Boneless Pork Chop With Tomatillo And Poblano Pepper Sauce Food

PORK IN TOMATILLO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot, add the pork meat seasoned with salt and pepper, plus the bay leaf, and cook. Stir frequently to brown the pieces of meat on all sides. About 6-8 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water and reduce heat to simmer (covered) for about 20 minutes.
• While the meat is cooking, roast the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic on an ungreased griddle over medium heat. Toss to evenly roast them. About 12-15 minutes. The garlic will take less time, so be sure to remove promptly. Remove the tomatillos, peppers and garlic once they're soft and blackened, and place in a bowl covered with aluminum foil to cool for 3-5 minutes. Peel garlic cloves. If you are adding the cinnamon and cloves, slightly toast them too, they will take just a few seconds.
• Place the roasted tomatillos, peppers, garlic, onion, cinnamon, cloves, oregano and the released juices into blender or food processor. Puree until you have a chunky mixture.
• Add the tomatillo mixture to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring frequently until meat is tender. This step will take about 45 minutes or more.

PEPPER PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Combine the vegetable broth, 1/2 cup kosher salt, brown sugar and peppercorns in a medium saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook just until the salt and sugar dissolve, and then remove from the heat and add the ice. Place the pork chops into a 2-gallon zip-top bag along with the brine and seal. Place in a plastic container and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove the chops from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Sprinkle on both sides with the remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt and set aside.
• Place the apples in a 5 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 12-inch stainless steel saute pan over medium-high heat. Saute the pork chops on both sides until golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes per side. Once browned, place the pork chops into the slow cooker atop the apples. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, followed by the onions, and saute until they begin to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth to the pan to deglaze. Add the black pepper and thyme and stir to combine. Transfer this to the slow cooker, set to high, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Decrease the heat to low and continue cooking until the pork is tender and falling away from the bone, another 4 hours and 30 minutes.

BONELESS PORK CHOP WITH TOMATILLO AND POBLANO PEPPER SAUCE

Steps:

• Peel outer husks (paper like wrapper) off of the tomatillos and wash them. Slice into quarters.
• Slice onion into quarters.
• Remove the stem from the peppers. Slice in half such that the halves are as flat as possible. Remove the seeds.
• Add peppers, sliced tomatillos, onion and garlic cloves to a bowl, drizzle with oil and stir to cover.
• Grill the peppers over direct heat, making sure the skin side is charred. This will allow the skins to be easily peeled. Roast for 4 to 6 minutes on each side.
• Either skewer the tomatillos, onions and garlic on skewers, or use a basket (I recommend the Weber grilling basket). Cook them over direct heat for 7 to 15 minutes, occasionally stirring or turning, until the tomatillos and onions are tender and slightly charred. Remove them from the heat and let cool.
• After peppers have cooled, peel the charred skin from the peppers. This skin is almost plastic-like and isn't too appealing (ha!) to have in your sauce.
• Add tomatillos, onions, garlic and peppers to a blender and blend until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Optionally you can add a bit of quality olive oil while blending to smooth out the mixture as well, about a teaspoon will work.
• Salt and pepper the chops and grill over direct medium high heat for 4 to 6 minutes per side.
• Remove chops from grill, slather in the sauce and enjoy!

POBLANO-AND-CHEESE-STUFFED PORK CHOPS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450˚ F. Microwave the sweet potatoes 8 minutes. Transfer to a small rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven until the insides are soft and creamy, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, char the poblano directly on a stovetop burner over medium-high heat (or broil the poblano), turning, until blackened in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, discard the stem and seeds and thinly slice. Combine in a bowl with the cheese, scallion, garlic, lime zest and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
• With your knife parallel to the cutting board, cut a long slit into the meaty side of each pork chop going almost to the bone, 2 to 2 1/2 inches deep. Stuff the pork with the poblano mixture and season with salt, pepper and the cumin.
• Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook, turning once, until well browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Carefully add the chicken broth and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the pork is cooked through but still a little rosy near the bone, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Divide the pork chops and sweet potatoes among plates. Cut a slit in the top of each sweet potato and squeeze the ends together to open. Top with the butter and season with salt and pepper. Top the pork with the pan juices and serve with lime wedges.

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.

CHILE-GLAZED PORK CHOPS WITH FRESH TOMATILLO SAUCE

Steps:

• Slather both sides of the pork chops with the chile paste and place in a large resealable plastic bag. Allow to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes (and up to a few hours).
• Leave a light coating of the chile paste on the pork chops and season with salt and pepper. Place a large, well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the pork chops in a single layer and sear for 2 minutes on each side, or until the meat turns golden brown.
• Pour in enough beer to barely cover the chops. Cover the pan (top with a piece of aluminum foil large enough to cover the pan if yours does not have a lid) and decrease the heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Turn the pork chops over and cook for another 15 minutes.
• Uncover the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Allow the liquid to reduce almost completely, flipping the pork chops over every few minutes to ensure that both sides become glazed with the reduced sauce. This should take about 10 minutes.
• Serve warm with tomatillo sauce.
• INGREDIENTS
• Pork Chops
• Because bone-in pork chops are more flavorful than boneless chops, I prefer them in this recipe. But feel free to use either one. I also like to use the thick cuts, but the thin ones also work well. Just make sure to decrease the braising time if you are using thin cuts because they will cook in less time.
• TECHNIQUES
• Braising the Pork Chop
• Braising is a technique used to tenderize tough cuts of meat. The meat is first seared to develop a nice golden crust, then simmered in a liquid to cook it through without drying it out. You will find variations of this technique throughout the meat recipes in this book, as Mexican cooking tends to use tougher (and tastier) cuts of meat.
• ADVANCE PREPARATION
• The red chile paste and tomatillo sauce can be made well in advance (up to 3 days before). Once the pork chops are braised, they can be held, covered, in a warm (250°F) oven for about 1 hour before serving.