Pork Chile Verde

I love cooking in my Mexican clay cazuela when making this savory stew, but any large heavy bottomed pot will work

Ingredients:

  • 3 –4 lb. pork shoulder, cut into 1.5 inch cubes, salt and pepper generously
  • 4 small or 2 large poblano chiles
  • 3 jalapeno peppers
  • 1 or 2 serrano peppers
  • 12 –15 tomatillos, husks removed & rinsed
  • 2 cups chopped white onion
  • 5-6  garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 4 corn tortillas, torn into quarters
  • Spice Mixture:
  • 3 T. garlic powder
  • 1 T. cumin
  • 1 T. Mexican oregano
  • 2 t. salt
  • 1 t. ground pepper
  • 1 t. coriander

Place the poblanos, jalapeno, serrano and tomatillos on a lightly greased cooking sheet or pan. Place under broiler to brown and soften.Turn once so all sides are charred. Place the the poblanos in a sealed bag to steam for about 10 minutes. Remove the outer skin by scraping off with the back of a spoon. Remove the seeds and stems from the poblanos and peppers. ( the seeds are hot)  Set aside.

In a blender place the tomatillos, chilies, garlic, and cilantro blend until smooth, set aside.

Heat oil or lard ( Mexican preferred) in a large pot. Sear the seasoned pork cubes on all sides until nicely browned, remove with slotted spoon. Cook chopped onion in same pot until softened, scraping up any flavorful browned bits in pan.  Place pork back in pot and stir in blender contents. Cook over medium high heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t scorch. Add half the broth, the spice mixture, and the tortilla pieces, (the tortillas add a corn/masa flavor and will dissolve into the broth.) Cover, continue cooking over low heat so it bubbles and simmers steadily. Total cooking time is between 3-4 hours until the meat is fork tender, add more broth as necessary during cooking for a stew like consistency.

Serve with warm flour tortillas, Mexican crema or sour cream, cilantro and limes.

Notes: chiles differ in their heat from batch to batch, its best to taste the charred chiles to adjust the amount that suits your taste. Serrano’s typically are hotter than jalapenos, poblanos have the least heat.

serves 6

simmering goodness

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