Chile Verde

I learned how to make this from a woman I played bunco with. Don't remember much about that particular group - I do remember her family kept 'sneaking' in to get more chile more often than we changed tables.
I had never even heard of a Texas sweet onion at the time, in fact my knowledge of Texas at the time was bad, bad memories of Hell Paso twenty odd years prior. Long before the home grown chile project.
Chiles will survive everything else it seems, even with city water restrictions and severe neglect. Although I confess, I am looking into a greenhouse, just an 8 x 8, for the weenie tomatoes ... winter is headed in. I - frankly - am already in full teeth chattering mode. All the more reason this is the dish is hitting the stove as we speak... er, as I type...
This is not the kind of chile I made last week to go with conrbread, or as later reheated by the little one, with -- AHHHH -- fritos and cheese... And yes, I know most people make this with pork. I make it with beef.

- Chile Verde -

4 1/2 lbs stew beef
1/2 garlic, minced
3 tbl canola oil
1 large texas sweet onion, sliced thin
1/2 purple onion diced
20 oz Ortega-style green chiles
2 cups petite diced tomatoes
2 grilled, peeled, ultra finely diced jalapenos
1 grilled, peeled, osterized habanero
3 cups tomatillo sauce

Cut the meat in approx ½ inch cubes.

Salt and pepper the meat, then brown it with garlic in 2 tbl of the oil on low to low-medium heat to ensure full cooking. Nice and toasty!

Move to crock pot when cooked. Use the same pan to sauté the onions in the 3rd tbl of oil and also move them to the crock-pot. Add chiles, tomatoes, jalapenos, habanero and tomatillo sauce. Cook on low heat in the crock-pot for at least 6 hours.

Wooie, that's it! Serve as is on the plate or mix with refried beans in burritos. Can be frozen.
Remember, the mini food processor is the habeneros best friend!

Don't know how to do chiles? Ask.

Need to know how to make mexican rice, ask, never, ever resort to using rice a roni - puh-leeeeeas!

Salsa

SALSA
PREP: Grille the chilis.
Turn them occasionally so that they get toasty and crispy on all sides.
They might seemed ‘burnt’. Don’t worry, you don’t use the outside.When toasted, place them on a damp towel and put a second damp towel [I use an old cloth napkin] on top. Press gently.
The towels will steam the skins off. You will hear the chili ‘pop’.
Peel them, cut the stem off and set the chili aside or remove the seeds.
The seeds are the hottest part and serranos are hotter than jalapenos.
You decide if you want to remove the seeds.
Cut the skinned chilis up in strips.
One part grilled mashed chilis to two parts green Ortega chilis.Put into food processor.
Remove to large bowl.
Add at least 6 parts tiny diced tomatoes.
Add 4 parts tomatillo sauce. I use canned tomatillos.
One large red onion, diced small.
An entire bunch of cilantro – leaves, try to remove stems. Chop tiny as well.
Few dashes of pepper, salt, garlic salt and lemon pepper.
If you want to make ahead to freeze, leave out the cilantro and add it the day you will be using.
See? Easy peasy!