Jalapeño Beef with Tortilla Chile Sauce

By avpeters

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 2 dried Anaheim chiles, seeded and torn
• 1 corn tortilla, torn
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless beef sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 red jalapeño chile peppers, sliced into rounds, seeds removed
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. chili powder

Preparation

Step 1

MAKE IT AHEAD
To get a jump-start on this dish, you can make the chile sauce up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate. When you’re ready to serve, it should take only about 15 minutes to brown the beef and jalapeños, prepare the polenta, and reheat the chile sauce.

Sauté onion, dried chiles, tortilla, and garlic for the sauce in a sauté pan in 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat until onion softens, 4-5 minutes. Add broth and tomatoes to pan. Reduce heat to medium, simmer chile sauce 2 minutes, then transfer sauce to a blender. Purée mixture with lemon juice until smooth; season with salt.
Sauté beef and jalapeños in a sauté pan in 2 Tbsp. oil over high heat. Cook until beef is browned but medium-rare in the center, about 5 minutes. Add sugar, chili powder, and salt to taste; sauté another minute. Serve beef over Cheesy Polenta with chile sauce.