Something like half of the country is in a deep freeze tonight, including us down here in the land of mild winters. A few local friends have even claimed it was snowing, although when I went out just now, it was imperceptible except when I turned my face up to the sky and felt tiny specks touching my cheeks and mouth. It seemed like the perfect night for a warm pot of green chile. My old recipe had a hearty handful of white potatoes to give it a little thickening starch. That won't do anymore. It was time for a re-imagining, based on my recommitment to eating less sugar and starch on the whole. (I'm also trying to eat only 3 meals a day, no more snacking. We'll see how well that goes when it's late at night.) While I was at it, fiddling with my formerly-perfect method, I decided to try some new tricks, from one of my favorite PBS shows, that helped me ditch the canned chiles and develop a much deeper, richer flavor. Would you like the recipe? You know you would. This came out so well. I mean, really. Look at it.
The first thing I did differently was the first trick out of the gate. In place of canned green chiles, I roasted my own. It was very easy, but I learned two things to change almost immediately. I would have been happy with twice as many peppers, and if I could have found Anaheims rather than Cubanelles, it might have had a more traditional flavor. In a perfect world, I'd have Hatch, but they're hard to get on the East Coast.
Cut several green chiles in half, and scoop out the seeds and ribs. Place them skin side up on a lightly oiled baking sheet. I put a sheet of foil underneath, for easy cleanup. Also cut and roast three jalapenos on the same sheet.
Put them under the broiler, with the rack set about six inches from the element. I used the low setting for 20 minutes. I could have either cooked them longer or hotter. Not sure which is better yet.
For two people I used a boneless rib roast of just under two pounds. It didn't have to be such a lean cut, but it worked well.
Cut the roast into one inch dice.
This is a new trick to me: Instead of browning the meat in batches, put it all in a cold dutch oven, along with a cup of water and a teaspoon or two of salt. Put the lid on, and turn on medium heat. Cook covered for 20 minutes, then take the lid off and let the water cook off. This allows the meat to render its own fat in which to brown. It builds a lovely fond on the bottom of the pot. Just don't take your eyes off of it too long once it starts browning. (More on that later.)
After 20 minutes, this is how roasted my peppers were. As I said, hotter or longer would have been better. They should have been blackened and blistered so the skins came off easier. Instead, I struggled a little peeling the chiles.
Set the jalapenos aside, and put the still-hot peppers in a bowl and cover air-tight. (I have silicone lids that work very well for this, so I don't have to use plastic wrap.) Let them steam for at least five minutes, so the skins come off easily. Then finely chop the chiles, and set back in the bowl until the stew is being assembled.
Here's the pork browning, with the perfect fond developing on the bottom of the pot.
At any time during my test kitchen blogs, have I stressed the importance of cooking mis en place? Everything in its place, pre-cut and ready to go. I should have followed that rule myself. Notice how the garlic isn't already minced? It should be right there next to the chopped red onion.
I bring up the mis en place issue, because this is what happens to the fond when you're sauteeing the onion in a tablespoon of oil, but you are also distracted by texting your husband, mother, and daughter about your new medical news. It got a little scorched. Luckily, it didn't go too far over the line. The chile was just a little earthier than usual.
I skipped a couple photographs, while I put three minced cloves of garlic and about a teaspoon of ground cumin in, and warmed it up for a couple minutes. Instead of adding wheat flour to absorb the oil and provide thickening, or adding cubed white potatoes like I used to use, at this point I put in a couple heaping tablespoons of flour made from garbanzos and fava beans. First time I've tried this, and it beat my expectations. Then I added a full carton of chicken stock, the chopped chiles, and the pork, including all the juices that ran out into the bowl. I used several of my go-to herbs and spices that I put in everything: ground coriander, marjoram, thyme, cayenne pepper, and oregano just for fun. After tasting, I decided to add a little powdered garlic as well.
Some recipes call for tomatoes, but I cringe at this. Green chile is, by definition, GREEN. So I prefer tomatillos. They aren't green tomatoes. They appear to be part of the persimmon family, by the looks of them. I have never researched the biology. They look like the photo below, and you peel off that leathery skin. It is sticky and feels gross, but the fruit underneath is lovely. (I wouldn't think it's great raw, though.)
I usually want roughly equal quantities of green chiles and tomatillos, but tonight it was barely a pound of chiles and about two pounds of tomatillos. It worked out just fine.
Dump in the tomatillos, and let it all simmer together for an hour and a half, or until the pork is tender. Stir it a few times and adjust seasonings as desired. Chop and add the jalapenos near the end of the simmer, so they stay firmer. Kill the heat, and add a fat handful of chopped cilantro leaves. This is optional if you're one of those people who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, obviously. I also serve each bowl with a big lime wedge squeezed into it.
Final thoughts: I didn't miss the potato one bit. I had two big bowls of it, mostly because I skipped lunch today. I was pleasantly (if only a little uncomfortably) full, and I didn't need the extra starch for it to be filling. I definitely cheaped out on the chiles. I should have used a lot more. But I don't think I will ever go back to using canned. It was so easy to roast my own, and it made my kitchen smell like heaven. Next time, I will have all of my ingredients ready to go before I start. I don't know why I didn't this time. But I didn't suffer too much for having scorched the fond. This version is fairly mild, but with a different mix of peppers, it could be much hotter. All depends on how you like it. And I promise, if you make it, you will like it.
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