Green Chile Stew with Pork

Here's one from the archives. From the very same day in May of 2006, as it happens. I made the stew again this weekend, and coincidentally, it was rainy and cold, as it apparently was when I made the stew in '06. Guess that goes to show that neither my cooking habits nor weather patterns change very much over time. One sad note is that back when I wrote this post, we still had our three cats; since then we've lost two of them.

With its roasted peppers and tender, browned bites of pork, this stew is one of our favorites.

The cats are all snoozing on their hammocks, it's a drizzly Sunday afternoon, and I'm making an old favorite, green chile stew with pork, accompanied by lime-cilantro flavored rice. Add a pile of whole-wheat tortillas, a salad made with greens from the farmer's market, and a Tecate, and and you won't mind this wet, cold spring.

Green Chile Stew with Pork
From The Frugal Gourmet Cooks American, by Jeff Smith
Serves 6 to 8

3 lbs. boneless pork, cubed (1/2-inch pieces)
3 T. peanut oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 med. tomatoes, diced
7 green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Chicken stock or water to cover
Salt to taste
Salsa for topping the stew

In a heavy frying pan, brown the pork in the oil. Place the meat in a 3- or 4-quart covered oven casserole and add the next ingredients. Deglaze the frying pan with the broth or water and add to the pot. Barely cover the ingredients with chicken broth or water. Cover and simmer till the stew is thick and the meat very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add salt to taste before serving.
. . . . . . . . .

This recipe is in the Native American section of Jeff Smith's book. Smith says that Pueblo tradition calls for the addition of corn or potatoes; I've tried it with potatoes and I like it better without. Obviously, you can make it super hot or not so much, depending on how many and what variety of peppers you use; today I used a combo of jalapeños, poblanos, and Anaheims. My favorite way to eat this stew is to put it into a tortilla and pile on sour cream, salsa, avocado, and sometimes cheese, and eat it like a burrito.

I'm not going to kid you; this baby takes some prep time. I figure it's about an hour, so don't make it if you're in a hurry. Between cutting the meat into cubes; roasting, peeling, and chopping the peppers; and browning the pork in small batches so you get the nice carmelization—you're going to be in the kitchen awhile.

Here's the rice I served alongside the stew.

Rice with Lime and Cilantro
4 to 6 portions

2 1/2 cups chicken broth or water
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, slightly crushed
1 cup long-grain rice
1 T. finely grated lime zest
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. butter
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the broth or water, salt, and garlic in a heavy saucepan to boiling. Stir in the rice, cover, and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the lime zest and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic; gently stir in the cilantro and butter. Season to taste with pepper.

I got the idea for the rice from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins. Their recipe called for lemon zest and dill, but I substituted lime and cilantro because that seemed to complement the stew.