This recipe comes from Rock Springs, Texas, out in West Texas, near the Mexican border. I added the celery after I'd cooked it a few times. I have this recipe posted on my cooking web site, Jalapeno Cafe
1 to 1 ¼ pound round steak, chopped into very tiny pieces, rolled in flour and seasoned with salt and pepper.
2 tablespoons flour (for roux)
1 to 2 tablespoon oil
1 onion, chopped
3 or 4 fresh jalapenos chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
½ cup chopped celery
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cups beef or chicken stock
1-teaspoon chili powder
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heat oil in Dutch oven or large skillet. When hot, add the floured beef pieces and fry until very brown and crisp. Remove meat from skillet.
To make the roux, add the two tablespoons of flour. You may need to add a little more oil. Stir and mix the flour with the oil and cook until the mixture is golden brown
Add the meat and other ingredients and mix well. When stew starts to simmer, turn heat to low and cover and cook about 45 minutes to an hour until the meat is tender. If soup liquid gets low, add more stock or water. Taste and adjust the seasoning. What gives this stew its distinctive taste is the cumin.
Out in West Texas, they serve the stew “dry” so it can be spooned into a warm flour tortilla to be rolled up and eaten. To serve this way, reduce the amount of stock to one cup and watch closely while cooking and only add enough liquid to keep from burning. If the stew is too “wet,” cook at a higher temperature until the liquid is cooked away.
I like to make mine soupier and I serve it over cooked rice with warm flour tortillas and guacamole salad. It tastes even better when warmed over the next day.
Makes 3 or 4 servings, or if spooned into tortillas, it will feed 5 or 6.
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