Canned chile peppers, beef stew

It's possible, just possible, that I have more than my share of kitchen toys.

By toys, I don't mean butter wizards and doughnut makers and zero-gravity magnetic spice racks.

I mean serious tools and cookware, in multiples, like tagines and woks, Microplane graters, half a dozen really good santoku knives and nearly two hundred wooden spoons and utensils.

The current love of my life, however, is a single: it's my new slow cooker.

Like me, the slow cooker loves all kinds of stew, so I've had fun introducing it to my collection of canned chile peppers. Chipotles in adobo and green New Mexico chiles are mainstays in my pantry, along with canned poblanos, plus fire-roasted Anaheim and other green chiles from mild to hot.

Chiles do more than add some kick to your cooking; they also contribute a significant dose of Vitamins A and C, iron and lutein, which has proven benefits for eyesight.

With canned chile peppers in the pantry, you can always fire up your stove or slow cooker for a batch of chile con queso soup, five-pepper chili, quesadillas, hummus, salsa, and many variations of green chile stew.

And in case the whole chile-chili-chilli thing is still a bit of a muddle, chile with an "e" is the pepper, chili with an "i" is the stew, and chilli with the double-L is the spelling used in other parts of the world (including Britain, Australia and many Asian countries) for what we here in the United States call chile peppers.

Now, what kind of chili do you make with your chiles?

SLOW-COOKED BEEF AND GREEN CHILE STEW
If you don't have a slow cooker, make this in a Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. "Stew beef" is a common cut, available in the meat department of your supermarket. The recipe makes a lot, so stash some in the freezer for a cold winter day. Serves 10-12.

1 cup all-purpose flour
6 lbs stew beef (boneless beef chuck), cut into two-inch chunks
3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 27-oz can mild green Hatch chiles, whole or cut into large chunks
1 cup chopped canned tomato (I use this brand)
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, homemade or store-bought
12 oz homemade beef stock, or 1 14-oz can low-sodium beef broth
1 Tbsp cumin
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
2 tsp arrowroot or cornstarch

In a large bowl, add the flour. Dry the beef with paper towels, and dredge each piece lightly in the flour. Heat oil in a large frying pan, and brown the beef on all sides (be careful not to overcrowd the pan; brown the beef in batches). Add browned beef to the slow-cooker, along with all remaining ingredients. Cook on low for 8 hours (if using a Dutch oven, cook for 3-4 hours). Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper and hot sauce, if needed. If at the end of the cooking time, the liquid has not thickened to a consistency you like, pour all but half a cup of the liquid into a sauce pan. Pour the remaining half cup of liquid into a measuring cup, and whisk in the arrowroot or cornstarch. Bring the liquid in the sauce pan to a low boil, and add the arrowroot mixture. The sauce will thicken, and you can reunite it with the stew.