For six months of the year, David Tanis works as head chef of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., said Bonnie Benwick in The Washington Post. The other six months of the year, he lives in a 17th-century apartment in Paris, hosting private dinners for friends and paying guests. This recipe for green chili stew is adapted from his new cookbook, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes (Artisan). A standard dish in northern New Mexico, it is usually made with pork—though lamb, beef, chicken, or turkey can be substituted.
Recipe of the week
Green Chili Stew
Fresh green chili peppers, such as New Mexico or Anaheim, should be roasted over open flame on barbecue grill or gas burner, or under broiler. Once they are blackened and cooled, don food-safe gloves to rub off skins, remove stems and seeds, and coarsely chop peppers. Six large fresh chili peppers will yield about ½ cup chopped. A pretty fair approximation can be made with a combination of roasted fresh poblano chili peppers (sometimes called pasillas) and roasted jalapeños.
To toast cumin seeds: Place small skillet over medium heat. Add seeds and toast, shaking pan occasionally, for 2 to 4 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer to heat-proof bowl and cool completely.
2½ lbs well-marbled boneless pork butt
(shoulder), cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
1 large onion, cut into small dice (about 2 cups)
2 to 3 medium cloves garlic, coarsely
chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and finely ground
¼ cup chopped tomatoes (may use fresh or
canned)
3 large carrots, peeled, trimmed, and
cut crosswise into chunks
½ cup chopped, roasted green chili
peppers, or more to taste
1 tbsp flour
4 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
1½ lbs russet potatoes, peeled and
cut into large dice (about 2 large
potatoes)
Chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish
Season meat liberally with salt and pepper. Line platter with paper towels. Heat oil or lard in large Dutch oven over medium heat until oil shimmers. Working in batches, brown meat lightly on all sides (it will not be cooked through), then transfer to lined platter. Add onion to pot, still over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 or 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add garlic, cumin, tomatoes, carrots, green chili peppers, then sprinkle flour over mixture; stir to coat evenly. Season lightly with salt, return browned meat to pot, stir to mix well. Cover mixture with water or broth; increase heat to medium-high, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover, cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust salt or amount of green chili peppers as necessary. Broth should be well seasoned and fairly spicy.
Add potatoes; cook uncovered for 30 minutes or until potatoes are soft and meat is tender. Skim any fat from surface of broth. Let stew rest for 1 hour or more before serving. Or transfer to airtight container, cover, refrigerate overnight. To serve, reheat stew just until meat is warmed through. Ladle into warmed bowls; sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serves 4 to 5.
