The Comanche Indians split from the northern Wyoming Shoshone, migrating to the southern Great Plains where they held extensive political and economic power. The Comanche call themselves Nermernuh, which means “The People.” But we know them by Comanche, a name given to them by their enemy the Ute. In the Ute language, Comanche means “Man Who Goes Around Trying to Kill Me All the Time.” European settlers first encountered the Comanches in the present-day states of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Contemporary Comanche populations are centered in Oklahoma.
Buffalo was the staple food of the Comanche, approximated in this recipe by beef, although wild game can also be used. Additionally, the stew features vegetables like corn and oysters, ingredients that would have been readily available to the indigenous peoples of the Americans. It is sized to feed a large gathering.
Recipe Servings: 32
Ingredients
- 5 lbs stewing beef
- 3 lbs bacon or salt pork
- 1 chicken (about 4 lbs)
- 3 ancho chiles, seeded, deveined, and roughly chopped
- Boiling water, as needed
- 8 lbs potatoes, roughly chopped
- 12½ cups canned tomatoes
- 4 large onions, peeled and chopped
- 7½ cups corn kernels
- 7½ cups green peas, shelled
- 2 pts fresh oysters
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
Directions
- In a stew kettle or large pot, combine the beef, bacon or salt pork, chicken, and chiles. Add enough boiling water to cover, and cook for 2–2½ hours.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes, and onions to the pot, and cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- Add the corn and the peas.
- When the meat is sufficiently tender, roughly shred with a fork. Cook for a further 60–90 minutes, adding the oysters about 15 minutes before the stew is finished.
- Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Serve hot.
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