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1
preheat oven to 350.
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2
make the salsa picante:
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3
place tomatoes, garlic, onion and chiles in a blender and process till smooth. (I just chopped everything and didn't run through a processor).
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4
pour into a small pan and add spices and oregano and season with salt.
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5
bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. boil for 1-2 minutes, then lower heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
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6
the sauce should be thick, but of pouring consistency.
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7
if it is too thick, dilute with a little fresh tomato juice or water.
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8
make the cheese sauce:
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9
melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. cook, stirring, one minute.
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10
add the milk, stirring all the time, till sauce boils and thickens.
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11
stir in all but 2 T of cheese and season to taste.
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12
cover the pan with a lid and set aside.
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13
mix onion, garlic and chili in a bowl. add the steak cubes and mix well.
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14
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.
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15
stir in the rice (and corn and/or beans if desired) and enough beef stock to moisten.
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16
season to taste with salt and pepper.
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17
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).
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18
add a tortilla and then spread over half the salsa, followed by half the meat mixture.
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19
repeat these layers, then add half the remaining cheese sauce and the final tortilla.
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20
pour over the remaining cheese sauce and sprinkle the reserved grated cheddar on top.
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21
bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or till golden on top and heated through.
