Three Peppers Stew – Guisado a los tres chiles

Three Peppers Stew

I love stews made with dry peppers. Somehow the combination of roasted peppers and spices creates a very rich sauce that can be used with pork, beef, chicken, and even by itself for enchiladas or chilaquiles.

The three peppers stew, called “guisado a los tres chiles”, is made using three types of peppers, usually, the base of this sauce will be guajillo pepper and ancho pepper, plus a third pepper that will add spiciness and flavor to the stew. Some cooks add chipotle pepper or arbol pepper to the combination of the guajillo and ancho pepper. I guess that is a personal choice or whatever peppers the cook has available since not all peppers grow in the same region of the country. If you have morita peppers or piquin peppers you can use them for your third pepper on this stew. Not all recipes call for the use of sesame seeds, but I find that their flavor really adds an extra punch to the dish, besides the thickening effect on the final texture of the sauce.

How to make three Peppers Stew

DIRECTIONS:

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•  In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, place the meat, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf, and water. Cook for about 50 minutes. Strain the cooking broth and reserve. Place the meat back in the pot.
• While the meat is cooking, let’s proceed to start making the three peppers sauce. First, we’re going to slightly roast the peppers on a moderately high-heat skillet. Roast the peppers by type, since each one has a different texture and thickness. The peppers will change in color and will start to form blisters.  After roasting, place them in a medium-size saucepan with 3 cups of water to soak.
• Now, toast the sesame seeds until they have a light golden tone. By this time they will start to jump from the skillet.  Place in the saucepan with the peppers.
• Roast the ¼ piece of onion and 2 unpeeled garlic cloves on the skillet; turn to make sure every side is well roasted.

• Place roasted peppers, sesame seeds, onion and garlic in the saucepan.  Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes.
• To make the sauce, transfer peppers, sesame seeds, garlic and onion in a blender or food processor, and add 3 cups of the meat broth previously strained.  Blend until you have a fine and smooth sauce.
• Pour the sauce over the meat, turn the heat to medium, and slowly fry the sauce with the meat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to keep simmering for about 7 minutes until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.

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THREE PEPPERS STEW

Cuisine: Mexican

Author: Mely Martinez - México in my kitchen

Ingredients

To cook the meat:

• 1 ½ LB pork shoulder cut into 1-in cubes
• 6 -7 cups of water
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ of a medium size white onion.

For the Sauce:

• 3 guajillo peppers cleaned and deveined
• 3 ancho peppers cleaned and deveined
• 3 Puya peppers cleaned and deveined (See note)
• 4 Tablespoons sesame seeds
• ¼ of a medium size white onion
• 2 garlic cloves unpeeled
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• Salt and pepper to season.

Instructions

1. In a large dutch oven or heavy pot, place the meat, onion, garlic cloves, bay leaf and water. Cook for about 50 minutes or until the meat is well cooked through. Strain the cooking broth and reserve. Place the meat back in the pot. The water will reduce during the cooking process, so add more water if needed since we will need 3 cups of the cooking broth to make the sauce.
2. While the meat is cooking, let's proceed to start making the three peppers sauce. First, we’re going to slightly roast the peppers on a moderately high-heat skillet. This step is a quick one, to avoid burning the peppers. Remember that burned peppers render a bitter taste to your sauce, and we don’t want that flavor in our stew. Roast the peppers by type, since each one has a different texture and thickness. It will be a matter of seconds per side on medium heat; the peppers will change in color and will start to form blisters. After roasting, place them in a medium-size saucepan with 3 cups of water to soak.
3. Now, toast the sesame seeds until they have a light golden tone. By this time they will start to jump from the skillet. Place in the saucepan with the peppers.
4. Roast the ¼ piece of onion and 2 unpeeled garlic cloves on the skillet; turn to make sure every side is well roasted. This step will take about 4-6 minutes.
5. Place roasted peppers, sesame seeds, onion and garlic in the saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cover the saucepan; allow the ingredients to soften for about 10 more minutes.
6. To make the sauce, transfer peppers, sesame seeds, garlic and onion in a blender or food processor (discard their cooking water), and add 3 cups of the meat broth previously strained. Blend until you have a fine and smooth sauce.
7. Pour the sauce over the meat, turn the heat to medium, and slowly fry the sauce with the meat, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes. Season with salt and

8. pepper and reduce heat to keep simmering for about 7 minutes until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened. You can add more cooking broth if you prefer a less thickened texture.

Serve alongside white rice and pinto beans with soft warm corn or flour tortillas.

Recipe Notes

• If you don’t find Puya peppers in your area, use Arbol peppers or piquin peppers. And if those are not available, use 2 canned chipotle pepper in the blender while making the sauce.

Provecho!

Mely Martínez,