Hatch Green Chili Stew

Its Hatch Chili season in New Mexico which means its Hatch Chili season in the entire south! If you have never had these awesome, delicious, flavor-bursting treats, you MUST try them!

To start off our Hatch Chili week in anticipation of the 16th Annual Hatch Chili Fest at Central Market, we're making a Hatch Green Chili Stew that was based off of a recipe in this year's Hatch iPhone App.

Here are the ingredients:

• 2 Tbs Bacon Grease (or Vegetable Oil if you haven't saved any bacon grease - [shame on you]).
• 1.5 Pounds of Port Steak, trimmed and cubed
• 1 Large White Onion
• 9 Large Roasts Hatch Chili Peppers, peeled and chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 3 Large Roma Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, & chopped.
• 9 Small Red Potatoes
• 6 pack of beer (lager) (1 can for the recipe, 5 to drink).
• 3 Cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 tsp Oregano (Mexican style or regular, there's not that big a difference really).
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cumin
• Fiesta Chicken Fajita Seasoning
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Start by roasting your Hatch chiles so the outer skin can be removed, (we bought ours fresh, and roasted at Central Market, which was very convenient).

Chop and season the pork with Fiesta Chicken Fajita spice and get that started on a hot iron skillet with a touch of bacon grease thrown in.

In the meantime, peel and chop the peppers, onion, tomatoes, and garlic.

Hatch peppers are easy to peel once they are roasted. Use a dry paper-towel to wipe off the outer skin that is 'paperish' and not wanted. We used a sharp veggie peeler for the tomatoes, which works quite well on raw tender-skinned vegetables.

Once the pork is seared on all sides to a nice brownish color (not fully cooked), add it to a large stock pot, (I wish we had an iron skillet one).

Next, saute the onion and garlic with a touch of additional bacon grease until the onion is translucent.

Add some stock to the iron skillet to deglaze the pan and get all those yummy bits, pieces, spices and flavor cooked into the stock. Once you're sure you've got it all, toss that into the stock pot along with the beer, remaining stock, chiles, tomatoes, oregano, and cumin.

Simmer on low heat 1 1/2 hours, adding the potatoes half way through.
When the pork is super tender, ladle a couple of bowls and garnish with Cilantro leaves.

*For added yumminess, pour in a touch Mexican Crema for a creamy consistency. Eka didn't remember to get this at the store, so we added a spot of Sour Cream instead.

The original recipe called for tortillas on the side, which would have been just as awesome as the Texas Toast with melted Monterrey Jack Cheese we had with our bowls.



For those without an iPhone, check out the original Central Market recipe here.