Kathy Pitts' New Mexico Chili

Categories: Chili | Pork

Serves: 1 Batch

Ingredients:

I don't have a real recipe for New Mexico-style chile, although I do
make it occasionally when I manage to drag home more fresh Anaheim or
Poblano chiles than I can dispose of otherwise. (Kroger's sometimes
has BIG bags of them for 99 cents a bag ;-)
What I do is first roast the chiles (either in the broiler or --
better -- over charcoal). The number of chiles I use depends on the
size/heat of the chiles, and can range from 2-3 to 10 or more. If
the chiles are really hot (it happens sometimes, even with Anaheims),
I'll also add 3-4 roasted green bell peppers to give the dish the
required pepper taste without rendering it inedible by anyone without
an asbestos esophagus.
After the chiles have cooled a bit, I peel and seed them, and cut
them into coarse dice. I sometimes (not always) will also roast/peel
5-6 tomatoes to place in the chiles, but tomatoes are optional in
this dish, and I usually don't use 'em.
Next, cut up 3-4 pounds of lean boneless pork (beef is sometimes
used, but isn't as good in this dish, IMHO, and I would imagine lamb
would be very good here indeed).
Coat the meat in seasoned flour, and brown it in hot lard. Remove
from the pan and set aside. Toss a couple of chopped onions into the
pot, along with a clove or two of garlic. When the onions are
golden, I add enough flour to make a roux, and cook until the roux is
light brown.
I then add chicken broth to make a fairly thin gravy, the pork,
chiles, tomatoes (if used), and season the dish with cumin and
Mexican oregano.
Simmer for a couple of hours, until the pork is tender and the
flavors have blended. The end dish should have a pronounced green
chile/pepper flavor and be the consistancy of a thick stew. It's
very good by itself, or as a filling for burritos/soft tacos, and is
wonderful reheated the next morning and served as a side dish with
scrambled eggs for breakfast. Wes, for some bizarre reason, likes it
over rice...
Sorry for the inexact recipe/directions. I learned to make this dish
from an ex-neighbor who was or mixed Hispanic/Native American
ancestry, and never QUITE got around to rendering her directions into
a real recipe. (She served the dish with fry bread, and a pot of
white beans on the side -- have no idea whether this was traditional
or simply the way she liked it.)
Kathy in Bryan, TX
Posted to FIDO Cooking echo by Kathy Pitts from Dec 1, 1994 - Jul 31, 1995.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/kpitts.zip

Instructions:
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---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05

Title: Kathy Pitts' Onion Rings
Categories: Snacks, Vegetables, Appetizers, Side dish
Yield: 1 Batch

Slice large onions into thick slices (about 1/2 inch thick) Separate
the slices into rings.

Purchase a package of Oriental-style Tempura Mix at the grocery store
(this is sold under the Ka-Me and various other brand names).

Make the mix according to package directions, except substitute cold
beer for the liquid called for in the directions.

Dip the onion rings in the batter, and deep fry until light golden (it
won't and shouldn't get too brown). The result is a wonderful, crispy
onion ring with a very light batter coating that even people who
usually don't like onion rings seem to enjoy.

This batter is also good for fish, shrimp, fried mushrooms, fried
zucchini, etc.

Kathy in Bryan, TX

Posted to FIDO Cooking echo by Kathy Pitts from Dec 1, 1994 - Jul 31, 1995.

File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/kpitts.zip

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