Tomatillo Pork Braise With Pickled Chilis Puerco En Salsa Verde Recipes

PORK STEW IN GREEN SALSA (GUISADO DE PUERCO CON TOMATILLOS)

Steps:

• Stir together the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, and cumin in a large bowl. Place the cubed pork into the mixture, and stir well to coat the meat with the seasonings.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Working in batches if necessary, place the meat into the hot pan in a single layer. Pan-fry the pork until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Remove the pork to a bowl, and cover to keep warm.
• Cook and stir the onion in the hot pan over medium heat, adding more olive oil if necessary, until the onion is translucent and beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and stir in the garlic, tomatillos, chiles, marjoram, chopped cilantro, and water. Check seasoning and add 1 pinch of salt to taste, if needed. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender, about 1 hour. Skim excess fat off the stew before serving in bowls, garnished with a dollop of sour cream and a cilantro sprig on each bowl.

PORK AND TOMATILLO CHILI

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Toss the tomatillos and tomatoes with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil on a baking sheet and push to one side. Put the poblanos and jalapenos on the other side of the baking sheet. Broil, turning the vegetables occasionally, until charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the tomatillos and tomatoes to a cutting board and let cool. Put the peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate; set aside 10 minutes. Pull the skins off the tomatoes, then core and chop them along with the tomatillos. Peel, seed and chop the peppers; set all the vegetables aside.
• Toss the pork with the chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a large bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Working in batches, add the pork to the pot and cook, turning, until browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, the onion and garlic to the pot; cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the cornmeal and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the broiled tomatillos, tomatoes and peppers. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the broth and pork and any collected juices, then bring to a simmer.
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Uncover, season generously with salt and continue simmering, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces slightly, about 30 more minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand about 10 minutes; spoon off any excess fat from the top. Season the chili with salt and pepper and serve with toppings.

SALSA VERDE: GREEN TOMATILLO SALSA (RICK BAYLESS)

Steps:

• Roughly chop tomatillos and the chiles. In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatillos, chiles, cilantro, and 1/4 cup water.
• Process to a coarse puree, then scrape into a serving dish.
• Rinse the onion under cold water, then shake to remove the excess moisture. Stir into the salsa and season with salt.

PORK IN SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• In small bowl, mix the cumin, half the garlic and the salt.
• In medium bowl, combine the pork with the cumin mixture and toss well to coat the meat with seasonings. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.
• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onion and the remaining garlic and cook until softened, about 3 - 4 minutes.
• Scape the mixture into a blender or food processor.
• Add the jalapeno peppers, tomatillos, chicken broth and oregano. Puree until smooth 1 -2 minutes.
• Spray the same large nonstick skillet with veggie cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat.
• Add half the pork cubes to the skillet and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 5 - 7 minutes.
• With a slotted spoon, remove the meat to a plate and brown the remaining pork.
• Return all the meat to the skillet.
• Add the tomatillo puree and simmer until the sauce is thickened, 8 - 10 minutes.
• Stir in the cilantro and serve.

TOMATILLO PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
• Place rice into the bottom of a Dutch oven; add water, tomatoes, onion, green chile peppers, ancho chile peppers, chicken bouillon, oregano, and cloves. Place roast on top of the rice mixture; season with salt and pepper. Pour salsa verde over roast. Cover Dutch oven.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 6 hours.
• Discard pork bones and ancho chile peppers. Shred pork and return to Dutch oven; stir. Transfer pork mixture to a serving plate using a slotted spoon, draining well.

TOMATILLO PORK BRAISE WITH PICKLED CHILIS (PUERCO EN SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Scoop the tomatillos into a slow cooker and spread them in an even layer. Scatter on the garlic, jalapenos and half of the cilantro. Sprinkle evenly with 1 ½ tsp salt.
• In a large bowl, combine the pork and Worcestershire sauce, mixing until the cubes are well coated. Distribute the meat over the tomatillo mixture. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours.
• With a pair of tongs, remove the pork to a bowl. Tip or ladle the sauce mixture into a blender and add the remaining cilantro. Cover loosely and blend until smooth; return the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the drained beans, taste and add salt as necessary; Stir in a little water if the sauce has thickened beyond the consistency of a light cream soup. Add a little sugar if the sauce is too tart. Return the meat to the pot, let everything warm through and serve.
• Variations:.
• This dish can be cooked in a Dutch oven instead of the slow cooker. In a medium large (4 to 6 quart) heavy pot or Dutch oven, layer the tomatillos, flavorings and meat as described above. Cover with the sauce, set the lid in place and braise in a 3000F oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the pork is completely tender. Complete the dish as described above.
• The beans can be replaced with potatoes or small sweet turnips (cut into wedges) or carrots (2 inch lengths cut into sticks). Toss them with a little salt and place them on top of the sauce ingredients before layering in the pork. Take them out with the meat while you finish the sauce.
• Add a big handful of spinach to the blender when pureeing the sauce; a few Tbsp of Mexican Crema or heavy cream works magic on this spinach enhanced sauce. Epazote may be used in place of the cilantro.
• This dish is perfect made with 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Or replace the pork shoulder with 1 inch pieces of beef chuck; double the cilantro and use 2 poblanos. The beef will benefit greatly from browning before slow cooking.
• Either brown the cubed pork in a little oil in a single layer in a large skillet, or spread it out on an oiled baking sheet (with sides) and slide it close up under a broiler. Slide the browned meat into the slow cooker.