After hearing an interview about Den-Mex food, listener Micaela Haluko shares her own green chile recipe and corrects Ryan’s pronunciation of a street in North Denver.
The recipe:
1 lb cubed pork
10-15 whole roasted green chiles (seeded, skinned, and diced or cut in strips)
1 jalapeño (seeded, diced)
1 medium yellow onion (diced)
4-5 cloves of garlic (minced)
3-4 tomatoes (seeded, diced)
1 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 qt chicken broth (traditional recipe calls for water - either way, use just enough liquid to cover ingredients as they simmer)
salt to taste
Spice packet/coating for pork:
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp chile powder (i.e. Chimayo or Chipotle)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Tbsp crushed mexican oregano (look in the mexican food aisle at the grocery store)
salt to taste (I use 1-2 tsp)
Preparation:
Note: This recipe can be prepared in a slow cooker (the long hours let the flavors really come together) or in a large saucepan on the stove. If using a slow cooker, complete the initial steps in a large sauté pan and transfer to the slow cooker.
1. Mix ingredients for spice packet/coating together in large bowl. Add pork and stir to make sure all pieces are coated.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan or large sauté pan (see note above) on medium-high and sear coated pork, just long enough to brown on all sides. Set aside pork.
3. In the same pan, reduce heat to medium and add garlic, onions, and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are translucent. (at this point, if there is any extra flour mixture left from the spice packet, I will mix it into the onions and garlic and brown a bit for thickening).
4. Once onions are translucent, add green chiles (I like to let them sauté for a minute or two), and seared pork, then cover with broth or water. *This is where you would move ingredients to slow cooker, making sure to deglaze the pan to get all the good flavors!
5. Simmer for at least 45 minutes to 1 hr.
6. Add lime juice, diced tomatoes, and any thickening or seasonings as necessary and simmer for another 30 minutes (or longer at lower temp if desired).
Serve over burritos or chile rellenos, stew-style in a bowl with cheese, sour cream, refried beans, and warm tortillas, or as my family likes to do at holidays: over a heaping portion of mashed potatoes next to carne adovada!
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I play with this recipe a lot, sometimes adding chorizo, or spiking with a shot of tequila or beer. But as with any recipe, the highest quality ingredients yield the most successful results. The best chiles are of the Pueblo or (more traditionally) Hatch varieties that can be found at farm stands all over Denver from early September through early October. These guys are the experts! Talk to them about what you like and how hot you like it, and they'll help you choose a bushel and fresh roast them for you. Skinning and seeding the chiles is a lot of work, but it's a great way to spend an afternoon with family and friends. You get to keep a year-round stock of great chiles (I suggest freezing individually and then packaging for easy removal), and they get to share in a tasty tradition. And nothing (seriously, nothing) beats the smell of fresh roasted chiles.
