Brad's Calabaza con Cerdo

With my peculiar bi-cultural background I consider it comfort food. Great on a cold, rainy day. I normally make it a good bit spicier but since I have a tendency to over-season for most folks I moderated this batch. Here's the recipe;

Calabaza con cerdo

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. pork, cut into bite size pieces (I usually use country style ribs)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small or one medium Mexi-Bells, diced (or 2 jalapenos, diced)
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups beef broth
2 medium tatume squash, cut into bite size hunks
2 carrots, diced
1 cup corn kernels
1 tbsp. mild chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, minced
Black pepper, to taste
Ground chipotle chile, to taste (I use about 1/2 tsp. or so)

In a heavy pot sear the meat in the olive oil, remove to a bowl. Add the onions and peppers and brown lightly. Lower the heat, add the garlic and saute for several minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, pepper and chipotle and cook for a minute or two. Return the meat to the pot, add the broth and tomatoes and deglaze the pot. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for about 2 hours until meat is tender. Add the carrots and cook for several minutes. Add the squash and corn and cook until squash is just tender. Adjust seasoning. I usually end up adding a little more chipotle at this point. Like any stew, this just gets better if it sits for a while before you eat it. If you refrigerate it overnight it really develops but I've never had that much patience. It also freezes very well. This dish is also often made with chicken.

Serve with tortillas, Chalula hot sauce and Negro Modelo for the true border comfort food experience.