The Land of Enchantment Stew

Here in New Mexico, we have a few tricks up our sleeves when it comes to keeping warm in the wintertime.  It can be pretty brutal...and as soon as I label it "brutal"...I hear from a friend in some other place dealing with 40 degrees below zero...then I sort of relax. 

Many of you that don't reside in our Land of Enchantment, are aware of our obsession with chili, especially green chili.  When I moved here 12 years ago I lived in Albuquerque.  So late summer arrives and suddenly anywhere I went in the city, I was slapped and overwhelmed with the mouth watering smells of roasting green chili.  I knew I had moved to paradise.  Being from Southern California, unless you go to a specialty food store or have a "chili source", you just don't have exposure to New Mexico Green Chili.  Oh yeah you mention green chili to the average Californian and they reach into their pantry and pull out a can of "Ortega Chili".  Only thing these have in common is their color and nothing else...just not the same thing.  Back to landing in New Mexico 12 years earlier...suddenly I am bombarded...in the best way bombarding can occur with green chili options on my pizza, in pasta dishes, on burgers...my gawd, even the "golden arches" offers a green chili double cheeseburger! 

There is this certain addiction to the spicy green morsels that brings excitement to those of us that drool over it, when chili season arrives.  We go thru the chili dilemma..."should I buy from my same source as last year?  should I wait till a few weeks have passed or buy from the first early crop from Hatch? (The main city in Southern New Mexico where the chili is grown), should I roast my own this year on my barbecue? should I try extra hot this year?" and on and on.  All New Mexican style restaurants in the state and I mean all know exactly what you mean when you order "Christmas" as your style of chili, which simply means having both green and red chili poured over your meal...how's that for obsession?
I could go on about the New Mexico chili fix, like at Thanksgiving having a bowl of fresh chopped chili at the table or having it mixed into your stuffing or having a bowl of red chili in place of gravy...but enough!  I have to stop somewhere, even though as I write this post, I know that I am going to have to go grab some green chili and simply serve it up in a tortilla with cheese...oh yum!

So back to our secrets for keeping warm, one of them "Green Chili Stew." is a staple here not only in our cold months, but it is especially fantastic when it's freezing outside.  There are variations on this recipe all across the board, and being a foodie I have asked and asked the locals how they prepare theirs...basics are the same but the subtle differences are why its exciting to have it at so and so's house or at this or that restaurant...it's never exactly the same.  Here's my slant on the stew that I guarantee thousands of households will be serving tonight here in Nuevo Mexico...their very own recipe that is...

Roberto's Green Chili Chicken Stew

4 chicken breasts

16 seeded, skinned & chopped roasted new mexican green chili

(set aside 4 of the chopped chilis)

1 large yellow onion

2 stalks celery

4 large cloves garlic

1 large carrot

5 russet potatoes peeled and chopped

8 cups chicken stock

2 cups cream of mushroom soup (I use fresh, but canned condensed with do)

2 tablespoons coriander seed

1 tablespoon cumin seed

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 tablespoons dried mexican oregano
1 tablespoon dried cilantro

2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon smokey paprika

2 tablespoons granulated garlic powder

1 tablespoon dried parsley

salt to taste

1 tablespoon dried green chili powder (if available or substitute cayenne)
1/2 cup flour

Except for the salt, place all the spices into your spice grinder and process till a fine potent powder - set aside

Place chicken breasts into a small pot of water and add 2 bay leaves, one stalk of celery, one yellow onion quartered and about a teaspoon of black pepper corns

Bring water to boil using medium heat

Make sure not to over cook the chicken, just process till barely done - cube to desired size and set aside covering with foil

Do not get rid of the water the chicken cooked in but do strain the broth

Take all the vegetables and chop them (not too large not too small but do chop the potatoes a bit bigger) 

In a large dutch oven, saute in olive oil till they begin to soften

Add the ground spices to vegetables along with 12 of the green chili and cubed chicken

saute another two minutes

(allow your nose to take in the magic you have created at this point)

Add the stock and the cream of mushroom soup to the pot.  Mix well and cook over medium heat for one hour

At this point add salt to taste and the remainder of the chopped chilis

Depending on the heat level of chili you are using, the stew may be overwhelming so add in more of the water you cooked the chicken in till it's not a punch of chili that is too strong.  Of course you can begin with mild chilis if you cannot tolerate the heat and leave out the green chili powder/cayenne powder

Now take the 1/2 cup of flour and mix with about two ladles of the water from the chicken and mix well then pour it into the pot of stew and stir till incorporated
This will help thicken the stew just a bit.  If you prefer thicker stew, add a whole cup of flour or to taste

Give this mixture another 45 minutes

Serve it up in this awesome way

In a deep soup bowl, place one heated flour tortilla per bowl formed to bowls inner contours

Smear a small amount of refried beans onto the bottom of the tortilla along with grated cheddar and a dollop of sour cream or plain yoghurt
If you are serving to those that don't like the heat very much, serve extra sour cream or yoghurt at the table...this really can mellow out the chili spices (wimps!  ;-) )

Pour the stew into the tortilla reservoir and savour, savour, savour.

You will love this stew...

Enjoy

Comer mucho!

robert