Southwestern Beef Empanadas

Yesterday's spinach, veggie, and potato empanadas were so yummy we decided to make more!  This time, the filling is a southwestern meat chili colorado.  Did I spend the weekend cooking, taking pictures, and eating?  You bet.  So here's the filling recipe:

1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 red bell pepper, cored and quartered
1 bulb garlic, trimmed to expose the cloves
4 tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
8 ounces tomato paste
1 -2 large ancho chilies
1 chipolte chili
1 tbs each cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds
About 1 tbs salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tbs red chili powder
1 cup beef broth
2 lbs beef brisket or flank steak (I used leftover smoked brisket)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Put the onions, bell peppers, garlic bulb, and tomatoes in a large roasting pan and drizzle well with olive oil.  Roast the veggies in the oven until browned a bit, about 15 minutes.  Remove pan from oven and let cool.  Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the bulb.

Put the ancho chili in the hot oven for maybe a minute.  It will swell up like a blimp.  Remove from the oven, core and remove seeds, and put it, and the chipolte, in a bowl of hot water to soak.

Toast the cumin, coriander, and mustard seeds in a hot pan for about 1-2 minutes.  Grind to a powder (I used a small coffee grinder-or use a mortar and pestle).

Put all the vegetables, garlic, chilies (drained), ground spices, chili powder, and about 2 tbs olive oil in a food processor and puree.  Add the salt and pepper, beef broth, and tomato paste, and puree some more.

Put the puree in a large saucepan.  Finely dice the brisket or flank steak, and add to the puree.  Bring to a low simmer, partially cover, and simmer for an hour or so.  Remove from heat and let cool.

Make the empanada dough, and the empanadas, per yesterday's post.  Serve with refried or seasoned black beans, and rice.  Enjoy!!

Variations--make burritos or soft tacos with the filling, and fill or top with chopped lettuce, cotija, jack, and/or cheddar cheese, chopped tomato, sour cream, and avocado.  Or leave the meat out of the filling, and spoon warm over roasted chicken, pork, or ? as you might use a mole sauce.  Heck, I'd spoon it over scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Can you say heuvos rancheros???