Spicy Pulled Pork and Chile Stew

Nothing is better on a cold winter night then a bowl of warm spicy chili. My inspiration for this came from wanting to make a white chicken chili, but the chicken was frozen and I didn’t feel like going through the hassle of defrosting and cooking it. We had some pulled pork in the fridge already prepared (thanks Sam's club) and thought adding butternut squash and potatoes would be a nice addition. The result was a smoky, tender pork and mild heat of the diced green chilies provided an excellent flavor combination and really lends itself to the comforting warmth of the dish without overpowering spice.  Enjoy!

 

* please note that I do not measure out my spices, salt and pepper when throwing together a new recipe. I eye them out and just add a little of this and a little of that. It comes with years of experience, you may need to correct the amounts to your particular tastes.

 

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium Red onion, diced
1 medium Carrot, diced
1 rib Celery, diced
3 cloves Garlic, minced
1 1/2# smoked pulled pork (I like Sam’s club’s)
1 cup peeled and diced butternut squash
1 russet potato, peeled and diced
1 cup chicken stock
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can white beans
1 can green chiles
3 Bay leaves
1 Tbsp. Cumin 
1 Tbsp. Chile powder  
2 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Thyme
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste 

Garnish-

Avocado slices
Dollop of Sour cream
Tortilla chips

 In a large stock pot put olive oil and butter over medium high heat to get hot. Add onion, celery, carrots and sweat for 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook for an additional minute and then add squash and potato. Mix and cook for 5 minutes. Add pulled pork, tomatoes, stock, beans, chiles, Bay leaves, and spices. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper. (depending on personal preference, you may want to add additional spices as well)

Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until potatoes and squash are tender. Cover, turn off heat and let sit for 30 minutes. 

To serve, ladle into bowls, top with a couple of slices of avocado and a dollop of sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.  Enjoy!