Green Chile Duck Stew

Ingredients

• ½ pound boneless duck breast, skinned and cubed
• 1 cup red onion, medium diced
• ½ cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and rough chopped
• ½ cup celery, rinsed and medium diced
• 1 ½ quarts chicken stock
• 1 cup fresh tomatillos, rinsed, cored and quartered
• 2 tbsp. olive oil (substitute canola, avocado or grapeseed oil)
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• ¼ cup red cabbage, shaved thin
• ¼ cup garlic clove, freshly minced
• 1 lime
• 1 ⅓ tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. cotija cheese
• 1 ⅓ tbsp. ground coriander
• 1 cup fresh poblano peppers, seeded and large diced
• 1 cup hominy
  

Directions

1. Preheat a large soup pot over high heat, add half of the olive oil and sauté the onions until they become aromatic, about 45 seconds. Add poblano peppers and continue to sauté for another minute or until you can smell the peppers. Add in garlic and sauté until it just begins to turn golden brown. Add the remaining oil and the duck.
2. Continue cooking until the meat has browned. Add hominy, tomatillos, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, half of the cilantro, and chicken stock.  
3. Simmer uncovered over medium heat for 1 hour or until the liquid has begun to thicken noticeably and the meat is tender. Mix in the remaining cilantro and serve.

Tips: Garnish each bowl with shaved red cabbage, cotija cheese, and a small amount of fresh lime zest (use a Microplane zester) before serving for improved flavor and appearance.

Chef’s Notes: Vegetable stock may be substituted for chicken stock and pork loin or chicken breast may be substituted for the duck breast. Hominy can generally be found canned in the ethnic food section of most grocery stores. Canned tomatillos may be substituted for fresh. Canned chiles may also be substituted for the fresh poblano peppers. Cotija cheese is a dry, crumbly aged cow’s milk-based cheese, also known as añejo. Substitutions include feta, dry jack, or queso fresco.

Nutritional Key: Calories/Carbs/Proteins/Fat/Fiber 124/11/8/6/2