white man chili stew
I'm calling this "white man chili stew" because that's what my Native American relatives would call it -- and they would laugh at me. But it actually tastes very close to the stuff they make. I've found that they tend to throw in "local" (i.e., picked outside) ingredients that I can't duplicate. Like they make this wonderful tea of piñon needles, mountain cedar, and "shiff" root. What is shiff root? I asked them, and they said, "medicine root." I asked if there was an English word for it. If so, they didn't know it. So yeah, there could be all kindsa stuff in what they make, plus I don't have a hogan to bake the bread. But, like I said, this came out good. It's also "white man" in that it's way less hot than the Pueblo version -- so add hotter peppers or seasoning if you like.
I will give the recipe "Pueblo style" meaning a recipe without measurements. Just use your noodle and your intuition when you're making your own:
Suggested Ingredients:
6 eye-of-the-round steaks, cut into cubes (sort of)
big can diced tomato (if you like hotter food use Rotel tomato with green chilis)
regular size can yellow hominy (okay to use white hominy, too)
your favorite Southwestern or Mexican seasoning
6 big fresh green chilis (you can add additional types of chilis if you like, just make sure you have mostly green chilis)
olive oil
elephant garlic (okay to use regular garlic)
about 6 green onions, chopped -- separate the whites from the greens
2 small cans low-sodium V-8
crusty bread
1. Roast the chilis according to these instructions: http://www.ehow.com/how_13875_roast-peppers.html or however you like to do it. I did mine the night before for convenience sake.
2. Sautee the meat with the elephant garlic, white part of the onions, and seasoning in olive oil.
3. Put the diced tomato, roasted chilis and green part of the onions in a stew pot (don't cook it yet)
4. When the meat is cooked, dump everything in the sautee pan into the stew pot
5. Add the two small cans of V-8 and stir
6. Heat. When heated through, add the drained can of hominy and stir it through
7. Serve over a hunk of the crusty bread as shown
That's it. Not too hard at all. I find the elephant garlic and green onions give it a more subtle flavor that regular garlic & onions, particularly when the stew is prepared at mild hotness. You can make it a hotter dish by adding additional types of roasted peppers or a hotter Southwestern or Mexican seasoning, or hot sauce. I'd rather have a subtle mix of flavors than burn my mouth off, but to each his/her own.
Enjoy!