A fall tradition - Green Chili

Every year I visit Santa Fe, NM in the fall to experience the various festivals and enjoy the great food. During my visit, I make a point of visiting the farmers market and stocking up on some local chilies. I've been buying Chimayo chilies for their great flavor and spice - they make a wonderful green chili stew.

The green chili stew starts off with about a half bushel of roasted Chimayo chilies. Peel and seed the Chimayos, then dice them into half inch pieces. Reserve the diced chilies and any juices for later.

Next braise the pork - I usually use pork shoulder (while i use boneless shoulders from CostCo - bone-in would be preferable). For the braise, you'll need a large heavy pot - this is where my 9q Le Creuset comes in handy! Brown the pork shoulder on all sides and remove. Then add onion, garlic, celery and parsley to the pot - scraping up any accumulated fond. Add spices (coriander, cumin, cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, black pepper and chili powder) and cook with the vegetables. Return the pork shoulder to the pot and add chicken stock until about 2/3rds of the shoulder is submerged. Bring up to a boil, then cover and braise in a 250 degree oven for 3 hours. You should rotate the shoulder about ever hour. Once the pork is done, remove from the braising liquid, and cool to a safe handling temperature. Strain and reserve the cooking liquid - once cool you should skim off any fat that has risen to the top. Discard the spent vegetables. Cut the pork shoulder into a small dice - I recommend a electric knife since this is a lot of meat and typically big pieces.

Next you can start the base for the stew - begin by sauteing onions, add garlic, tomato paste, and diced potatoes. Next add the reserved stock from the braise - bring up to a boil and add the diced chilies. At this point, check for salt. Simmer for 20 minutes, then add the diced pork and continue to simmer. Check the seasoning again. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid by adding more chicken stock, or by simmering down to reduce. You can also add flour paste if you want a thicker chili.

Serve on its own with a bit of sour cream and a tortilla, or serve over tamales!

This has become one of our household favorites so I usually make a double batch and freeze to enjoy throughout the year!