New Mexican Pork and Green Chile Stew

(Served in a Pumpkin Bowl)

FOR THE STEW:
3 large pasilla/poblano peppers
2 T. + 1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, cut into ½- inch dice
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T. each cumin and oregano
1-2 tsp. chile powder (look for chipotle or ancho chile powder)
1 tsp. coriander
2 large heirloom tomatoes
1 cup lager-style beer
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 lbs. natural pork shoulder or butt, chopped into 1 inch pieces, rubbed with 1 tsp. kosher salt
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup green onions, finely minced
2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste and freshly ground black pepper
 5 lb. edible-type pumpkin
½ cup Queso Fresco (cheese), crumbled
3-4 T. chopped fresh cilantro and green onions

Preheat oven to 350degrees.  Blacken pasilla peppers either over direct flame, bbq, or broiler.  Place blackened pepper in paper bag, wrap thoroughly and let cool for 10 minutes.  Peel off blackened skin, core, and seed them.  Cut into ¼ inch dice and set aside.  In a large dutch oven or stew pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onion, garlic, cumin, chile powder, oregano, and coriander.  Cook for 5-10 minutes until onion is translucent and spices are aromatic.  Add tomatoes, stir, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes (it’s good if you get a little sticking on the bottom as this adds flavor and releases into the stew later).  Add beer and boil for 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth and bring to boil.  Meanwhile in large cast iron pan, brown pork in hot pan for 2-3 minutes per side (might need to do this in 2 batches so there isn’t any crowding).  Remove pork from cast iron to stew pot as it finishes browning.  Add cilantro and green onions to stew and with final addition of pork, bring stew to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 2 hrs.  Add apple cider vinegar, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Rinse pumpkin, cut top out, remove innards, place in oven on strong cookie sheet and roast for 1 hr.  Remove from oven and carefully ladle stew into pumpkin.  Return to oven and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven, ladle stew (with chunks of the roasted pumpkin scraped out with stew) into bowls.  Garnish with cilantro, green onions, and queso fresco. Serves 4 in a hearty way.