Green Chili a la Colorado

Green chili is a dish I had never encountered before I moved to Colorado. It's eaten as a main dish and used as a smother for burritos (especially breakfast burritos! yummmmm).  When Aunt Kathy was doing research for this recipe, she found out that asking for a green chili recipe was like asking an Indian for a curry recipe! There are hundreds of different versions; one for each abuelita! In any case, here is Aunt Kathy's recipe, which may not be the Definitive green chili recipe, but it's certainly the best one I've ever tasted.

Green Chile a la Colorado

 

3T vegetable oil (have more oil in case you need to adjust the thickening)

2-3 lbs boneless pork butt cut into 1/2 “ cubes

1/2 c flour (have more flour in case you need to adjust the thickening)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 white onion, chopped

6-8 cloves of garlic, minced

30 oz bag frozen hatch green chiles, chopped

14 oz can tomatillos, drained and smashed (or pureed if you don’t want the chunks)

2 c chicken broth (I often use up to 6)

Optional:  1/2 to 1 small can diced jalapenos-cook in for extra zip or serve as a garnish

Sour cream to garnish

Shredded cheese to garnish if you want

Cilantro to garnish if you want

Chopped avocado to garnish if you want

Warm flour tortillas to serve it with

 

--Dredge meat in mixture of flour, salt and pepper, and brown in the oil.  Let it get a beautiful crust on it. Remove from pan and set aside.

--In the same pan sauté onion and garlic till soft.

--Add all the rest of the ingredients except the garnishes and tortillas, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 30-45 minutes, till the pork is tender.

--Adjust thickening if necessary by heating oil in a little frying pan and stirring in an equal amount of flour into it till smooth and browned (This step of dissolving it in the hot oil is crucial to the taste, the brown really enhances the flavor!), then slowly stirring this roux into the chili. (I start with 2T, and if it isn’t thick enough, I do 2 more T, etc.  The amount totally depends on how much flour is sticking to the meat, and how much broth you ended up using.)

--Put out the garnishes and heat the tortillas

--Ring the dinner bell!