Having lived in the Southeastern United States for most of my life, I was in for a big change when I moved to the Southwest. I discovered and started using so many new ingredients I’d never seen or heard of before. One of those was Hatch green chile. I’d see it listed on every restaurant menu, including fast food places and I came to learn about the fierce culture behind the pepper and plant.

Grown by the Indigenous Pueblo and Hispano communities for hundreds of years, it is included in almost every meal on New Mexican’s tables. For some time, I couldn’t quite get myself in the habit of eating it regularly even though I am a huge fan of hot sauce and spice. Until one day, I was able to try two different meals that traditionally use the chile – posole (or pozole) and green chile stew. Both are usually made with pork and feature a wide array of fresh, local ingredients that provide brightness to the respective dishes. I don’t eat much pork, but wanted to still make a filling meal reminiscent of both of the soups.

Here, fonio is a great addition, alongside hearty pinto beans that replace the meat that would be usually used, and all of the fresh ingredients used in the dish make for a healthy and nourishing stew. The meal is great with plain fonio, but could be substituted with many of the Fonio Pilafs as well!