Fast and Easy Green Chile

What do you do when you’re craving green chile and roasted chiles aren’t yet in season to pick up at the farmer’s market? You roast your own green chiles and go for it!

One of my favorite things to make in late summer is Green Chile. Well, my version of it anyway. I like to find the spiciest green chiles I can find at the local farmer’s market.  But, then again, my husband and I like everything spicy!

The smell of the chiles roasting away on in a big barrel over the open flame is when I truly know it is summer.

This weekend, I couldn’t help myself. I had to have it!  So, I roasted a few poblano peppers and away I went.  For my green chile I start with ground pork.  Though traditionally a pork roast is used, I find that using ground pork makes this recipe fast and easy.  Perfect for weeknight dinner.

First, roast the chiles. You can do this on an open flame if you have a gas range or you can crank your oven to 500 degrees and do it that way.  Just rinse off the peppers, dry them completely and then pop them onto a baking sheet lined with foil.

Roast the peppers in the oven for about 20 minutes, making sure to turn them every 5 minutes or so until the skins are charred on all sides. I forgot to take picture of this part, must have been too excited to get them out of the oven!

Next, put the peppers in a plastic bag and close it up tight. This will allow the steam to loosen the skins from the peppers.  After about 15 minutes, the peppers will be ready to peel.  To do this, carefully (they’re still really hot!) take the peppers out of the plastic bag.

Slice them down the center and scrape out the seeds.  Lay the peppers flat with the charred side facing up.  Next peel the skins off.  You can use a paper towel to help if you want.  Make sure to wear gloves if you are working with really spicy peppers.

Once your they have been peeled, dice the peppers and set them aside.

Dice a medium sized onion and a couple cloves of garlic.

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown your ground pork. Once the meat is brown, sauté the onions and garlic until they are soft.  The extra grease from the pork should give you enough fat to saute, but if you need extra, add a couple tablespoons of butter.

Next add a few tablespoons of flour to the mixture and stir it around for about a minute. Then, slowly add 3 cups of beef stock.

Add the diced peppers and season with garlic salt, black pepper and sugar. Yes, sugar sounds weird here, but it helps to balance the flavor a little.  I do the same thing in spaghetti sauce.

Let the liquid thicken and taste for seasoning. If it’s not spicy enough for your taste, you can always add red pepper flakes to get the heat where you want it.  In this case, the poblanos were not very hot, so I added extra heat.

Let the chile simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes to develop the flavor even more. Make sure you stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn the bottom of the pot.

Serve with warm flour tortillas and enjoy.

Note: Do not be surprised if your husband takes thirds on this one!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground pork

4 poblano peppers, roasted

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup beef stock

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

2 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Red pepper flakes (optional)

Flour tortillas

Directions:

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown your ground pork. Once the meat is brown, sauté the onions and garlic until they are soft.  The extra grease from the pork should give you enough fat to saute, but if you need extra, add a couple tablespoons of butter.

Sprinkle flour into the mixture and slowly add 3 cups of beef stock. Add the diced peppers and season with garlic salt, black pepper and sugar.  Let the liquid thicken and taste for seasoning.  Add red peppers flakes to reach desired heat level.

Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally.   Serve with warm flour tortillas and enjoy.

Please leave your comments below, I’d love to hear from you. Until next time, cheers!