FoodMayhem

If you paid me a million dollars I wouldn’t be able to truthfully tell you where the inspiration for this dish came from. Jessica asked me a dozen times while cooking what I was making and repeatedly I answered “dunno.”

Fortunately, it came out quite tasty. It features the soft heat from the cascabel chilis and sweetness of the onions.

Cascabel Ground Beef Sauce
~makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 

  10 Cascabel Chilies (0.45 oz)

• water
• 1 large Yellow Onion (13 oz), thinly shredded
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 3 tbsp. minced Ginger
• 1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
• 2 lbs. lean Ground Beef
• 1/4 tsp. Ground Allspice
• 1/4 tsp. White Pepper
• 1/4 tsp. Star Anise
• 1/4 tsp. Kosher Salt
• 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 15 oz. canned Tomato Sauce
• 15 oz. Water
• 1.5 tbsp. Citrus Juice (Lime and/or Lemon)
• 2 tbsp. chopped, fresh Cilantro

Instructions

1. Simmer cascabels in small sauce pot with just enough water to cover for 20 minutes, covered. Ensure each chili is puncture so water can get inside. Let cool for 10 minutes. Discard stems.
2. Move chilis (with water) to a food processor, along with smashed garlic and ginger. Process for 3-5 minutes. Reserve.
3. In a dutch oven, saute onions in vegetable oil along with beef and spices, over medium-low heat. Stir to combine ingredients and break up beef. Cook until beef is browned and onions are translucent.
4. Push pot contents to the side to expose the pot surface. Caramelize tomato paste for a minute. Add reserved chili mixture and continue to caramelize for another minute before stirring to combine with beef and onions. Add tomato sauce, a can full of water, and citrus juice. Stir well, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Serve over rice, pasta, or spaetzle.

posted by Lon at 01:53 PM Filed under Inventive, Recipes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.