New Mexico Green Chili Stew

This was just ok for us. I think it needed something. And I added a lot of stuff. Jalapeño, cumin, red pepper, chili powder. I threw it all in the crockpot. When I served it, I topped it off with shredded cheese, queso fresco, sour cream, and sir racha. Still lacking in flavor!

A variation of this 1985 recipe appears on page 84 of "Benson & Hedges presents Recipes from America's Favorite Resorts". It is said to be featured on the menu at Rancho Encantado in New Mexico. The difference in the B & H recipe compared to this one, other than quantities of the ingredients, is that flour is not called for, but rather, the stew is simmered for one hour, which serves to reduce and thicken. Since I used "Better Than Bouillon" roasted beef base, the sugar was not necessary, but do stick to the 1 teaspoon for 1 cup, rather than heaping the base, or your stew may seem very salty. To avoid the beans becoming mushy in the hour called for, I simply added them in the last fifteen minutes. For our tastes, cilantro was the perfect garnish, and cheese was not necessary. Replacing the tomatoes with Rotel may be an interesting option, as well.

It is important to use New Mexico Hatch chiles in this recipe- but be forewarned, they are much hotter than the California Anaheim chiles commonly sold in cans ( such as Ortega brand) in supermarkets. My daughter, a New Mexico resident for many years, adds a cup of good beef stock and half of bottle of Corona beer in place of some of the water in the recipe. In addition a tbsp of cumin, which gives the stew a deeper, more complex flavor.

Delicious, great recipe easy to make. I did cut the size of the recipe down for the 2 of us. Making the recipe as stated using 1/2 pound ground turkey & 1/2 pound ground beef the 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, we love garlic, 1 meduim potato, 1 can pinto beans 1 can Italian style stewed tomatoes. 1 1/2 cans greens chiles.I put the other 1/2 can chilies in the cornbread that I made to serve with the stew. Thank you for posting this yummy easy to make recipe.

This is really good! Very similar to other stews I make, but I had never combined potatoes and beans. Silly me! I did make one substitution: I didn't have Italian-style tomatoes, so I used Rotel.