Chile Verde from the Valley of the Sun

Here's a recipe from The Border Cookbook, by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison. The book's subtitle, which describes its content, is "Authentic Home Cooking of the American Southwest and Northern Mexico." (Valley of the Sun refers to an area near Phoenix, Arizona)

Chile Verde from the Valley of the Sun
Serves 6.
...Green chile stews in northern New Mexico can be fiery. Farther west in Arizona, similar dishes more often sooth than sizzle, like this pork version made with mild pods and tomatoes.

2-1/2 pounds pork Boston butt, trimmed of fat and cut in 3/4" cubes
1 cup chicken stock
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14-1/2 oz) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chopped roasted mild green chile, preferably New Mexican or Anaheim, fresh or frozen
1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1 tsp salt

In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the pork, 1/4 cup of the stock, the onion, and the garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the liquid evaporates and the meat is browned, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Add the remaining stock and scrape up and browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes, chiles, oregano, and salt. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is quite tender.

The chile can be served immediately, but the flavor improves with a day's refrigeration and reheating. Serve steaming hot in bowls.

Hmmm... I thought the book had a few recipes for the green chile stews of northern New Mexico, but I can't seem to find them. Soup, yes. Sauce, yes. Enchiladas, yes. Stew, no.

jp
(11/29/06)

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Ann's TX Chili

Ann's TX Chili

I finally made a batch of chili and actually measured amounts. This is a richly flavored, mild chili. Adjust the heat with cayenne pepper or seeded, chopped chipotles en adobo. Real chili takes time to prepare, and tastes best when made a day or two ahead and reheated. This chili also freezes well.

Vegetable oil
9 medium ancho chilies
1 head garlic, chopped
3 large yellow onions, chopped
2 tbsp. whole cumin seed
3 (14 oz. each) cans beef broth
4-1/2 pounds lean stew meat
1 (12 oz.) bottle dark beer
1 (16 oz). can diced tomatoes
2 tbsp. liquid smoke
1 tbsp dried whole oregano
1/3 cup masa harina (corn tortilla flour)
2/3 cup water
Salt to taste
Cayenne or chipotles en adobo to taste

Slit dried chilies open. Remove and discard stems and seeds. Rinse chilies. Place in a deep bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside for at least one hour. Drain, reserving liquid. Chop chilies finely and add to stew pot.

In large skillet, sauté garlic in oil until translucent but not browned. With slotted spoon, remove to stew pot. Sauté onions in remaining oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add cumin seed and cook 1 minute more. Transfer onions to stew pot. Deglaze skillet with a little of the broth and add to pot. Wipe skillet dry. Working in batches, brown stew meat in skillet, using just enough oil to prevent meat from sticking. Keep the skillet uncrowded enough and the heat high enough that the meat is browned by hot oil rather than steaming in its own juices.

Remove cooked meat to the stew pot, deglazing the pan with broth once or twice during the browning process and after the last batch of meat is done. Add remaining broth to pot along with beer, tomatoes, oregano and liquid smoke. Add reserved chili liquid, avoiding grit and solids that have settled to the bottom. Add water to cover meat about 1-1/2". Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered for 2-1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally and adding water as needed to cover meat.

Combine masa and water. Stir until smooth and set aside while chili cooks. Slowly add to simmering chili after time has elapsed, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Continue simmering, uncovered, stirring frequently until chili is thickened, about 20 minutes. Add salt and cayenne or chipotles to taste.

Ann
(10/9/01)

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Carolyn's Lamb Chili

I have been asked for my lamb chili recipe, which we had last weekend, at our loom loading party. I didn't use a "recipe" per se, but I will try to reconstruct it. This makes a lot of chili.

Carolyn's Lamb Chili

3.5 lbs ground lamb, or a mixture of ground lamb and beef
5 good sized yellow onions, peeled and chopped
a lot of garlic -- at least half a head, peeled and chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, minced and seeded
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 smaller can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 glass of red wine (can you tell that I like to cook with wine?)
1 tbsp ground cumin
     (preferably, whole, toasted in a dry skillet and then ground in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle)
2 tsp oregano
pinch cinnamon
bay leaf
about half a small can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
     (look for this either in gourmet shops or, much more cheaply, in Hispanic grocery stores)
1 large (32 oz) can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 green bell peppers, diced
handful of chopped cilantro
red wine vinegar

Brown lamb in large heavy skillet. Drain most of the fat. Add onions, garlic, jalapenos, and dried spices. Saute for a while until the onions wilt and become golden. Add wine to the pan and scrape the browned bits up from the bottom.

Pour into slow cooker (or into large heavy stewpot). Add tomatoes and chipotles (whiz the chipotles around in a food processor, or chop them up finely first).

Cook in slow cooker on low for about 8 hours, or on very low flame covered, on the stove, for about 3-4 hours.

Add beans and bell peppers, continue to cook until bell peppers are soft (if using the slow cooker, turn it to high, and cook for another hour, if on the stove, just cook them until they are soft but not mushy).

Just before serving, add cilantro, and a glug of red wine vinegar.

I did the chili overnight in the slow cooker, then added the beans and peppers in the morning. Use fewer chipotles if you like it milder.

Carolyn
(12/6/00)

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Vegetarian Chili

Vegetarian Chili

Olive oil
5 decent sized onions
a lot of garlic, you decide how much.
1 tbsp cumin
   I prefer to use whole cumin, toast it in a dry skillet, and grind it in a mortar and pestle,
   but you may not be as anal as this. It is a step worth taking, imho)
a pinch of cinnamon, just a pinch
2 tsp. oregano
2 - 4 chipotle chiles (the kind canned in adobo sauce, see note below)
one eggplant, peeled and cut into 1" dice
1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
4 bell peppers, red and/or green, diced
one cup diced carrots
3/4 cup unsalted cashews
   (if you can only get salted ones, rinse them off before using)
1 lb of black beans dried, or three 15 oz cans of same
   (you can use red kidney or pinto, or all three, doesn't really matter)
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes in puree
1 bottle beer (need not be fancy beer, but don't use yak piss either)
handful of chopped cilantro

(If you are using dried beans, the night before soak them in cold water. Then drain, refresh water, and simmer them for 90 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Drain and set aside. If using canned beans, just dump them into a colander and thoroughly rinse the slimy stuff off of them before putting them into the chili when the recipe directs you to.)

Peel and chop onions and garlic. Sauté in olive oil till onions begin to become translucent. Add spices, including chiles. Add eggplant and mushrooms. Sauté 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add carrots and sauté for a few more minutes. Add tomato, beer and cashews, cover, lower heat and simmer for 30 - 45 minutes.

Add peppers and beans. Simmer until beans are heated thru and pepper is soft but not mush. (10 minutes is fine). Add vinegar, cilantro, and correct for salt and pepper.

Serve over rice, passing cheddar, guacamole (mash up some Haas avocado with minced garlic, lime, green chili and salt), or salsa, or all of the above!

This recipe is legendary in my family, and I make it every year at our holiday Christmas party, as most of DH's family are vegetarian. Even meat eaters like it. Leftovers are good filling for burritos, or you can make tamale pie out of it.

About chipotles: These are generally available canned, in adobo sauce (a concentrated spicy puree) in hispanic markets. They taste like smoked jalapenos, which in fact, is what they are. They are worth seeking out because they lend a wonderful smokiness to this meatless dish. One pepper will make a mild chili, three will be fairly hot. I like to use two, and a spoonful of the sauce. (Leftover chiles freeze well). If you can't get them, use regular jalapenos.

Carolyn D.
(1/24/00)

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