Green Chili Stew

This recipe is courtesy of Chandos Brown, some 23 years ago.

Chandos wrote ... This is my version of a New Mexican classic. There are many, many ways to make green chili stew, but this is adapted for simplicity and to use easily available ingredients. I will admit at the start that the dish ought best be made with fresh roasted and peeled chilies from Hatch, New Mexico; but it's a cruel world and not all of us can get them.

Ingredients:

• one large can (28 oz) green chilies (look in the "Ethnic food" section of the supermarket)
• one pound fresh tomatillos, coarsely chopped. These are small, green tomato like objects. Look in the produce section of the supermarket or ask. I get them in Hartford, so they can't be that rare.
• one pound of stew beef chopped into small pieces, but not ground. I use sirloin tips, but round will work. In New Mexico, you'll occasionally find dog in green chili stew, but I don't recommend this.
• One Spanish onion, coarsely chopped.
• Two heads of garlic, broken up and cloves peeled. NB from Bob Brown: You can use a lot less garlic!
• Two potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces. Store these in cold water until ready to use.
• Handful of dried red chili peppers. This is to compensate for the lack of flavor in the canned variety of green chilies, which have been bred, apparently, to satisfy even the blandest American palate. If you can get Hatch chilies, ignore these, but, then, if you can get Hatch chilies you don't need this recipe.

To prepare:

Heat a skillet and add oil to cover bottom. When oil smokes, add red chilies and stir until slightly blackened. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. The oil is now spiced.

Add more oil to skillet if it is necessary. Bring to a high heat and add the onions.

Add tomatillos and whole garlic cloves and continue to saute until everything is soft.

Transfer vegetables to a pot. Deglaze skillet with water and add liquid to pot.

Add can of green chilies to pot, including the liquor in which they are packed.

Add beef.

Add water to more than cover. Mixture should be fairly liquid.

Add red chilies.

Cover and cook at low simmer for a few hours. An hour before dinner add the chopped potatoes.

Remove red chilies before serving with hot flour tortillas (or corn bread). (NB from Bob Brown: Serve with Bruce Webster's jalapeño cornbread.)

Provide lots of beer.

Last updated: 2013-03-04 4:17
Orignially posted: 2012-02-26

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