Carne Guisada (Mexican Beef Stew) - Adapted from Various

Toss 1-1/4 lbs. of beef chuck or beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes (this served 2 gen-erously), with 3T flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown the meat in 2-3T olive oil. Remove the meat and add 1 medium diced onion, 1 seeded and diced jalapeno pepper and 2 cloves of minced garlic. When the onions are soft, add 3t ground cumin, 1t cayenne pepper and 2T tomato paste. When the spices are fragrant add 2C of liquid (we used a mixture of beer and beef stock but you could also use wine or just stock or even water). Bring to a boil and then cover and place in a 300 degree oven for about 2 hrs., until the meat is fork tender. One recipe included diced potatoes but we chose to leave them out. Use a fork to "pull" the meat apart. We served the stew with home made salsa, avacodo, grated cheese and fresh cilantro on warm tortillas. Along side are refried beans and rice. Obviously, the heat can be adjusted by using more or less jalapeno and cayenne. A very tasty beef dish!