The last time I was in Breckenridge, Colorado I ate a delicious version of huevos rancheros topped with Colorado green chili at Columbine Cafe. I’ve been meaning to try one out ever since, and seeing it pop up on the recent holiday season of The Great Food Truck Race prompted me to finally give it a go. I looked at a few different recipes to get an idea of what to do, then put together my own version.
- 4 poblano peppers
- About a pound and a quarter of fresh tomatillos, husks removed
- About two pounds of boneless pork shoulder (no skin) cut into small chunks
- A teaspoon or so each of garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder
- Salt and pepper
- Two or three tablespoons of hatch green chile-infused olive oil
- 2 sweet onions, diced
- Four cloves of garlic, minced
- Two tablespoons mirin
- Two or three cups of water
- Two tablespoons of chicken base
- A bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
- A tablespoon or two of jalapeño hot sauce
I drizzled some olive oil on the poblanos and tomatillos and roasted them at 415F for about 20 minutes, flipping the peppers once. After letting them cool, I took off the stems and scraped out the seeds of the poblanos, then chopped them roughly. I roughly chopped the parts of the tomatillos that were still whole, and set aside with the liquid from the roasting pan.
While the peppers and tomatillos were roasting I seasoned the pork with the garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle powder, salt, and white pepper. I browned the meat in a little oil in a dutch oven, then removed and set aside.
There was a lot of liquid in the pan, so I poured into into a separator, put the thin separated liquid in with the reserved meat and put some of the fat back into the pan. I added the hatch green chile-infused olive oil and cooked down the diced onions. When they were soft I added the garlic, cooked for two or three minutes, then added the mirin to let the mix brown up a little. I tossed in the cooked and chopped poblanos and tomatillos and the water, chicken base, cilantro, and jalapeño hot sauce. I let this mix cook down for about 20 minutes, then added the pork and simmered for about 40 more minutes.
While it was cooking I whipped up some refried beans. I melted some shredded cheddar on a flour tortilla in the microwave, then added some refried beans, rolled it up, and topped with the green chili. Before eating I also added some Mexican crema. I was really happy with this first attempt at green chili – in the future I might add more types of peppers, and bring a little more heat to it, but as is it was pretty delicious.
Cook Until Done 
Pingback: Green Chili (Colorado style) — Cook Until Done – Sarah's Attic Of Treasures