Smoked Green Chile Stew
Serves everybody in the damn world. (about 5-1/2 gallons)
10 # Chicken Leg Quarters
4 # Red Potatoes medium dice
4 # Yellow Onions medium dice
1 cup Minced Garlic
3 # Hot Hatch Green Chile
3 # Mild Hatch Green Chile
For the stock:
The bones from the smoked chicken
2 # Yellow Onions medium dice
1 # Carrots medium dice
1 # Celery medium dice
Bouquet Garni consisting of the following tied up in cheesecloth.
3 Bay leaves
10 Parsley stalks
4 Thyme stems
1 Tb. Peppercorns
8 gallons water
Potato Starch and Water Slurry to thicken
Salt and Pepper to taste
Oregano and Thyme to taste
To cook: Smoke chicken over hardwood. Cool. Remove skin and reserve for something crazy. Separate meat from bones. Chill and store meat.
Make stock with the bones and other ingredients. For a darker, richer stock, roast the vegetables before adding to water. Simmer overnight, skimming occasionally. Strain stock and reduce to about 4 gallons.
Continue skimming and removing fat from surface.
In another large stock pot, sauté onions and garlic. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until halfway tender. Add diced chicken and green chile.
Season to taste. Just before service, thicken with slurry and adjust seasoning again.
This is really great served in pumpkins. Clean out a pumpkin or two and fill with stew. Cook at 350F for half an hour to 45 minutes.
You can scrape chunks of pumpkin into each bowl with the ladle.
YUM!