Chile Verde con Salchicha ♯

This is yet another variation in the series of dinners served at the yearly TWHC†. The basic theme is the same–a hearty one-dish meal that can be prepared beforehand to minimize the time the host must spend away from guests after they have arrived. This one omits the starch ingredient (posole or pasta) altogether, and thus becomes a tasty green chile with sausages, libity beans, and seasonings. Unlike Posoles in this set of recipes, it is served without the side condiments that usually accompany those dishes. For those wanting to turn this into a posole, you can have a bowl of hominy on the side.

Strictly speaking, it is not really a “chile verde,” because it also contains a little red chile, a red bell pepper, and red tomatoes. It might, perhaps more correctly, be called a “Christmas” chile, as it contains both red and green ingredients.* However, it is not a chili for the Christmas season only, but one with ingredients having those colors.

  • 2 lb bulk pork sausage
  • 2 lb smoked turkey sausages, in bite-sized pieces
  • 8 oz chopped onion
  • 2 tbsp smashed, chopped garlic
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped mushrooms
  • 2 cups low-sodium, fat-free chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 Poblano chiles, seeded and chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced ½”
  • 3 (10-oz) cans chopped green chile
  • 2 (10-oz) cans diced tomatoes
  • 2 (15-oz) cans libbity* beans
  • 1 tbsp mild red chile powder
  • 1 tsp oregano leaves
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 1 tsp powdered cumin
  • 1 tsp powdered coriander
  • 1 tsp powdered thyme
  • 1 tsp liquid hickory smoke
  • 3 tbsp cilantro leaf, chopped

Brown the pork sausage in a stock pot over medium heat, breaking up any clumps with a metal spatula, until most of the fat has rendered. Pour off the fat and put the sausage in a cooking pot lined with paper towels to absorb any remaining fat. Repeat this procedure with the turkey sausages, which may not have nearly as much fat, and add it to the sausage in the pot. Swirl the meat around to mix well and remove the paper toweling.

Add the onion, bring up the heat to medium-hot, and continue to brown the mixture, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook another 3 to 5 minutes until the garlic just begins to brown.

Add the stock, bay leaves, chile, red bell pepper, and carrots to the pot, bring the pot to a simmer, and let cook until the carrots are just softening. Add the remainder of the ingredients, except for the cilantro, to the pot, reestablish the simmer, and cook a few minutes, stirring to mix well, until the flavors have blended and the herbs have infused their gustatory sense into the whole.

Serve in decorative bowls with cilantro sprinkled over the top. Pass a bowl of chopped jalapeños as garnish and have a bottle of Cilantro Sauce† handy for those that hanker it.

Serves 8 to 10.