Tomatillo Pork Braise With Pickled Chilis Puerco En Salsa Verde 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.

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.

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 LAGER CHILI VERDE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Cut the pork into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Combine the coriander, paprika, cumin and 2 tablespoons salt in a small bowl. Coat the pork with the dry rub.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven. Working in batches, add the pork and cook until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until softened, 6 to 8 minutes, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the pork back to the pot. Stir in the dried chiles de arbol and cover with the Mexican lager. Bring to a boil and reduce to a rolling simmer. Cook until all the liquid evaporates, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the tomatillos, Anaheim peppers and poblano peppers with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon salt on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven, turning once halfway through, until the tomatillos have browned and the peppers are charred, about 30 minutes. Let cool, about 25 minutes.
• When cool enough to handle, place the tomatillos in a blender. Remove the skin and stems from the peppers (keeping the seeds intact) and add them to the blender with the tomatillos. Add the cilantro, lime juice and 2 teaspoons salt. Blend until completely smooth. Hold the sauce at room temperature until the pork finishes cooking.
• When the liquid from the Dutch oven has reduced completely, check the pork to make sure it is tender but still holds its shape. Remove and discard the chiles de arbol. Top the pork with the tomatillo sauce and cook over medium heat just until it begins to simmer, about 10 minutes.
• Serve the chili verde with roasted pepitas, tortilla chips, Pickled Red Onions and Fresno Chiles, crema and cilantro leaves.
• Combine the vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, sugar and 2 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer.
• Pour the hot mixture over the Fresno chiles and onions in a heat-proof bowl and allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving, or allow to cool completely and refrigerate until ready to use.

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.

PORK IN TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Season the pork with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Let sit for a few minutes.
• Preheat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy skillet to medium for a few minutes.
• Brown the pork as best you can on all sides in the hot oil.
• Pour in 3 cups of warm water. Stir well, scraping the bottom of pan to get all those bits of flavor off the bottom. Cover with tight lid and continue cooking at heat right below medium for about 45-60 minutes or until the liquid evaporates.
• While pork is cooking, add your tomatillos, jalapeños, onion and garlic to a pot of simmering water. Simmer for 10 minutes or just until tomatillos turn from bright green to olive green.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer salsa ingredients to the blender. Add cilantro and salt to taste. Blend on high until very smooth. Set aside.
• Once all the liquid has evaporated from the pork, add the diced onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the salsa. Stir in the oregano and bay leaves. Reduce heat. If adding nopales, add them in right now. Cover and cook at a steady simmer for 20 minutes.

AMAZING BRAISE

Steps:

• Rinse and pat dry all chicken pieces. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. (NOTE: go lightly on salt or skip it - the soy sauce will add saltiness later.).
• Heat olive oil in saute pan. Add chicken pieces to hot oil and brown on each side (about 3 - 5 minutes per side). Remove chicken from the pan, and set aside.
• Toss garlic, potatoes and carrots in the remaining olive oil and chicken fond in the saute pan. Season vegetables with salt (lightly) and pepper, and sprinkle with the rosemary leaves. Saute and stir until the vegetables start to brown (about 5 - 10 minutes).
• Juice the orange, and mix 3 tbsp of the orange juice with the soy sauce, reserving the rest for another use.
• Add chicken back to the pan with the vegetables. Drizzle the orange/soy mixture over the chicken. Cover the pan, and simmer for 20 minutes, turning the chicken after 10 minutes. Serve with a green salad.

PICKLED TOMATILLOS

Steps:

• Add 1. 5 cups white vinegar, 1.5 cups water and 1 tablespoon salt to a saucepan. Give it a stir, bring to a boil, and remove from heat once boiling.
• Remove the husks from the tomatillos and give them a good rinse. De-stem the tomatillos and cut them into quarters (or smaller if you want).
• Add the chopped tomatillos to a quart-sized Mason jar (you could also use two pint-sized Mason jars). We'll also add four peeled, roughly chopped garlic cloves and a single serrano pepper sliced lengthwise.
• Add 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns to the jar. I give the spices a quick crush in the molcajete to crack the peppercorns but this is optional. (You can also use the bottom of a skillet to accomplish this.)
• Pour the hot brine mixture over the tomatillos. You should have enough brine to fully submerge the tomatillos.
• Let the jar cool on the counter for 10-15 minutes, then seal it and store it in the fridge. The tomatillos will be fully pickled in about 24 hours and they'll keep for at least a month in the fridge.