While in Colorado a few months ago, some friends from New Mexico paid me and my traveling companions a visit. Upon arriving, our friends produced a one-gallon freezer bag of green chili, threw it on the stove and fed us all. We ate and drank and ate some more. Impressed with the chili, I tried to get the recipe out of my guests. I can't say that they were secretive about techniques and ingredients. They'd just gotten a head start on their drinking, so the nuances of the recipe were a little hazy. Despite not having home-grown Anaheims, as my friends did, I've come close to replicating their green chili. What follows is more a method than an exact recipe.

[Photo: Nick Vagnoni]1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped 4-5 Anaheim chiles, roughly chopped 3-4 poblano chiles, roughly chopped 2 lbs tomatillos, peeled, washed and quartered 1-2 jalapeños (if more heat is desired) 4-5 large garlic cloves, crushed, peeled and roughly chopped 2-3 lbs pork (I used shoulder) trimmed of fat and cut into golf-ball sized chunks 1 bottle Tecate or other Mexican lager Dried oregano Ground cumin salt warm corn or flour tortillas and sour cream for serving I began by browning about a third of the pork in a large Le Creuset dutch oven to develop some flavor in the pan. When it had taken on some color and left some equally nice brown bits on the bottom, I removed it and added the onion. After sweating the onion for a few minutes, I crumbled in a few tablespoons of oregano and a few healthy shakes of cumin, as well as the garlic. After this became fragrant, I added the chopped chiles. When they'd softened, I added the tomatillos and a few good pinches of salt. As the tomatillos released some of their liquid, I added the bottle of Tecate and scraped the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. I let some of the alcohol cook off, then added all of the pork. I brought this to a boil, then turned it down to a simmer and covered it. I stirred occasionally, checking in every once in a while. After about two and a half hours, the tomatillos and chiles had broken down and blended together. I let the pot simmer, uncovered, until the excess liquid had reduced and the chili had thickened. Satisfied, I dished it up into a bowl and served it with warm flour tortillas and a little sour cream.