Maya Dailey’s Chile Verde — Green Chile Stew
(courtesy of Lodge Cast Iron Nation: Great American Cooking from Coast to Coast by Lodge Manufacturing Co./Oxmoor House, 2014. Serves 4 to 6. Photo by Helene Dujardin)
¼ cup good-quality, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat (leave some on for good flavor) and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground Chimayo green chile powder*
1 dried Pasilla chile, seeded and chopped
½ cup green onions, chopped
12 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and finely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
2 Serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 Anaheim chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock (store bought is fine)
1 (15-ounce) can or 2 cups green chiles (Dailey uses Bueno brand, which is sold frozen and comes in mild, hot, or extra hot)
1 bunch fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to season and to taste
Heat oil in a 5-quart cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat until sizzling. While the oil heats, season the flour generously with salt and pepper. Toss pork cubes with seasoned flour until well coated; shake off any excess. Add the floured cubes to the hot oil in batches, and cook until nicely browned on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pork to a plate as it browns.
Add the cumin, chile powder, and pasilla chile to the oil left in the pot, and stir to combine well. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until you can smell their fragrance, about 1 minute. Add green onions, tomatillos, yellow onions, fresh chiles, and bell pepper, and cook over medium heat, stirring a few times, until the onions are caramelized, about 30 minutes. Add meat back to pot, along with stock and green chiles, and let simmer until flavors come together and pork is tender, about 45 minutes, although Dailey says, “It can simmer forever — the longer you simmer, the better it gets!” Adjust heat as needed to prevent any scorching on the bottom.
To serve, ladle into bowls, and tear the cilantro leaves right over the stew.
*Shop for ground Chimayo chile and dried Pasilla chiles online.
