Pork and Hatch Chili Stew Tweetcipe

It would be hard to miss the long green chilies in the produce section that go on sale at the grocery stores in my part of world around this time each year.  They are chilies that are named for the little New Mexico town where they are grown: Hatch, New Mexico. Often you can buy the green chiles, already roasted, at the grocery store during Hatch chili season, starting in August.  The chilies freeze well, so I buy enough to make this stew throughout the winter.  This is an easy, quick recipe that results in really tender pork and flavorful broth.  If you like thick broth, stir in a cornstarch slurry towards the end of cooking.

You can make the stew ahead of time and freeze it or refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Pork and Hatch Chili Stew

adapted from Food and Wine Magazine, Sept. 2012

1/4 cup grapeseed or safflower oil

2 pounds trimmed pork shoulder, cut into 3/4-inch cubes plus the bone

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large sweet onion, such as Vidalia, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

1 pound roasted hatch green chilies, a mixture of mild and hot according to your taste *

6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Lime wedges, warm corn tortillas and rice, to serve with the stew

Scrape the blackened skin from the peppers and remove most of the seeds. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Season the pork cubes with salt and pepper and add them to the casserole. Cook the pork over high heat, stirring once or twice, until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes.

Add the onion, green chilies, and garlic. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Cover partially and simmer the stew over moderately low heat until the pork is just tender and the broth is reduced by about half, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the chopped cilantro and season with salt and black pepper. Garnish the stew with more cilantro and serve with lime wedges, corn tortillas and rice.

*the original recipe calls for a mixture of Anaheim, Serrano and Poblano peppers

With Just a Few Kitchen Tools and Some Basic Necessities, You Can Cook!

How many times have you looked at a restaurant menu or watched a cooking show and thought, “I’d like to cook something like that”? And I think you can, too, with a few hints and suggestions. What many people don’t realize is that cooking at home is always an adventure waiting at your fingertips, even if you don’t know how to cook beyond the realm of following instructions on the back of a box or are simply in the mood to try something completely outside of the usual repertoire.

For most would-be cooks, the challenge is where to begin. The key to any good cooking experience is having the right tools at hand, some basic necessities. First, I recommend a very sharp, high-quality steel chef’s knife, a zester and a hand-juicer that is hinged so you can easily and quickly squeeze out orange juice, lime juice or lemon juice.

For those not yet familiar with cooking-tool jargon, a zester resembles a cheese grater, only it cuts rinds from citrus fruits and vegetables into tiny little bits, smaller than a cheese grater. The hand-juicer, like some you may have seen on television or in the store, is a small apparatus for squeezing juice from the halves of fruits. The hinged part of the juicer is what actually applies the squeezing pressure to the fruit, removing the juice but leaving the seeds and pulp.

Next, you need a good set of pans, something made of anodized aluminum or stainless steel. Primarily, you want to select cookware that won’t warp or distribute heat unevenly. And you don’t have to spend a fortune, either. For instance, I found a lower-end-priced Kitchen Aid cookware package on sale at Target for around $120, and everything has worked great. The pans are stainless steel with see-through glass lids and rounded edges. You can spend more, but you don’t have to have top-of-the-line cookware that costs more than your first car.

Of course, no cooking adventure would be complete without having the right array of vinegars, oils and spices at your disposal. I suggest stocking several vinegars and two or three oils. As far as vinegars are concerned, I find the most flavorful to be of the balsamic, cider, and rice wine variety, plus maybe a sherry vinegar.  You can also use red or dry white wine and fresh citrus juices as a substitute for vinegar.

Oils are a necessity, of course. I use a light olive oil for salad dressings and grape seed oil for cooking. I used robust flavored olive oil to drizzle over bread and cooked dishes like potatoes and soups.  Occasionally, I also use refined coconut oil for specialty dishes, particularly for Asian-style cuisine. Keep in mind that with oils, a little goes a long way in terms of calories. However, even though these oils have a high caloric value, they are considered good for you and heart-healthy, contrary to what has been reported in the past.

Finally, use fresh herbs and spices whenever possible. One of my preferences is to use fresh garlic over garlic salt. I also prefer using fresh thyme, basil, cilantro, rosemary and mint.  For dry spices, chili powder is fine as long as it’s not too dated, because it tends to lose much of its pungency after about a year. Also, ground cumin and Montreal Steak Seasoning are useful for many dishes. These are personal favorites of many celebrity chefs. My twist is to toast a handful of whole seeds on the stove like cumin, coriander and fennel (separately, not together), then grind them in a small coffee bean grinder set aside for spices only.

Additionally, you might want to consider having on hand some Herbs de Provence, which is a traditional French blend of nearly a dozen dried spices, some of which include thyme, rosemary and lavender. And if you like food that’s on the spicy side, don’t forget the smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. With a little “porch gardening,” you can  grow a few of these herbs in pots, which will provide you with freshness on demand whenever needed.

Until next time, eat well!