September 7, 2012 | Soup
Every fall, farmers’ markets across Colorado are filled with the aromas of roasting chile peppers. Green chile is popular around here, and although you can buy some pretty good brands in the store already prepared, it’s really quite easy to make.
Because the heat of chile peppers can vary widely, always taste your chiles before preparing the dish. The hotter they are, the more you’ll want to tone down the burn with other ingredients, namely nicely cooked sweet onions and tomatoes, whose acidity helps to cut through the heat. Mine were pretty zingy, and I found a 1:1:1:1 ratio of green chiles to tomatoes to onions to shredded pork worked out beautifully. You can certainly leave the pork out and substitute vegetable broth if you want a vegetarian version. I’m sharing the recipe for a large pot because this is the type of thing you want to package up and freeze for using over the winter. Enjoy!
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2½ pounds diced onions
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup flour
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2½ pounds chopped roasted green chiles
- 2½ pounds diced tomatoes (along with juices)
- 2½ pounds cooked, shredded pork (I used a fresh leg roast)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Heat oil in a very large pot over medium high heat and add onions; cook until quite soft and onions have taken on some color. Remove onions to a plate to hold.
- Combine olive oil and flour in the pot and stir together to make a roux. Cook for 3-5 minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in the stock, a little at a time to prevent lumps, until all of the stock is incorporated. Add the onions back to the pot along with the chiles, tomatoes and pork. Stir together and simmer for 30-45 minutes to thicken and reduce slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and store in covered containers in the freezer until ready to use.
I’ll take a bowl of the pork please.
I just bought some roasted Hatch chili’s from Whole Foods. Need to get some Colorado grown this week. Love having a freezer rack full of chilies for the winter.