Mexican Spicy Beef Tortilla - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 jalapeno, seeded and thinly sliced (or other chili)
12 ounces round steaks, cut into cubes
1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans (Optional if using less meat, could also use black or kidney beans)
1/2 cup corn (optional)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups cooked rice
beef stock (to moisten, if needed)
3 large flour tortillas
salsa picante
2 (14 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes (I used one can with jalapeno peppers mixed in)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, quartered
1 -2 fresh red chile, seeded and chopped (or other chilis, I used a large Anaheim)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 - 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
tomato juice (or water, if required)
cheese sauce
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt
pepper

Preparation

preheat oven to 350.
make the salsa picante:
place tomatoes, garlic, onion and chiles in a blender and process till smooth. (I just chopped everything and didn't run through a processor).
pour into a small pan and add spices and oregano and season with salt.
bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. boil for 1-2 minutes, then lower heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
the sauce should be thick, but of pouring consistency.
if it is too thick, dilute with a little fresh tomato juice or water.
make the cheese sauce:
melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. cook, stirring, one minute.
add the milk, stirring all the time, till sauce boils and thickens.
stir in all but 2 T of cheese and season to taste.
cover the pan with a lid and set aside.
mix onion, garlic and chili in a bowl. add the steak cubes and mix well.
heat the oil in a frying pan and stir fry the meat mixture for about 10 minutes, till meat cubes have browned and the onion is soft.
stir in the rice (and corn and/or beans if desired) and enough beef stock to moisten.
season to taste with salt and pepper.
pour about a quarter of the cheese sauce into the bottom of a round, ovenproof dish (will need about a 2-qt sized dish - I tried a deep pie plate it wasn't big enough).
add a tortilla and then spread over half the salsa, followed by half the meat mixture.
repeat these layers, then add half the remaining cheese sauce and the final tortilla.
pour over the remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle the reserved grated cheddar on top.
bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or till golden on top and heated through.