Buen provecho!
By Lucy Herrman
Here in Taos, we pride ourselves on our chile. We love it mild. We love it hot. We love it red. We love it green. And one of the tastiest and spiciest local dishes is Green Chile Stew. Perfect for those cold evenings this time of year. It is easy to make and a dream to come home to after a day enjoying all the outdoor activities Taos has to offer.
During the green chile harvest, lines form at the chile roasters outside grocery stores or on the side of the road. People buy a bushel or two (or three) and patiently wait their turn to have the expert chile roaster operators perform their magic. All it takes to make your mouth water is the delicious roasted chile fragrance you smell all over town. When you get home with your bushel of roasted chiles, the blackened chile skins should be easy to remove. Then, after discarding the stems and seeds, you pack your chiles in small bags to freeze so they can be enjoyed for the rest of the year.
But if you are just visiting Taos, you probably don’t have a handy bushel of chiles stored in your freezer. No worries. Frozen chopped green chile in tubs or bags is readily available at all the local grocery stores. So you can still make your own Green Chile Stew just like
a local.
In New Mexico, the name for stew is “caldo.” And naturally in classic Chile Verde Caldo, the one ingredient that appears in every version is diced green chile. Green chile is what makes this stew New Mexico’s own. Mild, medium, hot or extra hot, the flavor of green chile, with its earthy, smoky sweetness underlying the levels of heat, is distinctive and unique. Other ingredients include meat, onions, garlic and potatoes. The basic recipe is often made in a slow cooker and left to simmer all day. When everyone gathers in the evening, the thick spicy stew is ladled up and eagerly consumed. In the recipe for Green Chile Stew offered here, however, the cooking time is conveniently reduced by several hours simply by using pork tenderloin instead of pork shoulder.
During the green chile harvest, lines form at the chile roasters outside grocery stores or on the side of the road. People buy a bushel or two (or three) and patiently wait their turn to have the expert chile roaster operators perform their magic. All it takes to make your mouth water is the delicious roasted chile fragrance you smell all over town. When you get home with your bushel of roasted chiles, the blackened chile skins should be easy to remove. Then, after discarding the stems and seeds, you pack your chiles in small bags to freeze so they can be enjoyed for the rest of the year.
But if you are just visiting Taos, you probably don’t have a handy bushel of chiles stored in your freezer. No worries. Frozen chopped green chile in tubs or bags is readily available at all the local grocery stores. So you can still make your own Green Chile Stew just like
a local.
Purists might want to keep the stew simple, as in the basic version mentioned above. But feel free to add some delicious and nutritious vegetables – it only gets better. Besides potatoes, onions and chiles, this recipe calls for bell peppers, zucchini, corn and carrots. You can control the heat by using mild or medium chiles. Put the stew together in just fifteen minutes, and let simmer. Your dinner is ready an hour later.
When it’s time to serve, you may wish to simply enjoy your Chile Verde Caldo straight out of the pot with no embellishments at all. You can garnish the stew, however, with diced avocados or tomatoes, a squeeze of lime, or a sprinkle of shredded cheese. If desired, you can add some sour cream to tone down the heat and mellow the flavor. Or go the other direction and serve with a good local hot sauce to spice it up even more. Adding your favorite flavors will personalize this simple iconic dish.
We all need a great recipe for a robust and luscious winter stew, and this is it. Green Chile Stew feeds the soul as much as the belly. Once you try it, you’ll definitely want to make it again and again.
And who knows. You may even decide to pack a supply of frozen green chile in your luggage to take home for later. Double-wrapped, of course.
GREEN CHILE STEW
Chile Verde Caldo
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 large carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, preferably fresh off the cob
1-1/2 quarts chicken or beef broth
5-6 cups diced potatoes
3 cups roasted, peeled and chopped green chile
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
1 diced medium zucchini
Salt to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Optional garnishes:
Sliced green onions
Diced fresh tomatoes
Diced avocado
Lime wedges
Sour cream
Shredded cheddar or mojito cheese
Heat the oil in a large pot and brown the meat until it loses its raw color. Add the onions, garlic to the pot and sauté over medium heat until softened. Add the potatoes, celery, carrots, carrots, corn, red bell pepper, zucchini, green chile, broth and 2 teaspoons salt. Simmer about 45 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add 1-2 cups water as needed. Simmer an additional 15 minutes until everything is tender. Add cilantro before serving.
Ladle stew into bowls and add optional garnishes as desired.
Serves 6-8 people generously.
