Before Christmas, a partially frozen bag of roasted green chilies arrived at my doorstep. My sister, Bonnie, (who is also my unpaid proofreader) sent them from Colorado. Thankfully, she also sent some of her favorite recipes. The title on this one was, “Christmas Chili.”
Why Christmas Chili? Is it like “Funeral Potato Salad” or “Fourth of July Cake?” Turns out the chili gets its name from the red and green colors. It most certainly IS NOT limited to the holiday season. Tastes especially good on a blustery day. (I love the word ”blustery”– ever since my boys used to watch Winnie the Pooh.)
Although they don’t make a good first impression visually (especially after being frozen), fresh roasted green chilies are fabulous. Peel off the charred skin, split and clean out the seeds.
Canned green chilies are a more than satisfactory substitute if you don’t happen to have a source or a generous sister like I do.
This mildly flavored chili is reasonable in calories and EASY to make. But the best part?? Dipping warm flour tortillas in the savory liquid. Oh my…wonderful!! Especially if you use my favorite “cook them yourself” tortillas from Costco.
Green Chili Stew with Pork and Tomatoes
Ingredients:
1 pound ground pork (not sausage)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and Pepper
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
4 oz. can chopped green chilies
4 cups water
Directions:
First: Brown pork in Dutch oven along with onions, garlic and cumin, if using. Drain grease. I like to leave a teaspoon or two behind for flavor.
Second: Sprinkle meat with flour and stir till it browns. Season with salt and pepper.
Third: Add tomatoes and chilies to meat. Stir in water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 to 60 minutes or until thickness desired.
Serve with warm tortillas.
Nutritional Analysis based on 4 servings:
Calories — 296
Total Fat — 6 g
Sodium — mg
Total Carbohydrates — 28.7 g
Dietary Fiber — 9.8 g
Sugars — 15.0 g
Protein — 34.3 g
In other business…
The winner of the FoodSaver vacuum pack machine is………Number 1, as picked by the Random Integer Generator. Congratulations Julie. Early bird gets the worm on this one. Email me your address and I’ll send the prize ASAP.
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
1
Timestamp: 2010-02-12 04:30:37 UTC
To the rest of you, thanks for your suggestions, kind words and encouragement. Hopefully, there will be more contests to come, so check back. Meanwhile, I’m working on several of your specific recipe requests for future blogs.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m just imagining the flavorful nibbles of pork and smoky green chili in this stew! Mouthwatering!
I never thought of roasting green chilis myself. I always see them in the grocery store and go right to the canned isle and buy them in a can. I roast bell peppers all the time, but never thought outside the can for chili. Thanks.
This is a really good soup to make. I have had a sample from someone who has made it before, and it was wonderful. This weekend I hope to make some for the family. Thanks for the recipe.
mmmmmmmmm….this recipe looks great to a cold Buckeye!
This is one of my favorite green chili recipes from my mom. We made it for Christmas Eve this year. I just buy the green chilis in a can, but I think they are a lot better roasted.
Congratulations Julie! And what a perfect dish for this cold, wet weather we’re having. I’ve roasted red peppers, but these looks wonderful…. I’ll take 2 pots please!
Looks delicious. I like the nutritional analysis.
Mimi
I made this over the weekend and it was very yummy. I roasted my own green chili’s and it had much more flavor than the canned ones. I didn’t blacken my chili’s enough so some of the outer layer didn’t come off all the way. I will make sure to really char those suckers next time. Thanks for a great recipe!
So glad you enjoyed it Sonya. Although I have roasted red and green bell peppers, I’ve never tried roasting the hatch peppers myself. The ones my sister sent were fabulous.