Like meatloaf, lasagna, Spanish tortes and many other dishes, there is a lot of variety to the way Green Chile, the Mexican (or New Mexican?) stew made with big sections of port shoulder and butt, though they all feature highly seasoned and roasted meat, and are slow braised for hours in liquids with chiles and onions.
The version I make is David Garcia’s grandmother’s version. David was the landscaper I hired to make improvements to the yard (and then maintain the plants, trees and bushes on the property) of a house I purchased in Marin County in 2000. He was referred to me by my Realtor, and while interviewing him, I said I would hire him on the condition that he brought me a batch of his grandmother’s Green Chile, with loose instructions on how to make it. I told him it was OK if his grandmother wrote it down on a piece of paper, since I can read Spanish and speak a little of it. The stew was delicious, and I have been making this version of Green Chile ever since. In fact, the main reason my collection of Le Creuset pots grew early on was the size of the batches I made, depending on the situation and number I was serving. And the key to that is the size of the piece of pork I would buy at the market – going up to 8-and-9-pound roasts. For neighborhood block parties, for example, I would use the 9-quart pot and with a large hunk of meat and added onions and chiles, and of course liquid and spices. Our block parties would get 50 or 60 people together so I also made a big batch of creamy polenta, and put the polenta down in throw-away bowls then ladle the Green Chile on top of that. Some of my neighbors ferried the bowls of food down to the street on trays (that house was on a 20-degree slope and well-off the street) until my contribution to the party was fully served.
Hence, I own 5, 6 and 9 quart Le Creusets in yellow, blue and orange, respectfully, and the most indispensable piece of cookware I own in my kitchen, Le Creuset’s 4-quarter braiser, in red. In fact, my collection is so colorful (intentionally) that when I built my current house, I made the end cap of the kitchen island that greets guests when they reach the second level of my home (where the kitchen and great room is) and serves as an introduction to my kitchen and for that matter, the entire second story of the house.
Today, I hardly use that 9-quart Le Creuset, but I did use the 6-quart pot to make the latest batch of Green Chile on one wintry, wet and cold Saturday in late January. Can you think of a more perfect time to eat and enjoy this meal?
You can serve this dish with rice, though I prefer creamy polenta the first night the dish is served, in part because if there is leftover polenta I can make crispy polenta a few days later, and eat another bowl of the stew, and have a very different eating experience.
As for a wine pairing, a good California Zinfandel works with Green Chile, yet so does a smooth Rhone wine that is blended with Mourvèdre, Grenache and perhaps Syrah.
Missing from the photo, and to make this a richer green sauce, toward the end of making this batch I added a big can of Hatch Green Chile Sauce. It made the sauce a bit creamier, greener, and more delicious.
