Green Chili Verde
Submitted by ELAINELOW
Pork chile verde: tender pork simmered in a tangy blended sauce of tomatillos, jalapeño and green chiles with cumin. A comforting Mexican green chili for rice or tortillas.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minChile verde is Mexican comfort in a bowl: chunks of pork simmered until tender in a tangy, mildly spicy green sauce. That sauce is the heart of it, tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and green chiles blended smooth, with the tomatillos lending a bright, almost citrusy tartness.
Start by browning the pork for flavor, then let it simmer in chicken broth before the green sauce goes in. The whole pot needs a good hour at a gentle bubble, not a hard boil, to turn the pork meltingly tender and meld the chili flavors together.
A little flour or cornstarch thickens the sauce to a spoonable, cling-to-the-meat consistency, and a hit of cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper at the end sharpens it all up.
Loosen it with more broth if it tightens too much. Spoon it over rice, tuck it into warm tortillas, or serve it with beans. This is the kind of saucy, tangy pork that’s even better the next day.
Chef Tips
- Brown the pork well before simmering. That color is real flavor in the finished chili.
- Keep it at a gentle bubble, not a hard boil, so the pork turns tender instead of tough.
- Adjust the thickness with a flour or cornstarch slurry, or thin it with extra broth.
- Season the cumin, salt, and pepper near the end and taste, since flavors concentrate as it simmers.
Variations
- Use fresh roasted Hatch or poblano chiles in place of canned for deeper flavor.
- Add more jalapeño, or a serrano, for extra heat.
- Make it with chicken or beef instead of pork.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut pork into bite-size pieces and sauté on low heat until browned in ¼ cup peanut oil.
In processor blend tomatillas, onion, garlic cloves, ¼ cup oil, jalapeno peppers and diced green chilies until smooth.
Add chicken broth to pork and continue to simmer over medium heat.
Add tomatillo/chili mixture to broth and pork.
When chili verde mixture has simmered for approximately 1 hour at medium heat (just enough to bubble, but not boil), add flour thickener mixture and blend well.
If mixture has condensed (not enough chili sauce) add more water or chicken broth to desired consistency.
If mixture does not and set up, and add cornstarch, 1 teaspoon to ¼ cup water at a time until mixture is of desired consistency.
Fifteen minutes prior to serving, add garlic granules, salt, black or white pepper and cumin to taste.
Comments
This sounds good but am wondering just how you serve this.
Top it with some freshly chopped cilantro, serve with warm corn tortillas. Or with rice and/or beans, or pasta, or wrapped up in a large flour tortilla to make into a burrito.