Green chili

As soon as I fished my last container of chili out of the freezer last week I began jonesing for another pot. I have quite a few different chili recipes bookmarked - you know, just in case my regular supplier can't come through. Ummm... I mean, just in case I want to try something different.

Okay, maybe I have a bit of a chili problem. Admitting it is the first step, right? And making another batch is the second step. (Who needs twelve steps when two will do?)

Although the original recipe looked quite nice, I cut the amount of pork in half and used less cumin. I also didn't read the recipe too closely (my usual m.o.), which resulted in me adding the second portion of jalapenos a bit earlier than I should have. In the end it turned out to be quite tasty. I'll pop the leftovers in the freezer until the next time the bug hits.

Green chili
adapted from this recipe

2 lb pork roast, cubed
fat* of some sort (oil, lard, etc)
1 large onion, diced
7-8 cloves garlic, minced
3 jumbo green peppers, roasted and diced
6 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 big handfuls of dried black eyed beans
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
several glugs of ale
3 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp Mexican oregano
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1/4 c masa harina
couple dashes of cinnamon (optional)

Roast the green peppers under the broiler until the skins blacken. Place them in a brown paper bag for a bit and then peel off the skin. Remove the seeds and dice. Add them to a big pot, along with 4 of the chopped jalepenos. Brown the pork cubes in a pan with a freakishly large amount of fat, and add them to the pot as they're done. Saute the onion in the same pan for a bit, then add the garlic. Once they're done, toss them in the pot, too. Add the legumes to the pot along with the broth and ale, and season with 2 tbsp of the cumin and 1 tbsp of the Mexican oregano. Bring to a boil and let simmer for an hour (stirring occasionally). After an hour, add half of the cilantro, the remaining 2 jalapenos, and the remaining cumin and Mexican oregano (1 tbsp each). Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and add a few dashes of cinnamon if desired. Let simmer for another half hour or so, then add the remaining cilantro and the masa harina. (To avoid lumps, mix the masa harina with a bit of the hot broth in a separate bowl before adding). Simmer for another 15 minutes or so, then dig in! Serve over rice, or with tortilla chips, and/or perhaps with some sour cream (if you're a dairy queen).

* My otherwise lean roast had a big strip of fat on the underside. (I'm not judging you, little pig - just stating a fact.) I trimmed the fat and threw it in a hot pan to melt off some of it, then used the pork fat to brown the pork and to saute the onions and garlic. Whenever the pan looked a bit dry, I threw the fat back in the pan to grease things up a bit. You know, for someone who supposedly doesn't like pork, I sure eat a lot of it don't I?