Healthy: Hatch Chile Pork Stew (Chile Verde)

Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com

Hatch chile "season" in Texas is August, which coincides with the harvest of these long, green chiles from Hatch, New Mexico. Hatch chiles are a common ingredient/condiment in New Mexico but we go hog wild for them each August here in Texas. You can find them in all sorts of dishes for about a month and then it's pretty hard to find them any other time of the year. They are found fresh and roasted (and in rare cases roasted and then dried like guajillo peppers). You can often find them in hot and mild varieties. Hatch chiles are related to Anaheim although they are meatier with a more robust flavor. In my opinion, they are somewhere between Anaheim and Poblano.

I grow hatch chiles in my backyard so I get to enjoy them all summer and into the fall. In spite of my luck growing them, I still stock up in August when they flood the stores so I can go nuts with them. I shove those chiles into everything from scrambled eggs to ceviche. One of my favorite ways to enjoy hatch chile is in a stewed preparation of either a stew or chili. Hatch chile stew is an iconic New Mexican dish for an excellent reason. It is delicious. This particular recipe is for hatch chile pork stew and the basis for the recipe comes from an old Central Market recipe. The recipe is simple and reasonably healthy. It will freeze well so you can enjoy it throughout the year. I'll drop a few suggestions for the recipe before getting right to it:

• This recipe called for roasted hatch chiles. If you can only find them fresh then you can roast them in your oven. You lose that hint of smoke you get from hatch chiles roasted over a fire but I do this with my own chiles and I promise it will still be delicious. Just throw them under the broiler on a cooking sheet for seven or so minutes until the skin is charred.

• If you cannot find hatch chiles then you can still make a green chile stew but I don't think you'll get the right flavor by substituting something else. Even Anaheim, in my opinion, taste too different and lack the depth of flavor to get it right. There are canned hatch chiles out there that will work fine. Otherwise, if you live somewhere that hatch chiles are available after the harvest then I suggest stocking up and freezing them.

• Many hatch chile stews call for tomatillo although this recipe does not. If you want to use some tomatillo for flavor or sweetness then they will work in this recipe. I'd suggest roasting them in the oven as well but that is optional. I'd substitute some of the tomato for tomatillo if you want to add tomatillo.

• The heat level on this dish is medium. It's not going to make your mouth en fuego (in my opinion) but if you make it and find the dish is too spicy then you can mix in some sugar to try to balance it out. Or learn to love the heat.

• My preferred pork choice is pork sirloin tip roast but pork butt is the typical cut for this dish. I like a healthy cut and I can find the sirloin tip roast at Costco for a good price so that's what I use. It doesn't pull apart like pork butt but it's leaner. Feel free to substitute my choice for whatever you like. A fattier cut will make the dish less healthy but help balance the heat if that is a concern for you. 

Hatch Chile Pork Stew (Chile Verde)

Details:

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 15-20 minutes
Cook time: Approximately 1 hour 45 minutes

Equipment: 

• Cooking sheet (if roasting chiles)
• Knife and cutting board
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Dutch oven or large stock pot
• Kitchen utensils

Ingredients:

• 2lb. pork sirloin tip roast, cubed into 1" cubes (does not have to be exact)
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 1/2 cups tomato, chopped
• 2 cups roasted hatch chiles, peeled and chopped (leave whole to roast, then peel and chop)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 2 Russet potatoes cubed into 1" cubes

Recipe steps:

1. If chiles are not pre-roasted then roast in oven under broiler for seven minutes or until skin is well-charred.
2. Prepare vegetables and meat.
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
4. Add pork and brown pork on all sides.
5. Add onion and garlic and saute 3-4 minutes.
6. Add flour and mix thoroughly, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until thoroughly mixed. Liquid should have thickened.
7. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, chiles and sugar. Mix well.
8. Stir in potatoes and add broth. Mix well. 
9. Reduce heat to medium-low to simmer. Cover and simmer for 1.5 hours.