Had an extra 8 pound pork shoulder that needed using up. Made an old favorite.

M

michael-in-phoenix

Well-known member
Sandra's Chile Verde.

Double batch, and oh my goodness, what amazing flavor! I was able to get good tomatillos and green chiles,

We make this at Christmas a lot, but I'm always in the mood for good comfort food.

hile Verde

Recipe By : Sandra in London

Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Pork Soups And Stews

serves 6

2 tablespoons lard

3 pounds lean, fresh boneless pork butt, cut

into 1 1/2" cubes

2 medium white onions, thinly sliced

lengthwise

3 cloves garlic, pressed

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 teaspoons ground oregano

8 small tomatillos, husked and finely chopped

or 1 cup canned

4 fresh Anaheim chiles, seeded, deveined and

finely chopped

1 large tomato, peeled and coarsely chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

3/4 cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons lime juice

Heat the lard in a 6 quart dutch oven over

medium heat until hot. Add about 1/3 of the

pork in a single layer. Cook, turning

occasionally, until brown on all sides,

about 10 minutes, remove to a plate. Repeat

until all the pork has been browned. Remove

and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the

drippings from the pan. Add onions and

garlic and saute over medium heat until

soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in salt, cumin

and oregano. Add the tomatillos, chiles,

tomato and cilantro leaves to the pan and

stir in the stock. Heat over high heat and

bring to boiling. Return the pork to the pan

and reduce heat to low. Simmer, covered,

until pork is tender 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Uncover pan, increase heat to medium. Cook

at a low boil, stirring occasionally, until

sauce is thickened, 20-30 minutes longer.

Stir in lime juice. To serve, spoon pork

over rice and sprinkle with sliced almonds,

cilantro leaves, radishes and lime slices.

 
So, in a moment of hunger (as always when in a store) I picked up a 3 pound ROASTED

pork, ready to eat from the hot bar. Lord only knows that I thought I was going to do with all that because it's still 90% there.

So, can I make the tomatillo sauce and just added the cubed meat??

 
Another good way to do this in a pinch is to use 505 Hatch Green Chile in a jar.

Costco has the best price.

It you like roasted Hatch chiles, this stuff is GOLD.

Michael

 
well, THAT definitely worked. I ended up using 2 fresh poblano (roasted and peeled) and 3 whole

canned (mild) Hatch chiles because there were NO Anaheims to be found. I even drove over to Asheville and checked out Whole Foods, Harris Teeter and Trader Joes, plus the Ingles, Bi-Lo and Walmart in my area.

I did end up adding some of Michael Chiarello's spice mix to the stew because it has a high proportion of ground California chile (which I read was close to an Anaheim) plus a lot of toasted fennel and it definitely added something to the dish.

Added 2 pounds of the cooked pork roast (Thank you Harris Teeter for removing that angst from my life) cut into 1" cubes so it wouldn't dry out. Added those at the end over heat for 15 minutes and then let it sit off-heat for 15 minutes so the meat could absorb the flavors.

Very, very good over rice.

Thank you Michael and Sandra for reminding me of this dish.

 
Can I make this without cilantro?

My husband thinks it tastes like soap. Or does that make the dish?

 
Hi Pam...well, since my cilantro was way in the back of my refrigerator and was almost

frozen when I pulled it out (I had rinsed it, but not dried it, then put it in a covered container and promptly forgot about it) I was only able to scrap up a tablespoon or two. So, from my viewpoint, it didn't make an impact on the dish.

I did put a bit more spices in mine...along with the cumin, I add ground coriander (which is the seed of the cilantro, but who knew??), white ground pepper (because I bought a jar for who knows what reason and now i'm trying to use it up) and about a TBL of Chiarello's spice blend, which is ground red California chiles, roasted fennel, salt, cinnamon and some other stuff. This spice blend is KILLER on candied walnuts, on roasts, on fish, on pork, etc.

Hold on....here it is:
Toasted Spice Rub:
1/4 cup fennel seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup (1-ounce) pure California chili powder
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

I was trying to augment the recipe since I had no Anaheim's. It definitely worked.

PS: I HATED cilantro and lived in ABQ for 6 years. Try avoiding it there! When we moved to FL, Larry had a conference in San Diego and we went to dinner at some old famous restaurant that has a batch of little old ladies making warm flour tortillas right in the restaurant.

Well, they brought a dish of freshly made salsa and warm chips and I don't know if it was jet lag or the margaritas or the company, but that salsa was the best thing in my life at that moment. I actually woke up the next morning craving it. For breakfast!! And it was nothing more than fresh tomatoes, slivers of onions, fresh lime, salt and cilantro.

I have been a CC (cilantro convert) ever since.

PS: It's Old Town Mexican Cafe (the video goes on for 3:44 minutes, but you'll get the idea in the first 14 seconds. The other 3:30 minutes is just more of the same)

 
No tortilla press?

Wow. I want to go there! Never had a homemade tortilla that I know of.

 
I've eaten at the Old Town Mexican Cafe several times. It is quite popular, and in since...

...it is near Old Town in San Diego, it is very much a tourist stop. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as the food is pretty good. There are better places to get Mexican food in San Diego (everyone has their favs) I think, but the tortillas are hand-made and quite good.

Several of the Mexican restaurants have windows that open onto the street where you can buy handmade, warm, buttered tortillas. MMmmmm!

As for cilantro, leave it out. I'd think the dish is excellent with it, and since I am a cilantro FAN I look for the finishing flavor and often add more than the recipe calls for. But don't hesitate to leave it out, if you, or your hubby don't like it.

Michael

 
Marilyn, that salsa you had is a variation on a simple salsa that is common on street tacos...

...here in the southwest.

An even simpler version is made with chopped white onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt.

Variations are endless. We do diced fresh tomato, white onion, cilantro, lime juice and diced avocado. Super good!

Michael

 
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