Ro-Tel Beef Stew

Before last night, I'd never used Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles, but last night I made a beef stew based on an Epicurious recipe that uses a can of diced tomatoes and a can of diced green chiles. I figured the Ro-Tel tomatoes would count as both, but I think they are far spicier than a can of diced green chiles would have been.

Todd really liked the stew, but there are two things I would have done differently: There was no thickener, so it was really watery; I would coat the beef in flour next time. And the spiciness of the tomatoes overwhelmed the subtler flavor of the cilantro; maybe if I had followed the recipe exactly it wouldn't have been a problem.

I started by seasoning then browning a pound of cubed stew meat, then added a chopped onion, some carrot and a couple diced stalks of celery. Cooked that a bit, then added the tomatoes, 1 cup chicken broth and some dried oregano. Simmered it for an hour, then added some chopped fresh cilantro. Served over rice.