Happy Fri-Yay! How has your week been going? It's been a busy one here. Both girls have had school project days, Katelyn's was a Toy Expo, where the children came up with their own toys to sell to children, created a website, commercial, and app for their toy and presented them. It was a really fun night. Lindsay's class is making a science project in class, it's tomorrow, but it seems like every day except Monday, I'm going here or there, and sometimes I don't know whether I'm coming or going, oh I'm just kidding!
Tuesday I went into town for some secret shopping, and I stopped by, and as long as I lived in Mesa, I even got my degree at Mesa Community College, and I'd heard of the Rose Garden on campus, but never took the time to smell the roses. Even though it's the end of Summer, and most of the roses seem like they are sitting the Summer out from blooming, there were a few rose bushes that really were stunning, as the Summer didn't even phase them, they went ahead and bloomed all over the place.
My favorite was Bolero, with it's beautiful white fragrant ruffled petals. If you get the chance, you can self-guide yourself for an hour through the Rose garden that displays more than 8,000 roses! Tomorrow is my nieces birthday, and hopefully we'll be able to see a special showing of Disney Descendants, it's First come First serve with only one showing, that the girls really want to go see this weekend!
Onto the recipe. Here in the Southwest, Fall officially starts with the Harvesting of Hatch Green Chilis from New Mexico. Several years ago, I worked for a very well established local Mexican restaurant, Macayos, who maybe you've seen their canned goods in your grocery. At Macayos they also farm and harvest their own Green chilis here in Arizona, and for a month, we'd run specials for our Fresh Chili Harvest, is how I marked the beginning of Fall.
My family loves Fresh Roasted Green Chili, and with the temperatures finally dipping below 100F, to me that's Fall, so tonight I am celebrating by cooking up one of my families favorite fall comfort foods, Green Chili Pork Stew!
Green Pork Chili Stew
2 pounds pork loin, cubed
3 or 4 fresh or frozen Hatch or Anaheim Chilis, roasted,seeded and diced
3 or 4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. salt
Tabasco (optional)
1. Grill the chilis, until their skins are sweltering, and they are slightly charred on all sides. Turn off grill, and place chilis in a plastic bag, to allow the skins to steam off for about 20 minutes. Rinse under cold water, and the skins should easily come off.
2. In a stock pot, heat 1 Tbls. Extra Virgin Olive oil on Medium-High heat. Add the pork, and sear until all sides are golden brown. Add 3 cups chicken broth, and potatoes.
3. In small saute pan, heat the other 1 Tbls. olive oil and saute the onion and garlic, until onion is
translucent, about 5 minutes. Add to the stock pot.
4. With 2 or 3 of the green chilis, add to the stock pot. With the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and remaining green chili, blend in blender. Add the blended chili mixture to the stock pot. Cook until the potatoes and pork are tender about half an hour.
5. I take a potatoe masher and, mash the potatoes slightly to thicken the stew. For a spicier stew, add a couple shots of Tabasco. Then ladle into bowls.
Garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with warmed flour tortillas.
Wishing you a fabulous weekend!
Until next time!
xo,
