Green Chili

Whenever I visit my mother and sisters in Denver, one of my favorite places to stop for Mexican food is the Brewery Bar II, a somewhat basic bar/restuarant which has been a Denver mainstay for decades.  The premiere item at BBII is the Green Chili and I have always enjoyed it enough to wonder whether there was some way to have it more often.  In Cambridge, I can buy fresh Anaheim chilies and take the trouble to roast and peel them but the better way would be to buy them in a can already roasted and peeled as I did on my most recent trip to Cenver, setting off all sorts of alarms at the airport x-ray machine.

My local yuppie grocer discovered that his two distributors of Casa Fiesta do not carry the large size required but a call to Bruce Foods at (318) 365-8101 and a conversation with Kelley will have a case of them on their way to you.  The recipe is from Huntley Dent's The Feast of Santa Fe and, to my surprise, the result is even better than the Brewery Bar II!

• 6 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 Tbsp flour
• 3/4 tsp ground cumin
• 3/4 tsp black pepper

• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 26oz can Casa Fiesta Whole Green Chilies
• 2 fresh whole jalapeno chilies, minced
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp salt

• 1 lb lean pork, in 1/2" cubes, sauteed brown

1. Cube and saute the pork over medium-high heat.  Deglaze with vermouth.  Set aside
2. In a large saute/frying pan, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for 5 minutes until translucent but not browned.
3. Over medium heat, add the flour, cumin, and black pepper and cook 2-3 minutes (forms a roux).  Add about 2 cups of broth stirring to eliminate lumps.  Add the remaining broth and all but the pork.  bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes until the chilies start to come apart.  Add the pork to reheat.
4. Serve in bowls as a soup with flour tortillas on the side (which are dipped in the chili).  Beer is traditional.