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Bob Brent

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #1 of 8 (2165 views)

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Classic Green Chile Stew

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Classic Green Chile Stew
By Ricardo Gándara

American-Statesman

Wednesday, August 29, 2001

I'll share my recipe for green chile stew

I've been making this recipe for more than 20 years. It's a perfect way to open up the sinuses during Cedar Fever season.

I originally used a recipe from The Albuquerque Tribune's Great Green Chile Cooking Classic, but I've refined it through the years to make a better-tasting stew. I thought about making this a guarded family secret but . . . nah.

Classic Green Chile Stew

2 pounds pork, cubed

1/2 teaspoon cooking oil

3 medium potatoes, peeled

1 1/2 large onions, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 leaf fresh oregano, chopped

2 leaves fresh basil, chopped

2 10-ounce cans of diced tomatoes

8 green chiles, coarsely chopped

2 cups water

Brown cubed pork over low heat in 1/2 teaspoon cooking oil. In separate pan, boil the whole potatoes for 5 minutes. Let them cool and then cube. Add onion and garlic to meat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, green chiles, spices, water and simmer, covered, for an hour or until meat is fork tender. If water evaporates two quickly, add more, 1/2 cup at a time. Now add the potatoes and simmer another 30 minutes.

Variation: Canned tomatoes now come with basil, garlic and oregano added. If you use this, omit those ingredients from the recipe. Serves 6.

-- Ricardo Gándara

Frank K

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #2 of 8 (2160 views)

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Sound pretty close to my favorite green chile stew recipe. But I was wondering, why do you boil the potatoes separately for 5 min early on, before you cube them. How does that step help the overall recipe?

One process I've found that I use when making my green chile stew, as well as other recipes requiring diced or stewed tomatoes. Whether it really makes any detectable difference or not, I like to insist on using all fresh ingredients (not canned or dried). In lieu of diced or stewed tomatoes, I like to boil fresh tomatoes for a few minutes. When you do that, the skin comes right off. Remove from the water, and let then cool them till you can handle them in your hand, and cut out the hard stem area. Then, I put them in a flat-bottomed bowl or pan, and mash them with a mashed potato masher. Works great.

Frank K.

Marvin Kemel

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #3 of 8 (2160 views)

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Classic Green Chile Stew

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Bob Brent: Do you know the difference between Mexico and New Mexico. This is not a Mexican Recipe.

Carron

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #4 of 8 (2160 views)

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Take heart, Bob, my Mexican daughter-in-law makes this frequently and we love her for it!! She learned it from her mother, who came from a small village in Guerrero. These ingredients and the cooking technique is also the same type of home-style cooking I have always enjoyed in Chiapas.
Thanks for your contribution and I plan to prepare this soon in my own Mexican kitchen.

Mary Martinez-Stoops

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

Post #5 of 8 (2162 views)

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WHERE DID THIS RECIPE COME FROM ORIGINALY?? IT IS NOT A AUTHENTIC MEXICAN RECIPE, IT'S CALIF.MEXICO BORDER RECIPE!!! RECIPE'S CHANGE THRU OUT MEXICO!THE REAL RECIPES COME FROM THE OLD TIMERS WAY BACK! THEY HAVE CHANGED WITH EACH GENERATION!!

ColleenBrooks

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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But,....is the recipe a good one? ;-)

Carron

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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This was such an interesting question about the origin of something which seems to be a part of home cooking for thousands of miles from north to south. I am organizing my thoughts about why it works in Chiapas. Let's ask for some authority on food history to resolve this for us! Or perhaps we could all collaborate on an article for Mex Connect. Looking forward to your responses. Carron

ColleenBrooks

Nov 30, 1919, 12:00 AM

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