Stew
10 to 12 dry red chile pods (look for New Mexico chiles in the store), or 1/4 to 1/2 cups of good chili powder stirred into 2 cups water to which is added 1 to 2 tbsp. of flour and you will need oil to fry the mixture.
2 1/2 cups water (or more as needed)
1 clove garlic (optional)
1 lb. cubed pork or ground beef
2 to 3 quarter sections of orange peel (you can buy the dried, or freeze to home)
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp. oregano (Mexican is best, any type will do)
1. Place chilies in a 350 degree oven for 3 to 4 minutes. [Let cool a bit] Using kitchen scissors, [cut] them open and shake out the seeds. Blend the pods with garlic (if using) and 1 1/2 cups water. If you are using powder, fry the water mixture in 3 tbsp. of oil until the flour starts to thicken.
2. In a frying pan, fry the pork or beef in oil. If using pods, add 1 to 2 tbsp. of flour and brown a bit. Add the blended chili pods. If you are using the powder, just add the mixture from the other pan. Add the orange peel and herbs, plus 1 extra cup of water. Simmer for at least 20 minutes if using grounded meat, otherwise cook until tender, adding water as needed.
Serve this with bread of some sort. Indian Frybread is traditional, so are unsweetened Sopapillas (really just another type of frybread). It also goes with corn bread, rice and refried beans. Fresh tortillas are also a favorite with this.
Variations
These types of stews are easy to vary. The obvious variation is on the type of meat or protein used. Traditionally venison or even buffalo was used. Poultry can be used. Even tofu or tempeh can be used (just fry the tofu well first).
This can easily be varied to a summer stew with roasted, blended green chiles substituting for the red dried pods.
Pure ground chile is a more pure substitute for the chile pods that store bought chili powder.
Add extra vegetable. Onions never hurt anything, extra garlic is great if you like garlic, favorite herbs can be used as well.
If you have to, add beans.
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