Chili Verde

Our visit with Michael and Cyndee this year was so great. They shared their dog, fresh kumquats off the tree, wifi, and their love of good food with us. Michael introduced me to a food I had never eaten before - tomatillos.  They look like a cross between a tomato and a plum and have an exquisite sour flavour.

Michael cooked up a pot of Chile Verde for us and served it with cornbread which was the perfect combination.  I think Paul had 3 helpings. 

I had to try this at home.  But first I had to find the tomatillos. I went to every single ethnic grocery store I could find - but none were the right ethnicity. Admitting defeat, I went to Safeway to see what else I could rustle up for dinner. There in the produce department was a big pile of tomatillos! 

Back on the quest for ingredients I asked the staff which peppers were Anaheims because they all just said “peppers from Mexico”. No one knew. So I bought some random Mexican peppers, more pork than I’ve ever purchased in my life and a bunch of garlic.

Back home, Paul was in charge of preparing the tomatillos having been trained by Michael. They have a papery leaf covering that has to be removed.  The fruit itself is very sticky.

While my Chile Verde may not have been as good as Michael’s it came a close second and somebody had seconds and thirds! 

When I search-engined a Chile Verde recipe, a lot of hits came up for Salsa Verde. (Salsa Verde is my favourite kind of salsa, but it’s almost impossible to find here and when you do, it’s crazy expensive.) You can’t imagine my delight to realize I could make my own Salsa Verde because they are made from - wait for it - tomatillos. I’ll blog later about that sublime experience.

There’s a little bit of prep involved for Michael’s masterpiece - but it’s definitely worth it.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds tomatillos
5 cloves garlic
2 jalapenos, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles
1 bunch cilantro leaves
3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (also called pork butt), cut into cubes
flour for dredging

salt
freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
2 yellow onions
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 tbsp of dried oregano
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
pinch of ground cloves
3 bay leaves
cilantro for garnish

Preamble:

Roasting the peppers is optional but adds a nice flavour.  If you have neither the time nor the inclination, however, this is a step you can skip.

Roast the peppers in the oven or on the barbecue until blackened. Don’t worry if they look gross and burned.  If they are actually black, the skin comes over much more easily. (After you roast them, put them in a paper bag or wrap in a towel until cool. They kind of deflate and then it’s easy to remove the skin.)

Peel the skin off and remove the seeds from the jalapenos. (Some say you may want to use rubber gloves so the oils from the jalapenos don't "burn" your fingers.)

Mix all the peppers up in a food processor, or chop finely.

Chili Verde

First get it all ready:

Peel,wash and chop the tomatillos.

Chop the pork into cubes.

Dredge (toss) the pork in flour.

Chop the garlic, the onions.
And if you aren’t roasting the peppers, then chop them into 1 inch cubes.

Cook the pork until browned on all sides.
Transfer to dutch oven or other heavy roasting pan.

Drain the fat then cook onions in the same pan until soft. Stir occasionally. (If you didn’t roast your peppers, then chop them into cubes and cook them with the onions.)

Add all of the chiles and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add the chopped tomatillos, oregano and cilantro, cover with the chicken stock and heat to boiling. (If you roasted your peppers, this is the time to add them in.)

Transfer into the pot with the meat.
Give it a big stir and add bay leaves, nutmeg and pepper.

Cook at 325º for about 3 hours or until the pork is fork tender.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Michael served his with corn bread but I served mine with lentil cakes which also went very nicely.