Maria's Chili Verde

This fiery, hot, hot, HOT chili is made with skirt steak and a copious amount of jalapeño peppers, New Mexican chiles and a single habanero chile (which is MORE than enough). It is definitely not a chili for the weak-of-heart.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 pounds skirt or flank steak
2 cups water
3 quarts beef broth
12 jalapeño peppers, diced with seeds*
3 1/2 cups chopped New Mexican chiles*
1 habanero chile, seeded and diced*
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Mexican dried oregano
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic powder
3 slices Monterey Jack cheese, cut into strips

Cooking Directions:

1. Cook steak in a pressure cooker with water at 10 pounds pressure for 1 hour. Remove, shred, and keep warm.
2. Place broth in a stock pot, add jalapeños, chiles, salt, oregano, onion and garlic powder; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Place broth mixture in bowls. Add steak and 2 pieces of cheese to form a cross in the bowl. Serve with corn or flour tortillas brushed with butter.

Makes 8 servings.

*Working with jalapeños or other chiles: Capsaicin is the ingredient in chiles that causes the burning sensation associated with fresh peppers. It's a good idea to use rubber gloves when handling fresh chiles. (Disposable surgical gloves, available at most drugstores, work best for this.) If you choose not to use gloves, be extremely careful not to touch any part of your body, especially your eyes. After you've finished handling the chiles, wash your knife and cutting board with hot soapy water to ensure that there is no carry-over to other foods that may come in contact with the peppers.