Canned chile peppers (Recipe: slow-cooked beef and green chile stew)

A week about stews, and the good things that come from cans.

It's possible, just possible, that I have more than my share of kitchen toys.

By toys, I don't mean butter wizards and doughnut makers and zero-gravity magnetic spice racks.

I mean serious tools and cookware, in multiples, like tagines and woks, Microplane graters, half a dozen really good santoku knives and nearly two hundred wooden spoons and utensils.

The current love of my life, however, is a single: it's my new slow cooker.

Like me, the slow cooker loves all kinds of stew, so I've had fun introducing it to my collection of canned chile peppers. Chipotles in adobo and green New Mexico chiles are mainstays in my pantry, along with canned poblanos, plus fire-roasted Anaheim and other green chiles from mild to hot.

Chiles do more than add some kick to your cooking; they also contribute a significant dose of Vitamins A and C, iron and lutein, which has proven benefits for eyesight.

With canned chile peppers in the pantry, you can always fire up your stove or slow cooker for a batch of chile con queso soup, five-pepper chili, quesadillas, hummus, salsa, and many variations of green chile stew.

And in case the whole chile-chili-chilli thing is still a bit of a muddle, chile with an "e" is the pepper, chili with an "i" is the stew, and chilli with the double-L is the spelling used in other parts of the world (including Britain, Australia and many Asian countries) for what we here in the United States call chile peppers.

Now, what kind of chili do you make with your chiles?

SLOW-COOKED BEEF AND GREEN CHILE STEW
If you don't have a slow cooker, make this in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. "Stew beef" is a common cut, available in the meat department of your supermarket. The recipe makes a lot, so stash some in the freezer for a cold winter day. Serves 10-12.

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 lbs stew beef (boneless beef chuck), cut into two-inch chunks
3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 27-oz can mild green Hatch chiles, whole or cut into large chunks
1 cup chopped canned tomato (I use this brand)
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store-bought
12 oz homemade beef stock, or 1 14-oz can low-sodium beef broth
1 Tbsp cumin
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch

In a large bowl, add the flour. Dry the beef with paper towels, and dredge each piece lightly in the flour. Heat oil in a large frying pan, and brown the beef on all sides (be careful not to overcrowd the pan; brown the beef in batches). Add browned beef to the slow-cooker, along with all remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours (if using a Dutch oven, cook for 3-4 hours). Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and hot sauce, if needed. If at the end of the cooking time, the liquid has not thickened to a consistency you like, pour all but half a cup of the liquid into a sauce pan. Pour the remaining half cup of liquid into a measuring cup, and whisk in the arrowroot or cornstarch. Bring the liquid in the sauce pan to a low boil, and add the arrowroot mixture. The sauce will thicken, and you can reunite it with the stew.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Floribean chicken chili
White chili
Football season chili

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This just in:  April from New York City hosted a Thanksgiving Drop In & Decorate baking-and-decorating party this past weekend, and donated the cookies to two food pantries, Center of Hope International's Bread of Life Food Pantry (Long Island City) and Services and Food for the Homeless (Lower East Side). 

Planning a Drop In & Decorate event? Please let me know (lydia AT ninecooks DOT com) so we can share the fun.

To learn more about Drop In & Decorate Cookies for Donation, including how to host your own party, visit www.ninecooks.com; then stop in at Nikas Culinaria, Homesick Texan, Food Blogga, The Inadvertent Gardener, Jaden's Steamy Kitchen,  La Mia Cucina, One Hot Stove, 37 Days, The Cooking Adventures of Chef Paz, French Kitchen in America, Veronica's Test Kitchen, Kelly the Culinarian, shawnkenney.com, Thyme for Cooking: The Blog, Chew on That, Culinary Types, Nook & Pantry, Cookthink, Tea & Cookies, Mele Cotte, A Veggie Venture, Cream Puffs in Venice, startcooking.com, Shazam in the Kitchen, The Family Quilt, The Daily Tiffin, Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy, The Budget Bambino and What's for Lunch, Honey?

Thank you, Slashfood and BlogHer. Thank you, Chow.com and Goodyblog and Woman's Day.

"The families were thrilled with extraordinarily beautiful cookies, and your gift helped brighten their lives during a very difficult time." Crossroads Rhode Island Family Center

Comments

[Paul]

Here in England, at Lakeland (the great kitchen-gadget store), they are offering a slow cooker/rice cooker/steamer - not expensive either - been planning on buying it soon... especially as my rice cooker is showing its age. That way I can finally get the slow cooker I've wanted, and still have a bit of room left on the counter.

[Julie]

That looks like a very satisfying meal.

I've been debating whether or not to get a slow cooker for ages. On the one hand they seem like a wonderful thing, allowing you to return to a ready and waiting hot meal after a day at work. And then on the other hand I worry that it may turn out to be something I don't use that often. I'd love to hear your take on it. How long have you had yours and how often do you use it?

[anh]

The stew sounds absolutely wonderful. I love slow-cooked meat, and this recipe sounds like a winner!

[tigerfish]

In Southeast Asia, I like sliced green chili preserved in vinegar. They are so good with fried or braised rice noodles.

[lobstersquad]

lordy me, no please, no more kitchen gadgets. I´m still in my full-on affair with the rice cooker!

[T.W. Barritt]

I love to make a black bean soup or chili with chiles, particularly in the slow cooker. I hate to admit that I own 5 slow cookers! One for single serve, one for a medium size dish, one for a crowd, and two matching red ones to use on a buffet!! Yes, I have gadget issues ...

[Lydia]

Paul, the slow cooker does take up a bit of room on the counter (or shelf in the cellar, which I'm lucky to have). And I also have a rice cooker, which can be used for steaming or slow cooking, though I admit I've never used mine for anything other than cooking rice (for which it is a miraculous tool).

Julie, I waited for all these years to get a slow cooker, and then I couldn't decide (since I knew I'd be buying just one) which size to get, and what features it should have. I've had mine for two months, and I use it once a week at least. Every Sunday morning I set something to cook, and then we settle in with the Sunday papers and get on about the rest of the day. The advantage for me is that I have much more energy (for cooking, for work, for everything) in the morning, so it's nice to be able to do my "cooking" then, instead of at the end of my day. I'm a big fan -- and I haven't even used it for entertaining yet!

Anh, this stew, which started out as a bit of a "fridge dump", really came together and is delicious.

Tigerfish, I've never used sliced green chili in vinegar. Sounds intriguing!

Lobstersquad, I'm afraid your love affair with the rice cooker will be a lifelong one... but maybe you'll be more adventurous than I am, and you'll use your rice cooker for slow cooking! I know you can do that, if only I can find my instruction book.....

TW, I've heard about people with multiple slow cookers, but I never actually knew one! Wow -- five? You must have a big pantry, too! I'm new to the whole slow cooker thing but I can surely see how it can become addictive. I've made some red beans, but next I do want to do a black bean dish.

[Freya]

Paul is always raving about hatch Green Chili from truckstops. I'm yet to experience that particular pleasure but canned chillis (which you can only get imported and over priced over here) are a worthy tin item in any pantry!

[Toni]

Ah, Lydia.....You are preaching to the choir here! Hatch green? For me, it's the holy grail. I'll take them canned, frozen, or, when possible, freshly roasted. And a slow-cooked beef stew with Hatch green? Can I come to dinner?

[Lydia]

Freya, welcome back! One of these years I will get to the Hatch chile festival, where they roast green chiles out in a field. I can't imagine how wonderful that aroma will be....

Toni, I'm with you -- any way I can get 'em. As someone who lived in NM, you must have some great recipes for chiles. If you've posted, please share the links. And yes, please, come to dinner -- and bring more chiles with you!

[MyKitchenInHalfCups]

I had a slow cooker 25 years ago and it disappeared in a move. This last year I've been looking at them again. I've started with a really small one. It makes the most perfect grits and oatmeal ever. Now, I'm thinking a medium one would be very nice. I love Hatch!

[Nora]

Hi Lydia,
I use any "chilli" that I have on hand - fresh (usally birds eye) or canned Chipotles in adobo, or even jalapeños.

Thanks for the lovely stew recipe. Unfortunately I don't have many kitchen gadgets (yet) since I moved to Sydney (unlike mom's kitchen back in Singapore). So, It'll have to make this in a casserole dish and stick it in the oven.

[Hillary]

Just want to wish you a very Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving Lydia! Enjoy!

P.S. I'd love to see what you served :)

[Lydia]

MyKitchen, believe it or not this is my very first slow cooker. I'm beginning to understand why people have several in different sizes. I decided since I was only going to buy one, that I'd get a large one. But there's always room for more.....

Nora, this stew will be delicious baked in the oven, or cooked on the stovetop. And any kind of chile peppers will work. I love combining whatever I have on hand.

Hillary, thank you. I'm not really a turkey lover, so we're having turkey-escarole soup as a main course. Hope your Thanksgiving is lovely, too.

[Kelly-Jane]

A butter wizard? Never heard of that one, but it looks interesting =)

Your stew sounds like it would be full of flavour, mmm.

[Lydia]

Kelly-Jane, it's amazing how many gizmos are on the market, things you really never need in the kitchen. Butter wizard is just the tip of the silly iceberg.