I found this recipe somewhere out on the net. I really enjoy it, so I wish I could remember where it was from to give some credit.
Ingredients
2lbs.beef chuckcut in bite size cubes
2Tbsp.vegetable oil
2tsp.southwest essence
2cupwater
6-8dried chiliesbreak off stems and shake out seeds
2-3garlic clovesminced
1medium onionchopped
1tsp.salt
1tsp.ground black pepper
1tsp.Mexican oregano1 ½ tsp. if not Mexican
½tsp.ground cumin
1 ½Tbsp.oil
1 ½Tbsp.flour
1tsp.cayenne pepper
Instructions
Prepare chili puree. Place chilies in large nonreactive bowl. Add boiling water to cover and try to ensure that chilies stay submerged. Let stand 30-40 min to soften. Remove chilies to blender. Taste soaking water; if it's bitter discard it and use plain water for the rest, else use a mixture of soaking water and plain water. If you don't want to taste it, it's safer to toss it and use plain water. Add 1 to 1 ½ cup water to chilies and blend until very smooth, 1 to 2 min. Pour mixture through strainer, pressing pulp with spoon or rubber spatula to get all the puree out. Set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in heavy skillet. Add meat and season with essence and cook until browned. Add 2 cup water, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add chili puree to meat and stir in. Mash salt and garlic together to make a paste. Sauté chopped onion in 1 ½ Tbsp. oil until tender. Mix in salt/garlic paste and 1 ½ Tbsp. flour. Stir 1 min to get raw taste out of the flour and add mixture to simmering beef. Add cumin, pepper, cayenne and oregano. Cover and simmer 2 hours. Taste and season with salt, pepper and cayenne to your liking.