My Own Tex Mex Spicy Pork, Chile and Garbanzo "guisado

I sort of came up with this based on similarity to a number of Tex-Mex style recipes. I had odds and ends on hand and put this together. I liked the flavor, so decided try it again. Adding fresh, chopped cilantro (if you like cilantro) when the dish is done and served really adds to the final taste of this recipe.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 2  lbs pork, cut into bite size fajita-size strips
• 3  tablespoons  cooking oil
• 1  medium  pasilla chile (diced)
• 1⁄2 large yellow onion (diced)
• 2  cups  canned garbanzo beans (drained)
• 2  tablespoons chili powder (or to taste)
• 1  tablespoon cumin, according to taste (ground, less (or more)
• 1  teaspoon Mexican oregano, to taste (less (or more)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  coriander, to taste (ground, less (or more)
• 1  tablespoon sugar (optional but suggested)
• 1 1⁄2 cups tomato sauce (sugar mixed in)
• 3  tablespoons masa harina, corn tortilla flour to thicken (optional)

• Optional accompaniments to serve with

•  chopped fresh cilantro
•  cooked rice (plain or tex-mex style)
•  diced avocado
•  chopped green onion
•  sour cream
•  tortilla (corn or flour your choice)

Directions

1. In a skillet with lid, cook the meat using the oil to prevent sticking. Brown over high to medium high heat on all sides so it gets cooked most of the way through before adding the next ingredients.
2. When meat is mostly cooked through, add chopped onion and diced green bell or pasilla pepper. Let meat, onions and pepper cook together, turning all occasionally to cook on both sides and to distribute heat evenly across ingredients. Let meat and veggies sauté together for 3 or 4 minutes.
3. When meat, onions and pepper are pretty well soft and blended, add the Mexican spices listed in the ingredient list above, and also add the garbanzo beans.
4. Before covering, put in two tablespoons of water to let the spices steam in when you cover the skillet.
5. Reduce heat a little to medium low and cover the skillet. Let all simmer together until the spices are steamed into the meat and veggies.
6. Occasionally lift lid and stir all the ingredients around with a spatula and turn meat and veggies over so the spices coat both sides and cook into it.
7. After about 5 minutes, open lid and add tomato sauce with the sugar dissolved into it.
8. Stir tomato sauce into the other ingredients to coat and blend.
9. Cover and reduce heat to low simmer. Heat over low heat or the tomato sauce may burn.
10. Simmer at least 5 -10 minutes or more.
11. If stew is too thin, make a slurry of the masa harina and 2/3 cup water and stir in slowly mixing around. You may need to temporarily turn up the heat to make it thicken but be careful not to burn the tomato sauce by turning up too high.
12. Stir until you see the stew thicken, Then cover and reduce heat and leave alone until it is served.
13. In the meantime, prepare the garnishes.
14. If you like cilantro, I strongly recommend making that a part of the garnish for the finished stew.
15. Don't add fresh cilantro while cooking as this makes it turn bitter. Wait until the dish is served and sprinkle over the top with optional other garnishes. Lemon juice also adds to the flavor as a garnish.
16. I suggest serving this stew over rice and accompany with the lemon juice, chopped cilantro and. whatever else you want to put on it.
17. Enjoy!