Green Chile Stew
Come September it becomes pretty obvious there’s two types of people in the world- Pumpkin Pie Spice People and Everyone Else. It can be pretty easy to become disenchanted and feel like there’s simply an oversaturation of seasonally related merchandise. For some people (and especially here in rural Central Pennsylvania) it’s all about gourds, cinnamon sticks, and the color orange. This week, we’re here to spice things up a little. We’re going green!
Admittedly, we are ones that love to wax poetic about “Seasonal Favorites” because we do love to take advantage of produce that’s fresh and local to us- but that doesn’t mean the kind of foods we eat in Autumn have to revolve around pumpkins and apples. Green Chile Stew is a recipe that can take cues from the season in the sense that it’s hearty and warming, but is filled with new and exciting flavors too.
All in all, this recipe took about two hours to finish, making it a perfect “Lazy Sunday Afternoon” dish. Jeff used Poblano peppers for this recipe, but he’d really recommend finding Hatch or Anaheim chiles if you can get your hands on them. Along a similar vein as our last recipe, Jeff charred the chiles to make their skins/seeds super easy to remove and also add some smoky depth. Seasoning with our Hill Country Seasoning blend creates a perfect balance of flavors because it has ancho chile powder, New Mexico chile powder, onion, chipotle chile powder, cumin, garlic, Mexican oregano and allspice. Pork butt (it’s okay to giggle) is a cut of meat perfect for stewing, and benefits from being cooked low and slow that the proteins can break down and become super tender. Adding potatoes and a simple roux does a great job in rounding out the dish and ensures the stew has a lovely full texture and feels really satisfying.
Our taste testers were pleasantly surprised to find that the heat level of this stew was actually quite mild, meaning we could easily imagine gobbling up a bowl without having to pause for routine water sipping. You could always bump up the heat level by adding more jalapenos This would be great served with a nice thick slice of bread and butter, a la your favorite chili recipe.
- 10-12 Green Chiles (Hatch, Anaheim, Poblano)
- 2 Lbs Pork shoulder, cubed into 1 inch pieces
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil
- ½ Cup onion, chopped fine
- 2 Garlic cloves, minced fine
- 2 Jalapenos, minced
- 6 Cups Chicken stock
- 1 Can diced tomatoes
- 3 Large potatoes
- 2 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 1 Tbsp Hill Country Chili Powder
- Salt to taste
- Place chiles under broiler, and char both sides. Place in zip lock bag, or cover with a dishtowel for 10 minutes to steam.
- In a Dutch oven or stockpot, add 2 Tbsp oil and heat to medium. Season meat with 1 Tbsp Hill Country Chile Powder. Add meat, onions, and garlic and brown, 5-7 minutes.
- Add jalapeno, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.
- Remove skins from chiles, and chop. Add to the pot, seeds and all. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add potatoes and tomatoes and simmer until potatoes are finished cooking.
- Make a roux with 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour. Add to pot and stir well. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve!
