Chile Verde

I grabbed some tomatillos the last time I went grocery shopping because I wanted to try making this chile verde recipe that I found on Simply Recipes. This chile verde recipe was fun to make, and the house smelled amazing while it was simmering. I served this chile verde in warmed flour tortillas with cotija cheese and extra verde sauce on top, and we loved it. The pork was tender, and the sauce was a bit spicy and full of amazing flavor. I served this delicious pork chile verde with homemade refried beans, a Mexican wedge salad, tortilla chips with salsa, and guacamole.

Chile Verde:

Ingredients:

• 10-12 tomatillos
• 5 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 1 jalapeno, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 1 Pasilla chile, cored, seeded, and flattened
• 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
• 1½ to 2 lbs of pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
• Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tbsp of chopped fresh oregano, or 1 tbsp of dried oregano
• 2½ cups chicken broth

Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream:

• ½ cup of sour cream
• ½ tbsp yellow onion, finely minced
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Juice of half a lime
• ½ clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Other ingredients:

• Flour tortillas or corn tortillas
• Cilantro and lime sour cream (recipe below)
• Cotija cheese
• Fresh cilantro, chopped finely (garnish)

How to Make Chile Verde

Char the veggies by positioning the oven rack close to the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil (for easier clean-up).

Remove papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves and the cored, seeded, and flattened chile pepper, skin side up, on a baking sheet.

Broil in the oven until the tomatillos, garlic, and chile are blackened – about 5-7 minutes.

Transfer the chile pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let cool for 7-10 minutes.

Once the pepper is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the blackened skin.

Make the sauce by placing the tomatillos, skins included, into a food processor or blender.

Remove the now-roasted garlic cloves from their skins, then add them to the processor. Add the chopped jalapeno pepper, the chile, any extra juice from the roasting tray, and cilantro, then pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.

Season the pork cubes generously with sea salt, freshly cracked pepper, and oregano to taste.

Sear the meat by heating the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, then brown pork chunks on all sides.

Remove pork from the Dutch oven and set it aside.

Cook the onions by heating the olive oil in the same large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onions, and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 60 seconds.

Simmer the pork verde by adding the pork to the onion mixture, then pour your chile verde sauce on top, add enough chicken broth to cover the meat, then season with a bit more salt, pepper, and oregano to taste, but be careful not to add too much because the chile verde will continue to cook down and concentrate a bit.

Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork-tender.

Meanwhile, prepare the cilantro and lime sour cream by combining the sour cream, onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, sea salt, and freshly cracked pepper to taste, and mix until well combined. Set aside in the refrigerator to allow flavors time to mingle.

Prepare a burrito if desired by placing the meat and sauce inside a warmed flour or corn tortilla, then add a bit of cotija cheese.

Roll into a burrito or taco, and cover with more verde sauce. Enjoy.