Denver Green Chili

Recipe of the Week - 10/26/08 Sun of Nikki Chili Verde 2007 World Champion

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I took this to a party last Saturday where about half the guests were Mexican, and
like most of the champion recipes, it got rave reviews and was totally snarfed up.
A few wanted it hotter, but I had only used half the serrano and jalapeno peppers
that the recipe called for. When I take green chili to a party, I usually either separate
it into two batches, one medium hot and one hot, or I make it milder than the recipe
calls for. Around here a lot of people generally can't take it really hot, but people who
do like it really hot will also like it medium hot. I could have brought some chopped
serranos and jalapenos for people to add, or perhaps some habanero hot sauce. I
made this with 3/4 mild Hatch and 1/4 Big Jim.

The big down side of this recipe is that it contains some hard-to-find ingredients.
I was unable to find hot Italian sausage mix (a spice blend for making Italian sausage),
so I had to locate a recipe and substitute the ingredients. I found the Goya Recaito
sauce at the Avanza market on Federal & Louisiana. I called Goya to find more
stores selling it, and all they could find was Correas International in Greenwood
Village (303) 760-9350 and Liborio Market at 1660 S. Circle Drive in Colorado Springs
(719) 444-8600. I called the Liborio Market in Commerce City with no luck - but it
would definitely help if I spoke Spanish. You can call Goya at (201) 348-4900 and
they can do a lookup by zip code, but they did not have a listing for the Avanza Market
where I found it. You can also order it online at goya.com.

What if you can't find Goya Recaito?? It is a "cilantro cooking base" that comes in a
12-oz jar and contains "water, coriander, dehydrated onions, green peppers, modified
food starch soybean oil, salt sweet peppers, garlic powder, MSG, flour, citric acid, and
oregano." It is very mild. Here is my wild guess as to how to make something close:
Combine 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, 3/4 cup water, 1 cup coarsely chopped bell pepper,
1 tablespoon onion soup mix, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp oregano, 1 tablespoon
lemon or lime juice, and 1 tsp oil in a blender and blend until smooth. I'm guessing
that will make roughly 12 ounces; this recipe call for 6 tablespoons, or about half the
jar. (I will attempt to make this and upload this recipe, updated, to
http://denvergreenchili.com/Documents/dgcrecipe59.htm)

Can't find the "Hot Italian Sausage Mix?" Substitute ingredients are in red italics
below. Another possibility is to actually substitute hot Italian sausage for some of the pork
loin and leave out the hot Italian sausage mix. I think this would work great, and I
would substitute sausage for up to half the pork, but I would chop it up very fine to
blend the flavors.

Many of the world champion green chili recipes call for both mild green chile powder and
hot green chile powder. I bought the mild at The Chili Guys at 55th & Federal 303-455-4030.
They also carry the hot, but they've been out of it for a while - call to see if they have it.
You can also get it at Savory Spice Shop, 3 locations in Denver, Littleton, and Boulder. See
their web site at savoryspiceshop.com. They only carry mild, but you can buy it online.

So far, I have left out the hot green chile powder in all the recipes I've tried, and they
are always good even without it. You can increase the mild green chile powder and/or
compensate with serrano and jalapeno chiles.

For the green chili sauce, I used Las Palmas.

One thing about this recipe, as it sat at the party it got a sort of amber-brownish liquid on
top. It tasted great, but I thought this separation with the liquid on top was a bit unattractive.
It was only a small amount, but none of the other world champion recipes did this. You
would need to stir it at least every half hour or more to get rid of this.

All in all, this recipe tasted great, but with the complexity of ingredients and difficulty
getting some of them, I would not put this anywhere near the top of the list of champion
green chili recipes. Some of the simpler recipes are just as good. I would be tempted to
take the 2006 champion and just add 1/2 tsp fennel, 1/4 tsp basil, 1/4 tsp thyme and
1 tsp paprika to get a very similar character. Or perhaps the 2002 champion and add
1 tsp fennel 1/2 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp thyme, and 2 tsp paprika - this recipe makes a giant
batch. I will experiment with this in the future. Or .... substitute hot Italian sausage for
some of the pork!

This is the 6th world champion recipe I've made, and without fail, I have found each
one to be very good and very forgiving. If you leave out or substitute an ingredient
(as long as it makes sense) it is still likely to be very, very good.


Sun of Nikki Chili Verde


Ingredients:

2 tablespoons corn oil
3 lbs. pork loin, cubed
1 cup diced Vidalia onion
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
3 tablespoons chicken base (chicken bouillon)

1 tablespoon hot Italian sausage mix
or
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 ts black pepper
1/2 tsp Fennel seeds
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed dried red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika

3 1/2 cups diced green chiles (or 27 oz can)
2 cups diced tomatillos (about 1/2 lb)
5 Serrano peppers, diced
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon Mexican oregano
1 tablespoon cumin (5 teaspoons total)
4 jalapenos, diced
1 16 oz can green enchilada sauce
6 tablespoons Goya Recaito sauce

1 teaspoon hot green chili powder
1 teaspoon mild green chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin

2 teaspoons of cumin
1 dash of hot green chili powder

Preparation:

1. Heat the oil and brown the pork.
2. Add onion, chicken broth, chicken base, and hot Italian sausage mix
3. Bring to a boil - cook for 45 minutes.
4. Add 1/3 of green chiles, tomatillos, Serrano peppers, sugar, garlic powder,
celery salt, Mexican oregano, 1 tsp. cumin, jalapenos, green enchilada sauce,
and Goya Recaito sauce. Simmer for 1 hour.
5. Add 1/3 of green chiles, hot green chili powder, mild green chili powder, and
2 teaspoons of cumin. Simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Add 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 dash of hot green chili powder,1/3 chopped
green chiles and salt to taste.
7. Simmer another 15-20 minutes and serve.


Preparation time: about 1 hours
Total time: about 2 1/2 hours
Serves: 12 - about 3 quarts




Sun of Nikki Chili Verde
2007 World Champion




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Anita

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