One of my most popular and most requested dishes. Even native New Mexicans love it!
The key here is that you must use roasted Hatch Green Chiles. Everything else is not Green Chile. They may be chiles, and they may be green, but they are not Green Chiles. Trust me. Hatch Green Chiles are available everywhere in New Mexico, and outside of that state they may be available in the freezer sections of some grocery stores, where they're usually already roasted and skinned, and packaged by the company Bueno. If you can buy them fresh, you'll need to roast them first - roast them in your oven until the skin blisters, then you can peel it off fairly easily, but wear plastic gloves whenever you're in prolonged contact with the chiles!!
* denotes ingredients, in lieu of an ingredient list.
1. sauté (for maybe 5-10 minutes?)
* vegetable oil,
* potatoes (a handful, chopped),
* 3 garlic cloves, crushed,
* touch of green chile,
* onion (1),
2. add in
* a can of hominy, saute for a little while longer,
2.5 optional: While sautéing veggies, in another pan, with some onion,
garlic, chile, and oil, saute
* chicken, cut into pieces. Sauté until
pretty well cooked, and add to the rest of the mixture.
3. add in
* tomatoes (probably about 6-8 fresh tomatoes,
or one large can of canned tomatoes), sauté until the juices start to
come out,
4. add in
* green chile. Add plenty of mild green chile so
you have actual chiles, and then add in as much hot chiles as you can stand.
If using the frozen Bueno kind, I find that a large package of mild (13 oz.)
and a small package of hot (7 oz.) does the trick, but if you're not sure, add
only half a package hot at first. Why? 1. You can always add more later, and
2. It will become hotter after the flavors sink in overnight.
* vegetable stock to cover the vegetables, or more;
I like a fairly watery stew, rather than a thick one. (You can also add water
and bouillon; use package directions on how much bouillon to add for your amount
of water)
* 3 more cloves of garlic, crushed (or perhaps
more, if necessary).
* And the secret ingredients: Curry and paprika.
True purists don't like non-green-chile spicing, but I find that a bit of curry
and some paprika adds a bit of depth to the taste. The trick is to put in enough
that you can taste something, but not enough that you can taste that it's curry
(or paprika). Shouldn't overwhelm the green chile taste, but should augment
it. But - sshhh! - don't tell!
5. Simmer for a while - at least 45 minutes. Ideally, let it sit overnight
before serving (refrigerating it is fine once it's cooled down), so the flavors
have a chance to percolate through. It's always better on the day after it's
made.
6. Before serving, taste again, adjust seasoning as necessary.
There you have it. At least, I think you do. It's a rough estimate, but it should hopefully get you good results!