Chile Verde

This started with a recipe search for something else, the chocolate fondue that didn't work.

But I came on this Chile Verde at 'Simply Recipes,' along with a Carnitas recipe at a time when I had a couple of pork roasts on hand.



All the 'verde' stuff I've ever worked with has come from a can. But if felt like time to branch out. This isn't exactly their recipe, I used more garlic, added the citrus (and the sugar it ended up requiring because of the citrus), but other than that it's the same idea.



So:

1-1/2 lbs tomatillos
12 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapeños (skin & seeds removed)
2 Anaheim peppers (skin & seeds removed)
2 Poblano peppers (skin & seeds also removed)
1 bunch cilantro, cleaned & chopped
Pork roast (in this case a sirloin tip roast, 98% fat free) cubed
Juice of a lemon
Juice of a Lime
1/4 cup sugar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil
2 yellow onions (actually one really big one)
3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped
1 tbsp dried oregano powder
2-1/2 cups chicken stock (a quart of 'broth' boiled and reduced to about 2-1/2 cups)
1 clove (recipe called for a 'pinch' of ground cloves; I had whole cloves so I threw one in the chicken stock while it was reducing and fished it out before adding to the chile)

First I cubed the meat. Then I squeezed the lemon and lime juice on it and set it aside to marinate.





The tomatillos and peppers, and the dozen cloves of garlic, I roasted under the broiler for seven minutes. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut side down on sprayed foil and go for it. The garlic and peppers needed more time, so I gave it to them while I put the tomatillos in the blender.





The peppers & roasted garlic join the tomatillos in the blender, along with the cilantro.







Meanwhile, the pork gets browned in the olive oil. I included the marinade with the last of the meat and reduced to nothing. Then I sautéed the onions and the 3 cloves more garlic and added that to the mix.



Once it's all combined, simmer it for two to three hours, until the pork is 'fork tender.' The pork in mine never got quite as tender as I wanted, but I think that's a problem with browning stuff. The high heat to brown the meat also cooks it fast and tough. There was plenty of acid from the tomatillos and citrus, so much in fact that I added the sugar after to bring the dish back into balance, but the meat still has quite a bit of tooth to it. If the carnitas I'm making turns out, that's the way to treat the pork for this recipe.