I’d like to think this isn’t my fault, but here I am in the midst of it.
It started innocently enough, when I went for a jog at lunch with my co-workers, Sam and Allison. Sam started talking about his chile verde recipe, how easy it was, and how delicious it was.
The real reason I haven’t been too productive the last couple days? I’ve been thinking about chile verde ever since. How am I supposed to focus on heat load calculations when all I can think of is tender cubes of pork, slowly simmered in a mouth watering sauce of tomatillos, jalapenos, and garlic? I knew that if I were not to make a batch of chile verde soon, these thoughts would consume me.
Today, I couldn’t take it any more, and I decided to give in to these culinary urges that have been building in me. I went to Whole Foods after work, bought a big chunk of pork shoulder, a couple pounds of tomatillos, some jalapenos, and a few other necessities. I got home and went to work!
Some of the raw ingredients. The Tecate is to maintain sanity during the process.
I learned some things about food today. Tomatillos have a strange paper coating that they grow in, and they are sticky on the inside (I don’t know why). There are a couple different cuts of pork shoulder. There is the picnic cut, which is a fatter cut, and tends to fall apart when you cook it. This is good for shredded pork in stew, or pulled pork. The cut I got, the butt, is leaner, and holds together better when you cut it. Further, even though the butt is leaner, there is still a bit of fat in the sucker. I feel like I threw away a good quarter of the pig that was just fat when I was cutting it up into cubes.
So here was my basic plan of attack: cut the tomatillos, jalapenos, and the lone pasilla in half, and roast them in the broiler. The tomatillos roast about twice as fast as the peppers, so take them out early. Throw a couple cloves of garlic in there to roast too.
While that is getting broiled, cut the pork shoulder into chunks about 1-inch square. Throw these in a pan with some olive oil to brown off the meat. Apply salt and pepper.
Oh, man, don’t forget about the peppers in the broiler! Take them out, remove the skin, and put the tomatillos, peppers, and garlic in the food processor. Mix until it looks like salsa, then dump it in a pot and heat it up.
Now the pork cubes are getting hot, and the pan of salsa is getting hot, this seems like a perfect time to put them together! I added a cup of chicken broth to add some liquid to the mixture. Since I am gonna cook the pork through by simmering it in this mixture, I want the liquid to fill up to the top of the pork cubes. Dice up some cilantro to throw in there, make sure you dump in a bunch of oregano, and mince up more garlic, and things are good.
El trabajo del mejor cocinero
Now it is time to kick back. Grab your tecate, listen to some Voodoo Glow Skulls, and maybe write a self-congratulatory blog post. It’s all good at this point, the coast is clear. After simmering for an hour or two, I added more chicken broth because the liquid had been boiling off. When that is boiled down a little bit, I am gonna eat.
Preliminary tastings prove the title of this post, this very well could be the best chile verde ever made. My apartment is filled with the sweet smell of roasted jalapenos, with the juicy smell of roasting meat. It is sweet, with some spice, with a little zing from the lime I put in there. The meat is soft and tender, and is starting to take on the full, sweet flavor from the tomatillos and peppers.
Oh man. I just took a writing break to try it out, and every time I taste it, it is better than the previous taste. It is about time to eat this.
I apologize if you have ruined your keyboard by drooling all over it while reading this post.
Tags: Food, Self-Congratulation
So… you have a pint in the freezer for me…?
There may not be a pint left when I am done with it! I’ll make a batch for an upcoming incubation weekend.
Sounds good, though I’d skip the pork. I discovered tomatillos last year. They are awesome! Just like tomatoes but with some zing. Also did you actually listen to Voodoo Glow Skulls? Are they still around?
Yes, I actually listened to Voodoo Glow Skulls. I have no idea is they are still around, I just listened to “Who is? This is!” and “Firme” (el version en espanol, por supuesto). It was the only music in spanish, or at least part in spanish, I have, other than some old mexican punk rock on vinyl.
Yeah, super easy to freeze toamoillts. If just freezing them raw, I de-husk, rinse, dry and throw them into a bag (I should probably blanch first but I don’t). I mainly use them in soups and stews that way. If you have time, probably better to roast a whole bunch and then freeze, since you’re most likely to want them roasted anyway. But you might still be able to roast them from the freezer if you lose a little of the liquid after thawing (painful may it be to drain them).