In central Mexico (specifically Puebla), shredded beef or chicken tinga can be found filling the tacos, tostadas, and tortas in almost every street cart. It’s the go-to filling for enchiladas and burritos, as well, offering an intense smoked chipotle flavor to stewed beef. While chipotle seems to be a pretty hip ingredient right now, it’s not a flavor I have been very excited about, until I started cooking with the whole chili. Leaving the seeds in the chilies leaves a lot of heat, and when you cool that heat down with lots of toppings, you end up with a surprisingly complex set of flavors. This dish is spicy; remove the seeds and ribs from the chipotles before chopping, if you want to dial down the heat. Try our tinga on tostadas (if you are a fan of alliteration), or on a crusty roll as a sandwich. Whatever you do, be sure to have plenty of cheap Mexican beer on hand to cool the fire.

Shredded Beef and Chorizo Tinga Tostadas

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 8 ounces uncooked Mexican chorizo, casings removed (if present)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• Serve with: Corn tortillas, sliced red onion, lettuce, sliced avocado, sour cream or Mexican crema, sliced jalapenos

Method:

Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper, and brown in oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When meat browns, add enough water to cover. Simmer, partly covered, for one hour, or until beef becomes tender. Remove meat from liquid and set aside; transfer liquid to a separate container and reserve.

In the same Dutch oven, cook chorizo, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat browns. Drain mixture on paper towels, and return to Dutch oven. Add reserved cooking liquid, the beef, tomatoes, chili peppers, about two teaspoons of the canned adobo sauce, oregano, cumin, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes to a half-hour, or until mixture thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Spoon onto tortillas, top with red onion, shredded lettuce, a dollop of sour cream or crema, sliced avocado, and a slice of jalapeno.