Green Chile…warming the cockles of your heart

My mother made a very mild, traditional Midwestern tomato chile.  As a child, I was not fond of the chili because of the perceived HUGE tomatoes chunks my mother would add from her stash of home-canned tomatoes.  How I long for her homemade red chile now.

In my late 20s, I moved to Arizona and then settled in Colorado and was introduced to green chile.  Trust me, in Iowa, the spiciest thing you would come across was a pickled pepper!  Green chile sounded like red chile gone bad until I tasted it.  Oh my gosh, it was a spoonful of heaven upon any burrito, relleno, or enchilada that came my way.

I love the smell of fresh roasted chiles at the Farmer’s Markets in the fall.  I can peel and eat them fresh and warm and if any are remaining, I use them in green chile or freeze them (after peeling and seeding) for future use.

One of my favorite green chili recipes is:

GREEN CHILE

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds lean pork, cubed
1 medium onion, cut into large chunks
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
8-10 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 cups water
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup water
flour tortillas, warmed

• Heat oil in large stockpot. Add pork, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Saute until pork is browned.

• Drain juice from tomatoes into stockpot. Chop tomatoes and add to pork with chiles and 2 cups water. Stir well and simmer covered for 45 minutes.

• Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup water until smooth. Add to chile mixture and stir constantly until well blended and slightly thickened.
• Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with warm tortillas or freeze.

Enjoy a nice bowl of chile with a warm tortilla or use it as a sauce for enchiladas, burritos or chile rellenos.