by Niki (Dayton OH) » Tue Sep 05, 2006 8:43 pm
Hi Howard
To me, the difference between chili and green chile stew is tomatoes, unless of course I'm making what I call white chili (but that's still different from green chile stew because my version of white chili has beans).
I don't have or use exact recipes, but I'll be glad to describe what I do and approximate the quantities.
Assuming you're interested in red (tomato-based) chili, here's what I do to make a big pot.
First, I roast the chiles on the grill, then put them in a paper bag for a bit, then peel them and seed them, discarding the peels and seeds. How much chile you use depends upon your tolerence for heat, and also on the types of chiles you use. This time of year, I'll use whatever fresh chiles I can find.
My experience is that Hatch chiles look like Annaheim chiles, but pack a MUCH bigger punch. I'd probably roast about 10 to 12 Hatch chiles (depending on their size) for a big pot of chili, but again, your mileage may vary. You may want to use some Annaheims for the chile flavor without the heat (I think I recall that you cook for your family which includes children who are somewhat heat adverse). I'll also use cherry peppers, poblanos, Italian grilling peppers; whatever is growing in the garden to excess. For a big pot of chili (1 to 1.25 gallons or so), I probably use about 4 to 5 cups of peeled seeded chiles. I dice the chile into about 1/2 inch squares before adding them to the pot.
Take about 1.5 lbs of chuck roast, trim, then cut into medium size chunks 1 inch or so), season, and brown in hot oil. I use olive, but peanut works well, too. Take about 1.5 lbs of pork roast, and do the same. Drain the meat on paper towels, then put into a large stockpot (~6-8 quarts).
Add tomatoes - I have lots of Romas growing, so tend to use those, but you can add three or four large cans of plum tomatoes if you prefer; buy the whole ones and hand crush before adding them and their liquid to the pot. If I use canned tomatoes, I'll usually add maybe a half can of water. I'll usually use about 8 to 10 cups of Romas (blanched and peeled, and hand crushed).
Add the chiles. Satuee a couple of large onions and four or five cloves of garlic, if you like, and add that (I don't always add onions). Add a couple of large cans of kidney beans (or not, depending on your druthers, but they're nutritous, cheap, and tasty. We use the Brooks chili beans which are already seasoned). Add a can of beer - any kind, but I like dark beer best in chili. Add salt and pepper, a couple of healthy pinches of each (I use cayenne, but we like spicy). Add a big pinch of cumin if you like, but I don't always. Bring to a simmer, and stir frequently to ensure it's not sticking to the pan. Cook, uncovered, for a couple of hours until everything melds together. It's tasty as is, but even better the next day.
For white chili, I add more chiles (probably 6 cups, maybe even more), always add onions and garlic, no tomatoes, use both garbanzo beans and cannelloni (white kidney beans), 2 big cans of each. I simmer a whole chicken with aromatics (onions, garlic, carrots, celery leaves), then remove the chicken and aromatics, add the beans, chiles, and onions and garlic to the broth (about 12 cups of liquid), cook down for a couple of hours, then add the deboned chicken back the mix.
Sorry this is so approximate, but it's how I cook, and although I'm making white chili on Sunday with the Hatch chiles that Larry sent, I didn't want to wait till then and measure to answer you.
Good luck! If it seems to need more or less of something, then add or subtract to the approximations above. You've got good instincts, so just trust yourself and go for it...and let us know how it turns out!
Cheers,
Niki
