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 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 dinner with homemade refried beans.

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
• 1 1/2 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
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock

Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream:

• 1/2 cup of sour cream
• 1/2 tbsp sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Juice of half a lime
• 1/2 clove of garlic, minced
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Other ingredients:

• Flour 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. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil (for easier clean-up). Remove papery husks from 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 adding the olive oil to 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 the add enough chicken stock 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 slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork-tender.

Meanwhile, make the cilantro and lime sour cream while the chile verde is cooking, by combining  the sour cream, onion, cilantro, lime juice, garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste together and mix until well combined; set aside in the refrigerator to allow flavors time to mingle.

Make 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.

Chile Verde

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Course: Main

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking / Original by Simply Recipes

Equipment

• Baking Sheet
• Food Processor or Blender
• Large Dutch oven

Ingredients

Pork Verde:

• 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
• 1 ½ 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
• 3 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp of chopped fresh oregano or 1 Tbsp of dried oregano
• 2 ½ cups chicken stock

Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream:

• ½ cup of sour cream
• ½ tbsp sweet yellow onion finely chopped
• 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 or corn tortillas
• Cilantro and Lime Sour Cream recipe below
• Cotija cheese
• Fresh cilantro chopped finely (garnish)

Instructions

• Char the veggies by positioning the oven rack close to the broiler. Cover a baking sheet with tin foil (for easier clean-up). Remove papery husks from 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 adding the olive oil to 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 the add enough chicken stock 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 slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork-tender.
• Meanwhile, make the cilantro and lime sour cream by combining all ingredients; set aside in the refrigerator to allow flavors time to mingle while the chile verde cooks.
• To serve, make 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.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Tag @4loveofcooking on instagram and hashtag it #4loveofcooking