Green Chili

We are big fans of green chili in this house, we put it on everything that holds still long enough. Last year I made my own. Matt complained, after finishing the last jar, that I hadn't made nearly enough. This year we have already made and frozen two batches. Frozen because I don't really know squat about how to can things. Maybe next year I can tackle that. For anyone else who enjoys a little kick to there life, here is how we went about it.

-Green chilies. We buy pre-roasted ones from the farmers market. You could roast your own but that would be...intense. Or just a heck of a lot of work. Assume you need several pounds of roasted chilies. We buy a mix of medium and mild and our green chili always has a kick to it.

- Stock. We use chicken, homemade. You could use canned or even water, but we love home made stock. You will need 4-8 cups. Yes, that is a broad range but it sorta depends on how thick you like your chili and how many roasted chilies you could get your hands on.

- Tomitillos. I hear green tomatoes work too. We use about 8-12, they add a little tart or citrus note to your chili

-Onion and garlic. We use lots of this because we love both. Garlic adds a demention to the spice, and both add flavor. Don't use less than at least one whole onion and a whole clove of garlic.

-Cilantro. Use about one small bunch

- Pork. Not to make this "pork green chili" which is excellent, but to add some flavor and fat for a good mouth feel. I toss in a couple of country style ribs.

-Salt and pepper to taste

Start by cleaning chili's. This is a lousy task, messy too. Remove skins and seeds. Don't stop to itch your nose or eyes or you will regret it. Think pepper spray, yeah, not good. Don't rinse your chili's, you want all the good oils to stay, so use as little water as you can.

Dump chili's, stock, diced onion and garlic, tomitillos, and pork into your crock pot. Turn on low. Walk away. Come back in 8ish hours.

Remove pork, make sure to get any chunk of bone too, as bones can really do a number on your blender. Shred pork and make a killer taco.

Blend in batches, adding fresh cilantro. I leave mine with a little chunk to it. Salt and pepper to taste.

Like your chili a little thicker? Add some cornstarch and bring to a simmer. If you need it a bit thinner add some more stock.

You are now the proud owner of a bunch of green chili. We have a large crock pot and end up with about 6 quart jars full. What to do with all this chili?

-Make a breakfast burrito and smother it well
- Use it as an enchilada sauce by mixing it with some sour cream and pouring it over corn tortillas stuffed with meat. Top with cheese and bake.
-Pull some pork shoulder and toss with a jar of green chili and enjoy some tacos
- Serve it on a hamburger
- Mix with cream cheese and serve with corn chips.

Or, if your a nice person, give it as a gift. We are not nice people and end up eating most of it ourselves.