May 5: Chile Verde

Today is Cinco de Mayo. Also, with all of this talk about swine flu and the irrational fear some people have for pork. It only seemed appropriate to make a pork dish today.

First, we, humans, can't catch the flu from pork. More importantly, the flu virus is destroyed when it's heated above 160F. Well, I for one don't eat raw pork nor do I plan to lick my hands when handling the meat.

To start... The secret ingredient for today is....
Tomatillos.

Tomatillos are also known as husk tomatoes. Tomatillos have a tart, bright flavor to them and are typically used when green.


Prep work is simple... peel the husk and cut.


The internal structure seems more like a fig than a tomato. There doesn't seem to be multiple chambers for the seeds.


Slow Cooker Chili Verde
1 lb Tomatillos, coarsely chopped
21/2 lb Pork Shoulder, cut into 1" cubes
1 4oz can Roasted Green Chiles
1 C Onion, chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 C Green Salsa (Medium heat)
1/2 C Jalapeno Salsa
1 cube Chicken Bouillon

1. (Optional) Brown the meat... add the onion and garlic. I did this step bring the food up to temperature for the crock pot. With two beagles and me going to work, I didn't want to give the boys a chance to sample the food while I was gone.

2. Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker. Turn on to low and wait 8 hours.


The results after 12 hours. A long day at work.



Side Dish....
I made a simple salsa to accompany the chile verde. I wasn't up for making rice and beans. Also, the avocado and the tomato were ripe and ready to go, plus I wanted dinner to be on the light side.

Quick Avocado Salsa
2 Tomatoes, chopped
2 T Onions, chopped fine
1 T Cilantro, chiffonade
1/2 Avocado, diced
2 pinches salt
1 pinch Oregano, rubbed
1 T lemon juice

Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix gently.


The finished dish...
Salad topped with the avocado salsa, corn tortillas and the chile verde.


Chile verde is one of those dishes you really can't go wrong. I enjoy the slight heat from the green chiles and the tartness from the tomatillos.

Chili Verde

Recently purchased a pork loin on sale, $1.28 per pound. To me this was a great find, pork loin has almost 100% utility. Just a little trimming removing a little fat and silver skin and you're left with a very lean chunk of meat.

The decision was made to make Chile Verde, a green chile pork stew, and Mexican Rice. I have no set recipe and generally use what I have on-hand.

Chile Verde
The fixins
3 lbs Pork - cubed into about 1" chunk. Pork loin is good, but since it is a lean cut tends to be a little dry. Country style ribs, which I believe is from the shoulder blade, is another good choice since the meat has more marbling.
1 small can of roasted green peppers
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/4 Onion, chopped
1 T Shallot, chopped
1 T Oregano
2 teaspoons Thyme
Salt
Broth or water
Green Chile Salsa (Salsa Verde) - Optional



Cube the pork, season with about 1 or 2 teaspoons spoons salt, garlic, oregano, thyme, onion and shallot. Let marinade about 20 minutes.


Brown the pork - You can actually skip this step and add the liquid and green chiles. About 1 cup of liquid, you want the liquid to only come 1/3rd the way up the meat. If you add more liquid (as pictured below), the stew is a little soupy, which isn't bad.


Bring to a boil and turn to medium to simmer. For the pork loin, about 45 minutes is good. For the country style ribs, about 1 hour.

At the last minute, add some green chile salsa. The green chile salsa optional but adds a little bit of spiciness to the Chile Verde. Taste to see if you need to add salt.



The side dish - Mexican Rice
2 cups of Long Grain Rice
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
1 T Shallot, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups of Broth
Salsa
Oil and/or butter

Brown the rice with the oil. I used an oil and butter mixture. When the rice is starting to brown, I added the onions, shallots and garlic to the hot rice so the flavors will permeate the rice.


Add the liquid and salsa. Typically for rice I like using 1.25 cups to 1.5 cups of liquid per 1 cup of rice. The salsa gives the rice color and adds additional flavor.


Bring to a boil and turn down to medium, medium-low, to simmer.
Before serving, fluff the rice and taste for seasoning.



The final results
Bowl of Chile Verde


Rice, Beans and Tortillas on the side.