Happy Friday! What the hell! I’m makin’ chile verde this weekend. This recipe has made many a man happy on our annual houseboat trips. I’m gonna serve it with that fantastic rice I got from rice farmer, Gary Hansen of the Jim Hansen Ranch in Willows.
Chili Verde
Vegetable oil
3-4 large yellow onions, diced
8 garlic cloves, chopped
2 serrano peppers, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
5-6 pounds pork shoulder, cubed
1 quart chicken broth
15 to 20 Anaheim peppers
12 to 15 tomatillos
4 tablespoons garlic powder
Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 cup corn flour
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Flour tortillas, warmed, for serving
Mexican rice, for serving (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 1/2 cup of olive oil. Stir in the onion, garlic, serrano and jalapeno peppers and cook until soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
Place the pork shoulder in a large heavy bottomed pot, coated with oil, over medium heat and sear until well browned on all sides. Deglaze with the chicken broth, and then add sauteed onions and peppers. Turn heat to low, cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the Anaheim peppers on a sheet pan.
Peel the outer paper skins off the tomatillos, then coat with olive oil and place on another sheet pan. Place both pans in the preheated oven and roast until the peppers are nicely charred and the tomatillos are soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove pans from the oven and place the peppers in a plastic bag to let them steam for 5 minutes.
Peel and seed peppers, and then puree them with the tomatillos in a food processor or blender. Add the puree to the pork mixture, stir, and then let simmer on low heat.
Combine the garlic powder, black pepper, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, ground coriander and salt in a small bowl, then add to pork mixture and stir well.
In a small sauté pan, mix 1/2 cup olive oil with the corn flour, stirring over low heat for 2 minutes to make a masa roux.
Let the chili mixture simmer for approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours on medium-low heat, or until pork is nice and tender. Then stir in masa roux and simmer for 10 more minutes. Serve in bowls with tortillas and rice. Garnish with cilantro.
Mexican Rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 cups white rice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 bay leaf
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup (8 oz) tomato sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
Cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Juice of one lime
Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Let the rice drain for 5 minutes.
In a pot, heat the olive oil and sauté the onion and jalapeno for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft.
Add the rice, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and oregano and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often until the rice is toasted. Add the broth, tomato sauce, bouillon, bay leaf, and salt and stir well. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
After the 20 minutes, turn off the heat, leave the rice covered and let it rest for another 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, add chopped cilantro, and squeeze in lime juice.