Chile Verde Stew

Hello my Hy-Vee friends! I am excited to report that it is Hatch Chile season here at your West Lakes Hy-Vee. Hatches are green, beautiful, tasty chiles grown in Hatch, New Mexico. Once the chiles are roasted and peeled (see note at the bottom of my recipe), the uses for Hatch chiles are endless. Some of my favorite uses include topping them on white cheddar burgers, pizza, stuffing them with cheese and deep drying them (aka chile rellenos) and making chile verde sauce (see recipe below) which can be used to pour over enchiladas, burritos, french fries, rice, you name it. In my favorite scenario, I take pork butt and simmer it with the chile verde sauce to make a delicious green chile stew. Top that with some shredded Henning's Hatch Chile Pepper Cheese and a touch of sour cream and it puts me in hatch heaven.

Chile Verde (Green Pork Chile Stew)

All you need for the stew:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 pounds pork butt (shoulder), small dice

Salt and pepper

Chile verde sauce (see below)

1 to 2 russet potatoes, small dice (optional)

Shredded Hatch Green Chile cheddar cheese or regular Cheddar cheese

Sour cream

Lime wedges

All you need for the chile verde sauce:

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 medium yellow onion, small dice

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Pinch of ground clove

1 teaspoon oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or 1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes, drained

4 cups chicken stock

2 cups (about 1 pound) chopped, roasted and peeled Hatch Green Chiles (see note below)

All you do for the stew:

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium high heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. 

2. Add the chile verde sauce and turn down heat to low, cover and simmer pork for 2 hours (if using potatoes, add after 90 minutes).

3. Serve in bowls alongside the cheese, sour cream and lime. 

4. Enjoy!

All you do for the chile verde sauce:

1. In a medium sauce pan, saute the onion and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, until tender.

2. Stir in the flour, cumin, clove, salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the tomatoes, stock and chiles. Simmer for 15 minutes and puree until smooth.

*Note: Roast the peppers by placing them on an open gas flame, turning them frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black, about 7 to 10 minutes (alternately, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler or on top of a gas or charcoal grill). Place the blackened peppers in a plastic or paper bag and let rest until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers and remove the seeds and stems. Chop the peppers and set aside.

As always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex

Spaghetti ala Amatriciana

Hello my Hy-Vee friends!

I love pasta and let's face it, who doesn't? When our Hy-Vee brought in a new imported Italian section, I decided to give the Gustare pasta a shot and I was blown away. It's been too long since I ate real Italian pasta and I don’t think I’ll ever go back to the box stuff again. 

All pastas are NOT created equal. Yes, all pasta consists of flour and water, but the differences stop there. There is industrial pasta and artisan pasta. The two big differences are the dies they use to extrude the pasta and the time and temperature used to dry the pasta. 

Industrial pasta uses Teflon dies to extrude pasta. Teflon dies are strong, efficient and the pasta comes out shiny and smooth. But you do not want smooth pasta. With smooth pasta, the sauce slides off. Artisan pasta uses bronze dies. Bronze dies are expensive and break easier, but the pasta that is extruded comes out rough. Rough is what we want because then your sauce clings to the pasta. 

Secondly and just as important is how the pasta is dried. Industrial pasta is dried hot and quick. Artisan pasta is dried low and slow. This helps retain its delicious taste and texture. To highlight this wonderful pasta, I chose the delicious Amatriciana sauce. This pasta sauce is based on guanciale (cured pork jowl available at your Hy-Vee Deli), tomato, onions and garlic. Simple and very tasty!

Spaghetti ala Amatriciana

All you need:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced thin
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 pound guanciale, small dice (preferably La Quercia)
1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
Salt
1/4 cup grated aged pecorino cheese, more for serving
1 pound spaghetti

All you do:
1. Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet. Add onion and garlic, and saute over medium heat until transparent. Add guanciale and saute until barely beginning to brown.
2. Break up tomatoes and add. Cook about 15 minutes, crushing tomatoes with a spoon. Season with chili and salt. Remove from heat.
3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, add spaghetti and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and transfer to skillet. Gently reheat contents of skillet, folding pasta and tomato sauce together until they are heated through and pasta is well-coated, about 5 minutes. Check seasoning and serve with cheese on the side. 
4. Enjoy!

Slurp some pasta and as always, Praise the Lard!

-Chef Alex