I wish that I was coming to you with a bevy of wit and sparkling humor;
But that's not the case. I have had a cold for about 6 days. The aches and general feeling of ick are gone, but I still sound like Kathleen Turner (if she had also been punched in the throat). But enough about my potentially fatal illness.
One of my favorite New Mexican delicacies is GREEN CHILE STEW. For those of you that know, in NM, you're generally a red chile or green chile fan. Any sane person knows that RED CHILE IS FAR SUPERIOR to green. That said, green chile stew is special. It truly highlights green chile's characteristics and allows the chile's depth of flavor truly sing and shine. My mother's recipe is by far the best I have ever had, but it can always be made better. Remember folks, Jake makes it better. So I says to myself, I says, "Self, what would make this recipe even better? Well, that's easy.......
BACON
Here on the east coast, it's impossible to find fresh or even frozen green chile, so I have to settle for canned. Luckily, the Whole Foods on P Street carries Hatch Brand green chile, which is canned right in Albuquerque, NM. I used two cans of hot and two cans of mild chile for this recipe.
Jake’s Amazing Green Chile Stew
Ingredients
-
1 ½ pounds of pork roast
-
6 strips of thick cut bacon
-
6 cups of Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock
-
2 large yellow onions
-
2 tbsp of butter
-
6 cloves of garlic
-
2 cups or 16 oz. of frozen, fresh or canned
green chile
-
1 pound of Yukon Gold potatoes
-
1 tbsp of ground cumin
-
½ tbsp of garlic powder
-
½ tbsp of onion powder
-
Salt and pepper to taste
1-
Place a large stock pot and spray the bottom of
the pot with non stick cooking spray. Dice bacon into small pieces. Place the
bacon in the pot, and set the heat to medium. (Bacon cooks best
when placed on a cold cooking surface before the heat is turned on. REMEMBER
THAT!) Stir occasionally, until bacon is browned.
2-
Dice the pork roast into small pieces. Add to
the pot and brown the meat, then turn the heat off. Using a slatted spatula,
remove the bacon and meat from the pot. Make sure to allow the to fat drip back
into the pot!
3-
Dice the onions. Turn heat back on to medium and
melt the butter in the reserved pork and bacon fat. Add the onion to the pot
and sauté until translucent, about 6-8 minutes
4-
While onions are cooking, finely slice and chop
the garlic. Once the onions are almost cooked, add the garlic to pan. Allow to
sauté until fragrant, about 1 or two minutes.
5-
Add the green chile to the pot and stir well.
Allow to cook for about a minute. Add the chicken stock to the pot and bring to
a boil.
6-
While the stock comes to a boil, quarter and
then dice the potatoes into ½” slivers. Once the pot is at a boil, add the potatoes
(SLOWLY) to the pot and return the bacon and pork roast to the pot as well.
7-
Add in all spices. Use the salt sparingly at
first. The flavor changes in the cooking process, so it’s best to add the salt
at the end.
