Spicy Beef and Vegetable Stew

This is a great slow cooker recipe that utilizes the flavor of your favorite dried chili peppers. We chose to use dried morita chili pods, but this is definitely a recipe you can experiment with. The peppers, smoked as they are dried, makes the flavor of the meal very unique. Slow cooking meat makes it incredibly tender. It’s perfect for a Sunday afternoon, just toss the ingredients in a pot and it’ll be ready by dinner time.

One quick note: I used 2 ounces of dried morita peppers. This was very hot! You might want to reduce the amount if you think it'll be too hot for you. I personally like it that spicy, but beware!

• 1 pound beef stew meat
• 2 ounces dried morita chili peppers
• 2 large potatoes, chopped with skins intact
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
• Corn from two ears (you can sub in frozen corn)
• 1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups beef bouillon
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Directions

1. Soak the dried chili peppers in a bowl with hot water for 10 minutes, or until peppers are soft. Stem, deseed, and coarsely chop. Add to a slow cooker.
2. Season the stew meat and lightly sear it by sautéing them over medium heat, about 1 minute per side. Add to slow cooker.
3. Add remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir.
4. Cover and cook on low about 6 hours.
5. Serve!