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This recipe is NOT MEXICAN in origin, as it is Tex-Mex origin, and its served north of the border in Texas, yet it is used to top enchiladas, potatoes, rice and just about everthing else in the state of Texas. So with malice of forethought, I decided to place it with the enchilada recipes, since it commonly tops enchiladas served in Texas, and it combines traditional gravy with enchilada sauce, and it's just plain delicious... Special
tools: Cast iron skillet, blender
2
dried New Mexico chili peppers Remove seeds and stems from dried peppers and combine with diced garlic and beef stock. In microwave oven, or in skillet, heat until mixture is hot. Remove from heat and allow to cool; about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, crumble beef in cast iron skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned, about five minutes, stirring as needed. Remove from heat, drain fat from ground beef, and reserve ground beef. Over medium heat, place lard in skillet, allow to melt. Saute diced onions in lard for about two minutes, then add ground beef, pureed chili mixture, and remaining ingredients, except for the flour and the beer. Cook for about 2 minutes, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to extra-low and simmer for about 40 minutes, until meat becomes tender, stirring as needed. In a small bowl, combine four and about 2 tablespoons of liquid from skillet. Combine and mix flour and liquid until smooth and free of lumps. After chili/meat mixture has simmered for 40 minutes, add flour mixture and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If necessary, add beer to achieve desired consistency. I prefer the consistency of my gravy to be slightly runnier than pancake batter, but how you make it is up to your taste.
Left: Gravy, cooking in cast iron skillet. Right: Tex-Mex Roadhouse Chili gravy, ready to be spooned on enchiladas, potatoes, pasta, or whatever... I know this recipe sounds like a lot of work, but if you're serving enchiladas and we want to lend them a real Tex-Mex flavor, top them with this gravy, and you and your guests will be coming back for more... This gravy will keep for a week or so in the fridge, and for at least a year in a freezer, provided its vacuum sealed. After storage it will appear too thick in consistency, but that's not a problem, as all you need to do is to add some beer to the desired consistency before serving.
Photo: Here's a typical Tex-Mex combination dinner that I made the other night, consisting of rice, beans, a small salad and enchiladas, with Tex-Mex gravy spooned on top of them. Needless to say, this was a delicious dinner. As in the Tex-Mex tradition, practiced at many truck stops and roadhouses in Texas, this gravy is traditionally served on enchiladas, but it should not be limited to just that fare, as it will spice up mashed potatoes, rice, eggs, beans and just about anything else that you can imagine.
Copyright(c) 2007 eRench Productions, Inc. All rights reserved. This site has been on the web since December 22, 2002. Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...
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