Stew for you

 

I clipped this recipe out of a Cooking Light magazine almost a year ago and I'm not really sure why it's taken me so long to make it.  Now that I know how good it is, I'm sorry that I didn't make it sooner.  This stew has big pieces of chicken in a really flavorful - not too spicy - broth. 

The weather forecast is calling for rain tonight in Georgia - the perfect night for stew.

Chicken Verde Stew with Hominy

2 Anaheim chilies                              1/2 cup sliced carrot
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos                    1/2 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup fresh cilantro                        1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin                      3 Tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon oregano                           4 teaspoons chopped garlic
2c cups chicken broth                       1 pound boneless chicken, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil                     3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup chopped onion                  1/2 teaspoon pepper
29 ounce can golden hominy          6 Tablespoons light sour cream

Halve, stem and seed Anaheim chilies. 

Place chilies, skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet.   Broil for 5 minutes or until charred.  

Place chilies in a paper bag and let stand for 15 minutes.  Peel and discard skins.  

Arrange tomatillos on the same baking sheet and broil 14 minutes, turning once.  (Always peel off the papery skin on the tomatillo before putting them under the broiler.)

Don't worry if they look a little burnt.  The black color is exactly what you're looking for and will add a nice charred flavor to the stew.

Combine chilies, tomatillos, cilantro, cumin and oregano in food processor.  

Process.  Add 1 cup broth.

Process until smooth.  

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a dutch oven and add onion, celery and pepper.  Saute 2 minutes.  

 

Stir in flour and cook 2 more minutes.  

  Add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer.  

Place onion mixture in a bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

Heat 2 more teaspoons oil in dutch oven and add half of the chicken.   

Sauté until browned.  Add to onion mixture.   Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.  

Combine remaining 1 cup broth, tomatillo mixture, onion mixture and hominy in pan over medium high heat. 

Bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to simmer.  Cook 45 minutes.  

Ladle into bowls and serve with 1 Tablespoon sour cream.  

 

Don't be afraid of ingredients like tomatillos even if you have never cooked with them before.   They're easy to work with and they add really nice depth of flavor to the stew.  We ate the first batch of this stew within 2 days so I've already made it a second time.  (This time I made a double batch.)  

Bon Appetit!