Hatch Chili Pork Stew

Submitted by Galley Wench

"There is NOTHING like a Hatch Chili . . . and this dish gives it an opportunity to 'shine'. For this classic we're keeping it simple, using only the freshest of ingredients. Traditionally, green-chile pork is served like a stew, with a side of corn or flour tortillas, but it easily doubles as filling for burritos and enchiladas. To serve as left-overs, add some hominy to change the texture and taste!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 3 lbs boneless pork sirloin, fat trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes (not tenderloin)
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil (not olive oil)
• 9 hatch green chilies (medium to mild)
• 1 1⁄2 lbs tomatillos, husks removed
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
• 1 quart water
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1⁄2 tablespoon cumin
• salt and pepper

• Garnish

• lime
• tortilla
• mexican cheese, shredded

directions

1. Roasting Hatch Chiles:

2. Medium or mild chiles are better suited than hot, which can ruin the harmony and smother other flavors.
3. Begin by washing and drying well.
4. Place chiles on a hot grill and roast about 3 minutes until the skin begins to blister, turn with tongs and blister the other side. The key is blistering the skin without cooking the chile. Continue until the chiles are generously blistered on all sides.
5. Place in a plastic bag (or covered cassarole dish), seal and allow to sweat for about 5 minutes. Sweating loosens the blistered skin.
6. Ignore advice to place chiles under running water to peel. Although easy, the water also washes away the smoky flavor. Simply use your fingers to remove the skin and seeds.
7. Slice into strips instead of small pieces, which provide more color and bolder flavor.

8. STEW:

9. Season the pork with salt and pepper.
10. Heat a large skillet or Dutch oven on high.
11. Add a thin layer of canola or vegetable oil, but not olive oil, which conflicts with the green chiles.
12. When oil is hot, on the brink of smoking, add a small batch of pork chunks.
13. Do not crowd. And if you add the pork too early, it will absorb too much of the oil.
14. Allow pork to saute for a few minutes before turning with tongs to prevent the meat from sticking to the pan.
15. Properly searing the meat seals in the juices and flavors.
16. Once the first batch is done, remove with a slotted spoon.
17. Add more oil, if necessary, then put in the remaining pork.
18. After all the pieces are properly seared, remove from pan, drain excess oil and set aside.
19. Add small amount of oil to frying pan and saute garlic and onions until tender, about 5 minutes.
20. Fill a large pot with about 1 quart water and add boullion cube.
21. Bring to a boil.
22. Add tomatillos and cilantro.
23. Boil about 5 minutes, or until tomatillos are soft.
24. Drain off the water (saving 1 cup for stew).
25. Using blender or food processor, puree the vegetables. Aim for a consistency similar to a light gravy.
26. Add pork and onion mixture to puree, and bring to a boil.
27. Reduce heat to medium-low, add the roasted chiles and simmer for 45 minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the pork is tender. Add the saved water as needed.
28. Do not cook in the oven; which causes the pork to dry out and shred. The chunks of pork should remain intact.
29. Spoon stew into bowls and top with a light sprinkling of shredded cheese, and serve with lime slices and tortillas.

Reviews

[Gidget265]

Made this yesterday - it was terrific. Thanks for posting. One idea is to have hubby do the chile's on the grill a night or so before making this... then at least that part is done. I followed the recipe - except put everything into the slow cooker once assembled and ran out to the beach for a while. I didn't know how much liquid to put in, didn't want it to burn, and put about a cup. That was tooooo much. Came home and put chile / stew back into original pan - and simmered to thicken / get rid of some of the liquid. Served to guests who proclaimed this gourmet southwestern food. We served it with brown rice with cilantro and tortillas / cheese etc... Great recipe. Will do again - for sure - may (?!) just throw it all into the slow cooker next time and see what happens... instead of the in between steps?????

 

[blond913]

I am submitting a two-part review on this recipe. Part one will be my short and to-the-point review for folks who just want to know if it tastes good and is worth the effort; part two will be more in-depth. Part One: This stew turned out excellent. I followed the directions exactly as stated and didn't alter anything. Delicious, and made my house smell wonderful! Part Two: I wanted to cook something with Hatch chilis, since they are only available where I live (Southeast Texas) for a short period of time. Whenever I cook something new, I research several recipes, looking for common threads in all of them, and studying the REAL reviews, not the ones that say, "Oh this looks soooo yummy", or the ones that changed two-thirds of the ingredients, or the ones where someone whined and complained unnecessarily. I chose this recipe and one other to be my test runs. My biggest obstacle was not having anything to use as a marker for comparison. I have not been in New Mexico since the mid '80's and had never eaten this stew when I was there. I had never even heard of Hatch chilis until a few years ago. Please note: This is recipe is labor intensive. There is a lot of prep, if you follow the method given by the author. If you love to cook, and believe effort begets deliciousness, then the prep part shouldn't really bother you. My only (small) complaint is literally the verbal layout of all the steps; I think it could have been written in a slightly different order to help organize the prep steps a little better. I can forgive that though, because there is so much awesome attention to detail, and great hints, tips and suggestions, it really gives the reader a fantastic head's up. This recipe turned out wonderful, with amazing flavor. Like any good stew, soup, gumbo; it was as good or better the second day. My house truly smelled so good for two days! I am going to try the other recipe I saved, and from there, I will probably make a few tweaks, because I love to cook, and I love taking a recipe and making it my own, but I can honestly say this recipe stands completely on its on as written above. Well worth the time and effort!

 

[Damselicious]

This is amazing stew! I used it as a burrito filling. The flavors are delicious and addictive. My prep took a little longer than 45 minutes. Closer to 2 hours. Part of that is because I had to char the chiles under the broiler. I liked that the instructions were very specific. I have never worked with chiles before, but I had no problems at all. Don't be daunted by the 29 separate instructions. The recipe is ultimately very simple and straightforward. Since Hatch chiles are only available for a short time here in Iowa, I am going to make batches of the veggies and freeze for use throughout the year.

 

[Charmie777]

Really tasty!! I ended up using all of the liquid from the vegetables, and maybe a tad more water. I let it cook for a while longer until the pork was tender.