K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I made this earlier this evening. Late in the day I realized I hadn't thought about dinner, took a quick scan of the fridge and saw the leftover point from Friday's supper as well as some pineapple in a bowl, and here's the result. The pineapple really brings out the best in dried chilies I think. A little sugar helps boost the tomato--but don't use too much. I served it over plain white rice.
1 leftover point end of a barbecued beef brisket, some fat removed, cut into large cubes (mine was probably 1-1 1/2 lbs)
4 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Tbls olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried thyme
2-3 Tbls white wine or water
4 Ancho chili peppers, stemmed, split, seeds shaken out
4 NM chili peppers, stemmed, split, seeds shaken out
1/2-3/4 c low-sodium chicken stock
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can beer (I had a Bud in the fridge)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2-3/4 c diced fresh pineapple with juice (or use a small can of pineapple tidbits packed in juice)
2-3 tsp sugar
Heat a large dry skillet over med heat till hot, about 4-5 min. Add the peppers and toast till fragrant, flipping them periodically, about 3-4 min.
Put them in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water till soft, about 1 hour, weighing down the peppers with a plate to keep them submerged. Drain.*
Heat the oil in a large pot over med-high heat till shimmering; add the onions, stir, and cook till onions soften, about 7-10 min. Add the salt and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, till the onions are well-browned and sticking in spots to the pot, about 15 min longer. Deglaze the pot with the wine, stirring and scraping the pot bottom to loosen all the flavorful bits, allowing the wine to reduce till almost gone. Remove the pot from the heat. Remove half the onions in the pot to a blender and add the softened chilies. Turn on the blender and pour in the chicken stock a few tablespoons at a time, till the peppers are very well pureed and thick, about the consistency of thick sour cream.
Return the pot with the remaining onions to the stove on medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin, and cook till fragrant, about 1 min. Add the pepper puree, stir well, and add the beer and canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Increase heat to med-high, bring to a simmer, and add the diced pineapple and its juice. Add 2 tsp sugar, stir well, add the brisket cubes, stir, then cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Taste and adjust salt and sugar if needed. Serve over white rice.
* The water remaining in the bowl when peppers are rehydrated is sometimes bitter, especially when Anchos are used, which is why I did not use it to make the puree. If you wish to use it instead taste it first for bitterness.
*******************
A variation on this theme I made last night (10/9/2008--happy birthday to my mother, Anna Wilson, 86 today!). I used 2.5 lbs of point (with a little flat still attached) so the quantities are a bit different, and there are some procedural differences.
12 dried chilies (I used 2 each mulatto, guajillo, mild NM, hot NM, and 4 pasilla)
8 small onions, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 T dried thyme
8 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 T minced fresh ginger (or 1.5 t ginger powder)
2 fresh poblano chilies, finely chopped(remember: poblanos are the frish versions of anchos)
1 heaping T tamarind paste stirred into 8oz tepid water
2 c chicken stock
a little oil
2 t ground cumin
1 28oz can diced tomatoes in juice
2.5 lbs smoked brisket point, diced or cubed
8oz dried sweetened mangoes, chopped
salt
pepper
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
Prep and process the chiles as above.
Meanwhile, in the oil, sauté the onions with a little salt, the bay leaf anf the thyme, stirring frequently, till a little browning starts to occur. Add the chopped poblanos, stir, and take the onions to the lightly-browned-all-over stage. Scrape the onions to the side and add the garlic and ginger to the center of the pot, stirring them for 10 secs. Stir the garlic-ginger mix into the onions and allow to cook 30-45 secs more. Immediately degalze with the tamarind-water mix, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring to a strong simmer then remove the pot from the heat.
Purée the entire contents of the pot with the reconstituted dried chilies, in batches if necessary, adding the 2 c chicken stock as you go.
Add a little oil to the now-empty pot and heat it almost to smoking. Add the cumin and cook it, stirring, 15 secs, then immediately stir in the onion-chile-purée; add the tomatoes and all of their juices, the diced point and the chopped mangoes. Stir well, bring to a simmer, add some salt to taste, cover the pot and reduce the heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 1-2 hours, till the meat and mangoes are completely tender.
At this point you can leave the meat alone, can stick a handblender in the pot briefly, to break of some of the meat more, or can break up most or the enitire contents of the pot. I went the latter route for this pot for no particular reason. (It's a good trick, though, if you will be serving to anyone that is fat-averse, texture-wise (or if you are yourself).)
Stir in the orange juice, adjust salt, and serve--or cool, then fridge for the next day.
The point; the chopped mangoes about to be stirred in; served over rice:
1 leftover point end of a barbecued beef brisket, some fat removed, cut into large cubes (mine was probably 1-1 1/2 lbs)
4 onions, peeled and sliced thinly
2 Tbls olive oil
2 tsp salt
2 tsp dried thyme
2-3 Tbls white wine or water
4 Ancho chili peppers, stemmed, split, seeds shaken out
4 NM chili peppers, stemmed, split, seeds shaken out
1/2-3/4 c low-sodium chicken stock
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can beer (I had a Bud in the fridge)
1 14oz can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2-3/4 c diced fresh pineapple with juice (or use a small can of pineapple tidbits packed in juice)
2-3 tsp sugar
Heat a large dry skillet over med heat till hot, about 4-5 min. Add the peppers and toast till fragrant, flipping them periodically, about 3-4 min.
Put them in a heat-proof bowl and cover with boiling water till soft, about 1 hour, weighing down the peppers with a plate to keep them submerged. Drain.*
Heat the oil in a large pot over med-high heat till shimmering; add the onions, stir, and cook till onions soften, about 7-10 min. Add the salt and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, till the onions are well-browned and sticking in spots to the pot, about 15 min longer. Deglaze the pot with the wine, stirring and scraping the pot bottom to loosen all the flavorful bits, allowing the wine to reduce till almost gone. Remove the pot from the heat. Remove half the onions in the pot to a blender and add the softened chilies. Turn on the blender and pour in the chicken stock a few tablespoons at a time, till the peppers are very well pureed and thick, about the consistency of thick sour cream.
Return the pot with the remaining onions to the stove on medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and cumin, and cook till fragrant, about 1 min. Add the pepper puree, stir well, and add the beer and canned diced tomatoes with their juices. Increase heat to med-high, bring to a simmer, and add the diced pineapple and its juice. Add 2 tsp sugar, stir well, add the brisket cubes, stir, then cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Taste and adjust salt and sugar if needed. Serve over white rice.
* The water remaining in the bowl when peppers are rehydrated is sometimes bitter, especially when Anchos are used, which is why I did not use it to make the puree. If you wish to use it instead taste it first for bitterness.
*******************
A variation on this theme I made last night (10/9/2008--happy birthday to my mother, Anna Wilson, 86 today!). I used 2.5 lbs of point (with a little flat still attached) so the quantities are a bit different, and there are some procedural differences.
12 dried chilies (I used 2 each mulatto, guajillo, mild NM, hot NM, and 4 pasilla)
8 small onions, chopped
2 T olive oil
1 bay leaf
1 T dried thyme
8 large cloves garlic, pressed
1 T minced fresh ginger (or 1.5 t ginger powder)
2 fresh poblano chilies, finely chopped(remember: poblanos are the frish versions of anchos)
1 heaping T tamarind paste stirred into 8oz tepid water
2 c chicken stock
a little oil
2 t ground cumin
1 28oz can diced tomatoes in juice
2.5 lbs smoked brisket point, diced or cubed
8oz dried sweetened mangoes, chopped
salt
pepper
2 T freshly squeezed orange juice
Prep and process the chiles as above.
Meanwhile, in the oil, sauté the onions with a little salt, the bay leaf anf the thyme, stirring frequently, till a little browning starts to occur. Add the chopped poblanos, stir, and take the onions to the lightly-browned-all-over stage. Scrape the onions to the side and add the garlic and ginger to the center of the pot, stirring them for 10 secs. Stir the garlic-ginger mix into the onions and allow to cook 30-45 secs more. Immediately degalze with the tamarind-water mix, stirring well and scraping the bottom of the pot. Bring to a strong simmer then remove the pot from the heat.
Purée the entire contents of the pot with the reconstituted dried chilies, in batches if necessary, adding the 2 c chicken stock as you go.
Add a little oil to the now-empty pot and heat it almost to smoking. Add the cumin and cook it, stirring, 15 secs, then immediately stir in the onion-chile-purée; add the tomatoes and all of their juices, the diced point and the chopped mangoes. Stir well, bring to a simmer, add some salt to taste, cover the pot and reduce the heat. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 1-2 hours, till the meat and mangoes are completely tender.
At this point you can leave the meat alone, can stick a handblender in the pot briefly, to break of some of the meat more, or can break up most or the enitire contents of the pot. I went the latter route for this pot for no particular reason. (It's a good trick, though, if you will be serving to anyone that is fat-averse, texture-wise (or if you are yourself).)
Stir in the orange juice, adjust salt, and serve--or cool, then fridge for the next day.
The point; the chopped mangoes about to be stirred in; served over rice:
