Green Chili a la Gringa

Comfort food means different things to different people. To a girl from Colorado, there is nothing more comforting than a bowl of green chili with fluffy, homemade tortillas.

First things first- if your local grocery store has fresh Hatch Green Chiles, get some! And if you're lucky enough to shop at a store where they not only have them, but roast them on-site, get lots and freeze them. They are the reason I decided to make green chili on a Tuesday... at 7pm... after working 8 hours. Which, by the way, I would not advise. Although it turned out great, it will only get better with additional simmer time. Two hours on low is what I'll recommend, but one hour would definitely suffice.

I started with a traditional green chili recipe and then made some changes that are simply a matter of preference. Feel free to add, subtract or change major ingredients as you like. As long as the basic recipe and proportions stay the same, you'll end up with a delicious finished product.

 

Green Chili

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 lbs. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed (I would probably be ridiculed relentlessly in many (ok most) circles for using chicken instead of pork, but I prefer chicken, so that's what I used).
2 1/2 Cups roasted, chopped green chiles
1 14.5 oz. Can of diced tomatoes
1 Large white onion, diced
1 Teaspoon of garlic, minced
5 Tablespoons of flour (3 or 4 if you'd like it thinner- I did 5 because I wanted it more stew-like)
32 oz. Chicken stock
1/2 Cup water (or more depending on desired thickness)
1 Tablespoon oil (Olive, Canola, Vegetable, whatevs)

Salt and pepper to taste
1 Can black beans (optional, I added them because I wanted the chili to be a complete meal)

Method:

Heat oil in large stock pot. Add onion and garlic and cook over medium heat until fragrant and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add cubed chicken, and pinch of salt and pepper and stir until chicken is cooked through.

Sprinkle flour over the chicken, stir in and cook for about 3 minutes. This will cook out the flour, so your finished chili doesn't taste pasty. 

Add diced tomatoes, green chiles, chicken stock, water, black beans, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Then reduce to low and simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally. *This recipe can also be made in a slow cooker if that's more convenient. 

Grill Roasted Sausage and Veggies

One of my favorite chefs to watch on TV is Jamie Oliver. First and foremost, I love listening to him talk. And as far as cooking styles go, I relate most to his. Keeping things simple and clean, using beautiful ingredients and no ego. Love that. 

A while back I was watching an episode of "Jamie at Home" where he made a roasted sausage and veggie dish in his outdoor wood-fired oven. I spent the entire episode coveting that oven, and slightly bummed that I wouldn't be able to achieve the same flavors at home in my boring, old, electric version.

Recently, while I was trying to decide what to make for dinner, this dish crossed my mind. First I thought I could just crank up the broil in my traditional oven to achieve the same char, but then it occurred to me that the best way to get the smoky flavor I was looking for, was to cook the dish over the fire of the grill. So that's exactly what I did. Turned that grill up to "full whack" (as Jamie would say) and hoped for the best.

The result was exactly what I wanted. Nice char on the sausages and all of the ingredients seemed to completely melt together with the high heat. The best part about it? This dinner couldn't have been easier. Toss everything together in a sheet or roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and cook. I made a simple stove-top tomato sauce because I felt like it needed some moisture. The dish looked beautiful when plated family-style and it would be an excellent dish to serve at a dinner party. Enjoy!

Ingredients
4 Italian Sausages (you can use any combination of spicy/mild, pork/chicken/turkey you like)
3 red bell peppers- cored, seeded, sliced
1 pint baby bella mushrooms 
1/2 large white onion, sliced
4 or 5 medium yukon gold potatoes, quartered
1 pint of cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 buch fresh basil, torn roughly
5 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs fresh oregano
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
About 3 tablespoons of good olive oil (don't go overboard here, just coat everything lightly)
Salt and pepper to taste

Stove Top Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup of Marsala cooking wine
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 28oz. can of diced tomatoes (I like the fire-roasted kind, but regular will work)
salt and pepper to taste
3 or 4 basil leaves, torn roughly

1 teaspoon of fresh oregano, leaves removed from stalks

Method
Light grill and adjust to medium-high heat. Combine sausage, bell peppers, mushrooms, onion, potatoes, cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, thyme, oregano and rosemary on sheet or roasting pan. Sprinkle the whole mess with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss with hands to evenly coat. Place on grill over medium-high heat and cook for about 30 minutes.

Note: After everything has been cooking for about 15 minutes, pay special attention. Things will really begin to get interesting at that point and you'll want to be sure everything is getting nice color, but not burning. Consistent turning and stirring is definitely necessary.  

To start your pan sauce, combine the Marsala cooking wine with minced garlic over medium heat. When the wine has started to boil, add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and oregano and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Remove the sausage and veggies from the grill and move to a serving platter. Top with tomato sauce and parmesan (if you've got it) and eat up!