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New Mexico Green Chili Stew

I grew up on a farm in rural New Mexico just outside of Tijeras. Green Chili in all of its many forms--stewed, stuffed, salsa, candied, etc--is ubiquites to the New Mexican diet. We put it on just about everything including pizza, burgers, eggs, burritos and on and on. My favorite way of preparing and eating GreenChili is as a thick stew (I can then pour a little of the stew over anything that needs flavor).

In my experience New Mexican Green Chilis are hotter than Red. Be careful when you order them for the first time; hot and extra hot can melt off your face.

The hardest part of this recipe for anyone not living in New Mexico is obtaining the chilies. The New Mexico Green (and Red) chilies are unique and are grown only in the state of New Mexico. Unfortunetly, it actually does matter. Normally subsitutions work for most recipes but in this case its like making beef bergenone without burgandy. You'll have a yummy beef stew at the end but it won't be bergenone. A few friends and I are so hooked on the flavor that we take an annual one day trip to New Mexico just to buy it. Last year my wife went by herself and schlept back almost 100 pounds of delicious roasted Green Chili in her luggage. What a doll.

If you really, really have to substitute the closest I have been able to come to the real thing is California Anihiem Chilies. They're OK but lack the heat and earthiness of the real thing.

For 6 people:

Ingredients

Conversions to European measurements can be found here!

3 pounds roasted, peeled, chopped New Mexico Green Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork cut into 1 inch cubes
4 large yellow onions chopped small
1 head garlic peeled, crushed
4 russet potatos cut into one inch cubes
4-6 cups chicken stock (more stock will make a milder stew
1/4-1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons salt (more salt will make the stew taste hotter)
black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large 8 quart pan or dutch oven. Coat the pork cubes in flour and add them with any bones to the pan. Cook until lightly browned, add the garlic and onions and fry them alongside the meat. Once the onions begin to soften add the chilis, salt, pepper, and broth. Mix well and bring it to a boil. Once a good boil starts reduce the heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for an hour then throw in the potatoes and continue cooking until the potatoes are soft (around 30 more minutes.)

Serve a couple of big laddle fulls into bowls with a little shredded cheddar cheese and a dolop of sour cream. Have some bread to go with it--fresh torllias are great, corn bread is magical, toasted sourdough is good, whatever you have.

I have gotten hooked on the flavor of eggs and chili so I really like a fried egg on top of my stew. If you keep the yolks soft they'll make a creamier stew when they break and mix in.