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.
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