Mexican Braised Beef

Mexican Braised Beef (Cazuela de Res)

This is a familiar Mexican dish that is very flavorful and not very spicy.  If you're not a fan of spicy food try this as given here.
If you like things more picante add some diced jalapeno to the sautée!

Ingredients:
A suitable three to four pound (1.5 kg) beef roast browned according to the master recipe
One and one half cups (350 ml) canned or frozen diced green chiles
A large onion, diced
Two large garlic cloves, pressed
Two celery stalks, diced
One half teaspoon (2.5 ml) thyme
One half teaspoon (2.5 ml) cumin seeds
A bay leaf
One quarter (1.5 ml) teaspoon ground black pepper
Three tablespoons (50 ml) fresh parsley leaves, chopped
Two tablespoons (30 ml) chopped cilantro stems
One and one half cups (350 ml) good beef stock
A 14 ounce (500 ml) can of diced tomatoes

Sear a roast according to the master recipe and place beef on a platter.  Having poured off the grease in the braising dish
or skillet that was used to brown the beef, add one or two tablespoons of peanut or olive oil, heat until warm and add the
onion, garlic and celery.  Sautée until the onion is limp, loosening any browned bits and mixing them with the vegetables.
In another pan bring the stock and tomatoes to a simmer and add the chiles and spices.

Crock Pot method:

Warm the crock pot on high for a few minutes and transfer the sautéed vegetables to the crock pot.  Add the stock, tomatoes
and spice mixture then top all this with the browned beef and any juices that may have accumulated on the platter, moving
the beef around in the crock pot so that it is partially submerged.  Leave the crock pot on high until the braise is at a very
slow boil then reduce to low heat.  Simmer for six hours turning the beef twice.  When the braising is done remove the bay
leaf and discard it.

Casserole-in-oven method:

Having sautéed the vegetables in the braising dish, return the beef roast to it, cover, and cook at 300F (150C) for three hours.

Final steps for both methods:

Spoon off fat as needed. Adjust the seasonings. This dish is good over rice, noodles or mashed potatoes.