Green Chile Pork Stew

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In my food lover world, stews rank high in the soul satisfying category. A bubbling stew on the stove infuses the kitchen with the smell of pure love, and enjoy a slow-cooked stew can be a calming and even restorative experience. Even though thermometers across the state of Texas routinely soar past the 100 degrees mark during the peak of Hatch Chile season, you’ll still find at least one batch of green chile pork stew on my stovetop in the month of August. It’s the first taste of fall even when the air conditioner is blowing full blast; a tiny reminder that we won’t have to sweat it out much longer. When the weather is cooler and packages of roasted chilies are nestled away in my freezer, this stew makes an appearance on my dinner table at least once a month.

Like most stews, this one is easy to prepare. You’ll spend most of the prep time chopping ingredients and adding them to the pot. Once that’s done, you can go on about your business while the meat becomes tender and the flavors meld. Green chilies and pork are such perfect companions. Both are subtle in flavor and neither overpowers the other. This particular recipe does have a third and unexpected key component: cured chorizo. The smoky flavor of this Spanish sausage adds a depth of flavor to both the pork and the green chilies, and the small pieces make each bite just a little more interesting. All-in-all, I think you’ll find this recipe both interesting and satisfying, and my hope is it will make its way into your fall and winter repertoire.

Recipe: Green Chile Pork Stew

Details

• Difficulty: Easy
  
• Serves: 6-8
  
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
  
• Cook Time: 1 hour
  

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 6 oz. cured chorizo, diced
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• 1 c. chopped green chilies
• 2 tsp. dried Mexican oregano
• 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp. yellow corn meal
• 4 Tbsp. water
• Garnishes (optional)
  • Shredded cheese like Monterrey Jack, manchego, or Queso Asadero
  • Sliced green onions
  • Sliced jalapenos
  • Sour cream

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot or large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking.
2. Add the chorizo and sauté for three minutes until it releases some oil and becomes slightly crisp.
3. Add the onions, carrot, and shallot to the pot and sauté for five min or until vegetables are soft.
4. Add the pork and sauté for five minutes or until pork is no longer pink on the outside.
5. Add the chilies, oregano, coriander, and cumin to the pot; stir to combine.
6. Add the chicken broth to the pot and stir well. Raise the heat to medium high and bring the stew to a boil.
7. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for one hour or until the pork is tender.
8. Mix the corn meal and water together in a small bowl. Add to the pot and stir to combine.
9. Raise the heat to medium and high and bring the stew back to a boil. Cook for five minutes until it begins to thicken slightly.
10. Serve with garnishes and warm tortillas.

Recipe for Success

• Be sure to use cured chorizo, often called Spanish chorizo, because it will hold up best to the longer cooking time and provide a nice contrast in texture to the soft pork. A raw chorizo will still bring flavor to the dish but will break up into tiny pieces during cooking.
• I buy boneless center cut pork chops when I need less than three or more pounds of pork loin. Put them in the freezer for 10 minutes or so before cutting to make handling them easier. You can use pork shoulder or another less expensive cut of pork, but it will add more fat to the dish. You may also need to cook the stew longer because less expensive cuts tend to be tougher and need more time in the stew pot.
• The chorizo brings a lovely depth of flavor to this stew so I like to use mild chilies to avoid overpowering the spice of the chorizo. If you want a hotter stew, use a mix of hot and mild chilies, but I’d recommend not using all hot chilies or you’ll lose some of the benefit of the chorizo.
• This stew freezes beautifully, so make a double batch so you’ll have some left over.
• If you like hominy, you can stir a can into the stew in the last 10 minutes or so of cooking. Don’t freeze the stew with hominy in it though as hominy tends to turn mealy after being frozen.