Burritos de chile colorado

Step 1: Toast 8 dried guajillo or New Mexico chillies and 2 dried ancho chillies in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for about 20 seconds a side, until fragrant. Pull them off the moment they smell toasty: burnt chillies are the most common mistake and turn the sauce bitter.

Step 2: Cover the chillies with 2 cups hot water and leave to soften for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Blend the chillies and their soaking water with 4 garlic, 1 tsp ground cumin and 1 tsp dried Mexican oregano until completely smooth, then press through a sieve to catch the skins.

Step 4: Season 2 ¼ lb beef chuck with 2 tsp salt. Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a heavy casserole over a medium-high heat and brown the beef in two batches until well coloured on all sides.

Step 5: Return all the beef to the pan, sprinkle over 1 tbsp plain flour and stir for 1 minute so it coats the meat.

Step 6: Pour in the chilli purée and 2 cups beef stock, stir and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook gently over a low heat for about 2 hours, stirring now and then, until the beef is fork-tender.

Step 7: Uncover and simmer for a further 10–15 minutes, breaking the meat up a little with a spoon, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon heavily.

Step 8: Warm each of 12 thin flour tortillas, about 25 cm on a hot dry pan for 15 seconds a side until soft and pliable.

Step 9: Spoon a line of beef across the lower third of each tortilla, fold in the sides and roll up tightly into a slim burrito. Return briefly to the hot pan, seam side down, to seal, and serve hot.