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Entrees - Meat
Chile Verde (Green Chili Stew)
January 11, 2006, 6:39 pm
Olive oil
1 - 2 Onions, chopped fine
2 - 5 cloves Garlic (depending on size)
1 - 3 tsp ground Cumin
1 Tbsp dried oregano, divided (may use Marjoram instead)
All purpose Flour (about 3/4 cup)
Salt, Pepper
2 Pounds Boneless Pork, cubed
Chicken Broth (about 1.5 - 2 Cans non-condensed, or 2 - 3 Cupsful)
5 - 12 Roasted, peeled, seeded Green Chiles (depending on "heat",
roasted and peeled fresh poblano chiles can substitute if necessary)
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1 - 2 Cans (7 fl oz each) Herdez Salsa Verde (in lieu of fresh tomatillos)
2 - 4 Potatoes (about 1 pound) - optional
1 Lime (or juice of one lime)
Salt
Freshly Ground Pepper (if you must, you can use pre-ground)
Add about 2 Tbsp olive oil to a large dutch oven or stock pot, and saute the
onions over medium-low heat until they appear translucent. Add the garlic and
continue to saute on low until the onions are becoming very soft (mushy).
Warm the (dry) ground cumin over low-medium heat in a non-stick skillet (No fat
or oil) until fragrant -- I usually will warm about 1 Tbsp and use around 1 - 2
tsp in the dish. Remove from pan and set aside. Measure out about 1 tsp of
the prepared cumin, and add it to the onions and garlic mixture. In
correcting seasoning later, expect to add another 1/2 - 2 tsp of the cumin.
If you wipe the pan out with a paper towel after heating the cumin, you can use
it to brown the meat (and avoid dirtying another pan).
Mix together 3/4 C flour, 1 tsp Salt, 1 - 2 tsp Pepper, and 1 - 2 tsp Oregano
(crumbled between your palms to expose additional surface area) in a medium
mixing bowl.
Heat about 2 Tbsp Olive oil in skillet on medium-high to high setting. To brown
the pork, dredge cubes in the flour mixture, shaking off excess flour and add to
olive oil. [Clarification: You will end up with leftover seasoned flour after
dredging all the meat -- discard excess flour mixture.]
Don't crowd the pork, or it will steam and not brown properly. Instead, cook it
in batches, turning the pork so that it's browned on all sides, and then
removing it to a side dish, then adding additional olive oil and additional
dredged pork until all is browned. When the pork is browned, add to the stock
pot and deglaze pan with some chicken broth, adding this to the stock pot.
Add the Herdez sauce (or other salsa verde) to the stock pot. If my chiles are
hot, I use fewer of them and two cans of salsa; if my chiles are medium, I use
more of them and one can of salsa. If you're unsure, add one can of salsa and
you can always add another one later.
Chop and then add the roasted, peeled and seeded chiles. Add enough broth to
make a "stew" texture (you will also probably need to add more during
the cooking -- I usually end up adding about 1.5 - 2 Cups of broth in total).
Cover and cook on medium-low -- at or just below a simmer -- for several hours
(at least 2 - 3 hours -- I like to cook it for longer), scraping the bottom to
keep it from sticking and adding broth as needed. During this cooking, I also
adjust the seasonings -- add additional cumin, oregano, salt and pepper to
taste. One warning -- it's better to go a little bit too light on the salt than
too heavy!
During the last hour or two of the cooking, peel the potatoes, if using them,
and cut into large cubes. Boil the potatoes in a pot of water until just soft,
drain, and add to the stew.
Add lime juice, and stir in to mix throughout. Test pork for doneness -- it
should be VERY tender and have picked up some of the flavors of the chiles and
other ingredients.
