Rosella Frederick of Cochití is known for her good cooking. One of her
specialties is her green chile stew. For feast days, she usually makes
enormous pots of stew outside over an open fire in order not to heat up
her spotless kitchen. She has cut down her recipe to family size for us.
2 pounds lean chuck
Lard or cooking oil
½ medium onion, chopped
4 medium potatoes (optional)
4 medium zucchini (optional)
12 large green chiles, roasted, peeled and cut in pieces
or 1 7-ounce container frozen chopped green chile
or 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chile
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon salt
6-7 cups water
Cut the meat up into very small pieces—about 2-inch cubes—and brown in a
little oil in a large, deep heavy pan. Add the onions. Peel and dice the
potatoes and brown them with the meat. (Rosella does not flour the meat
because it makes the stew too thick for her family’s taste.) When the
meat and onion and potatoes (if used) have been browned, drain off any
excess fat. Add the zucchini, if used, the chiles, garlic salt, salt and
water. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least a half hour. Ladle into
bowls and serve with homemade bread. The stew should be eaten with a
spoon, like a hearty soup. Serves 6.