Hatch Chile Verde

Protein:

Origin: American Southwest

Method: Stovetop

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Hatch Chile Peppers

There comes a time each year, toward the end of summer when I know fall is growing closer. The weather is still warm, but starting to cool, and football is just around the corner. Each year this special shoulder season is started by the hatch chile release. On the West Coast there was an annual pilgrimage to the markets as they brought out the roasters, and people lined up to buy these special chiles by the box load. It seems that this trend is starting to catch on elsewhere as well. This year in the Kansas City area, I was pleased to see several stores offering Hatch Chile roasting. The store closest to me had a roasting event this year and sold out of over 250 pounds of Hatch peppers in 15 minutes.

I was lucky to be one of the last people to get my 20 pound box of peppers, and thus before the stores (and my wife) start to pumpkin spice everything, I get to begin my annual rite of Hatch peppering every food I can think of. Over the years, we have tried adding America's best chile to everything and a number of those recipes are in the works for future posts (Mike I am still trying to get the wife to let me try that Hatch Chile Apple Pie recipe). Perhaps the most quintessential Hatch Chile recipe, however, is Hatch Chile Verde. Each year we like to try a different recipe for chile verde. The following recipe is a compilation of several of our favorites, with a few personal tweaks.

Preparing the Hatch Chile Verde

Cut the pork shoulder into ½-1 inch cubes, depending on preference. If you are unable to find a small pork butt, or want to decrease the recipe, you can also use pork steaks, which come from the shoulder.

Add ½ cup flour with 1 tablespoon of salt, in a large bowl. Then toss the meat chunks in the flour mixture.

Meanwhile, heat ¼ cup canola oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot, over medium heat.

Without overcrowding, work in batches to fry the pork until just browned, about 5 minutes. Remove the pork to a paper towel lined bowl or pan.

Random Fact..did you know chili pepper was used to feed flamingos in zoos to keep them pink?

Next, add the sausage to the pan and cook until browned, then remove and transfer to the bowl/pan with the pork.

After removing the sausage, gently toast the spices, oregano, and pasilla for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add the hatch and bell peppers, green onion, tomatillos, jalapenos, and onion and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the vegetables are softened, add the meats back to the pot, along with the chicken stock, and enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer the hatch chile verde for about 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Serving Time

Serve the hatch chile verde piping hot with some fresh cilantro, some shredded cheese, and possibly a squeeze of lime.

Still have room for dessert? How about whipping up a fresh batch of Blackberry Slump.

The hatch chile verde also freezes well so don't be afraid to make a big pot of it. We love to use leftovers to top the world's best breakfast burritos.

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