Mexican Beef And Vegetable Stew Recipes

BEEF AND VEGETABLE STEW

Steps:

• Remove any bits of fat from the meat. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute the meat in the oil for 10 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Remove meat and set aside.
• Add the onion and tomato paste to the pot and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until onion is tender, stirring often. Return the meat to the skillet along with the beef broth, combining with the onion and tomato paste mixture. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender.
• Add the carrots, potatoes, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf and crushed red pepper flakes and simmer, covered, for another 45 minutes. (Note: It may be necessary to add some water if the stew seems too thick.)
• Finally, add the mushrooms and the peas and allow stew to heat through, about another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove bay leaf and rosemary sprig before serving.

MEXICAN STYLE MEAT AND VEGETABLE STEW - AZTECA'S MOLCAJETE

Steps:

• Fry the bacon in a large skillet until crispy; remove from pan, reserving drippings, cut into small pieces, and set aside.
• Add the oil to the bacon drippings over medium temperature, then sauté the chicken and beef strips until browned, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes.
• In another large saucepan over medium heat, stir together the boiling water and bouillon granules until dissolved.
• Add remaining ingredients (including reserved bacon) and the cooked meat strips, and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Garnish, serve, and enjoy!
• Note: to make the seafood version of Azteca's Molcajete, omit the chicken/beef and instead have 1/2 pound shelled and deveined shrimp, 1/2 pound scallops, and as much skinned and deboned whitefish fillet pieces as you'd like (about 1/4 pound or more) which you will add in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Note #2: we've also added a can of black beans to the recipe, to good effect. If the soup isn't as thick as you'd like it to be, try adding a can of refried beans - it works well! We've also served it with crisp tortilla strips and a dollop of Mexican crema instead of monterey jack. It's a versatile recipe, so experiment and enjoy yourself! :) If you have made the Rich and Delicious Enchilada sauce recipe of mine, you might recognize many of the soup ingredients - to make the sauce into soup, use 2 cups of the sauce, add 1 cup hot water and 1/2 teaspoon chicken stock granules, then add the cooked chicken and garnish ingredients as usual.