Fresh New Mexico Chile powder is a thing of beauty. It has been awhile since I have ordered fresh chile powder. Boy am I glad I did and it is like discovering something new all over again. Go into your cupboard or pantry and throw away all of your chile powder. Chances are the containers you have are over 6 months old and stale as sawdust. You will thank me later. Find a source. I used the New Mexico Chile Pepper Connection which is a good place to buy products from New Mexico. I ordered the 'medium' level of heat for this powder. I learned my lesson by ordering the 'hot' powder last time. It was too hot even for this experienced Chilehead. Our order arrived and it was time to make a 'bowl of red'.
True chili has no beans or fillers. In competitions they do not even use fresh vegetables but powders and meats only. Today we did use fresh onions and canned tomatoes but no beans. My protein of choice was barbequed steak. The steak was grilled, cooled and chopped into cubes. A base of chile powder, beef broth, chopped onions, canned tomatoes and salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and a small pinch of sugar was combined. The meat was added and all was simmered for an hour.
A bowl of red is a comfort dish that is simple but so rewarding. The flavor and medium heat of fresh chili powder is a religious experience to me. I hope you will give fresh chile powder a try.
Looks delicious and I can imagine that the grilled steak gave it a really nice flavor.
ReplyDeleteAw geez. Now I'm all hungry 😅
ReplyDeleteZio, It is amazing how good this simple dish tastes. It is not about the heat but the combination of flavors that work so well together. The heat is warm, nice and an added bonus.
ReplyDeleteToo often I think people miss the pleasures of nauanced flavors and overload on what they consider to be the defining flavor of the dish. Cooking is so much more than one overarching flavor profile.
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