How to make braised beef in green chile. Video by Liddie Martinez
By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
Española Valley
When the weather changes, golden leaves float to the ground and temperatures plummet, we crave comfort food to warm our bodies and chase away the winter blues. One great dish that comes to mind and is easy to make and serve is braised beef in a green chile sauce. The house will warm up with the heat of the oven and it won’t be long before the delicious aroma of green chile fills the air. This is one of those dishes that you can throw together, place in the oven and then go do other chores or even watch a movie before having to think about it again.
Braising is an easy way to dress up inexpensive cuts of meat. You will need a heavy Dutch oven to accomplish this, but I have also used heavy clay pots with much success. I used a boneless chuck roast this time but if you have hunters in the house who have been fortunate this year, it would be the perfect dish for deer and elk as well. The low flame and slow cooking time will result in very tender chunks of meat and the green chile sauce will tame the gaminess. I like to add a few sprigs of cilantro to brighten the dish and cut through the rich sauce but flat Italian parsley or even thyme would also do the trick.
Don’t forget that the level of heat will depend on the heat of the chile you select so if hot and spicy is in order, use hot chile or, if you lean toward the gentle heat of mild chile, make sure that is what you use. Reducing or increasing the volume of chile to try to moderate heat won’t work on this dish. Also, I like to reserve a couple of cups of the sauce to use another time as an enchilada sauce. It freezes well and there is plenty of sauce left for plating. The sauce is rich and flavorful and perfect to pair with plain cheese enchiladas when the mood strikes.
I used tomatoes that I had blanched and frozen from my garden, but canned peeled tomatoes work just fine.
Green Chile Sauce
2 cups chopped green chile that was roasted and peeled.
6 Roma tomatoes blanched and peeled.
½ onion
4 cloves garlic
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
In a blender puree starting with the tomatoes and adding ingredients one at a time until it is smooth. Set it aside.
Braised Beef
4 lbs. chuck roast, boneless
½ onion, sliced
6 potatoes, peeled.
6 Tbs. canola oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro for garnish
Pre-heat oven to 300°. In a Dutch oven on the stove, heat oil to 350°. Cut roast into 2” cubes and pat dry with paper towels. When oil is hot, brown meat on all sides working in small batches and removing cubes as they are browned to a bowl. When all the meat has browned, add sliced onions and sauté until transparent deglazing the pot. Return meat to the hot pot then pour green chile sauce over the meat. Place potatoes on top and cover with tight fitting lid. Place pot in oven on lower third and time for 2 hours.
Remove from oven when timer goes off. Using a slotted spoon, gently remove potatoes to a bowl being careful not to break them. In a separate bowl remove meat from the sauce then bring sauce back to a rolling boil and then simmer to reduce. Simmer sauce for 15 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste. Return meat and potatoes to sauce in pot to keep warm or plate to serve. I like to gently slice the potatoes for plating.
Makes 6 servings.
Editor’s note: Liddie Martinez is the author of the popular award winning Chile Line Cookbook: Historic Recipes of Northern New Mexico, which is available online at www.pajaritopress.com.
Braised beef in a green chile sauce. Photo by Liddie Martinez