Friday, October 18, 2013

Pork Chile Verde

Chile Verde is one of my all time favorite dishes.  At this time of year you can find all the vegetables locally and organic in our area--even the tomatillos are coming out of California now so if you can't get to the farmer's market you can still find some domestic varieties out there.  This time out I used a roast from Prather Ranch and cut it into chunks. I also added a "base" of roasted Japanese yams (white flesh, dark red skin) to take some of the heat off--the jalapeno can get a little spicy!  One other little trick is to brown the meat in lard--you can get it really hot and get the sear on the pork that creates that wonderful crisp exterior with the super tender insides of each little chunk of pork.  This is a very simple recipe from www.Food.com, there are myriad variations especially all up and down the Hispanic/Latin countries--be sure to do a little research and have fun with making this your own favorite family meal.

Pork Chile Verde
1 1/2 to 2 lbs lean pork
3 tablespoons lard
2 Tablespoons Olive oil                                           
1/2 large organic yellow onions, chopped
large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 to taste fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 tablespoon cumin
2 medium poblano chiles, seeded and chopped
1 large jalapenos, seeded and minced
large yellow bell peppers, seeded and chopped
3/4 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed
1/4 bunch cilantro leaf, chopped

Directions:

Trim off any excess fat from the pork and cut into 2 inch squares. In a large (6 to 8 quart) stock pot, over a high heat, sear the pork in the lard until golden brown. Remove the pork from the pot and pour off half of the oil or fat drippings and add 2 tablespoons of  olive oil to the same pot.  Over a medium heat, add the chopped onion, garlic, salt, and pepper and saute until transparent. Add the cumin, pork, and chicken stock, and cook for 1/2 hour.

Add the poblanos, jalapenos, and bell peppers. Puree the tomatillos and cilantro in a blender in batches. Add them to the pot, bring the stew to a simmer and cook a minimum additional 30 to 45 minutes and up to 2 hours on a very low heat. 

For the roast sweet potato:

One average sized sweet potato will feed 2 people.  Preheat your oven to 425 or 400 if your oven runs hot.  Peel and evenly slice the potato into disks.  Evenly coat with coconut oil or olive oil and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast for 10 minutes then flip each potato over to get even browning.  Go for another 10 mins., peeking in at around the 8 min. mark to make sure nothing is burning.  This will happen in the blink of an eye so keep watch! Sprinkle with sea salt to taste.

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