Chili Verde Loves You. Don't Play Hard To Get.

I get regular cravings for Mexican food. Especially for the kind that I can’t have. Having lived in Colorado and California, and having tooled around the rest of the Southwest over the years, there are Mexican/TexMex meals that I still remember. Chili rellenos in Santa Fe. Tamales in San Antonio. Street tacos in Tijuana. One place I keep returning to, both physically and in memory, is Santa Barbara. We have friends there whom we regularly visit. And when we visit, there are two pilgrimages I make.

The first is to the Rose Cafe, where I take communion of the house rice. It has a beautiful balance of tomato, spice and roasted garlic. Everything there is incredible, but I could live on the rice alone. The second is La Super Rica, an unassuming storefront that can be identified by the lines of people waiting to get in. Everything on the menu is just spectacular.

Both restaurants have this in common: delicious chili verde. There is something about chili verde that is so simple, so memorable, yet so hard to do well. It is basically pork, green chili peppers and spices. Getting it right is a culinary journey. By way of contrast, red chili has more ingredients and is easier to make--you can almost throw everything into a cast iron Dutch oven and let it go for half a day. Green chili is hands on, requiring more tinkering.

The first part of the chili verde journey is choosing the peppers. Ideally I make it with a variety of green peppers to add complexity of flavor and texture. The artistry is in the proportion of peppers and spices.

I like to use large, meaty Anaheim peppers, squat Poblano peppers, fiery Jalapeno peppers and mild bell peppers. Look for peppers that are large, fresh and juicy. You are going to be roasting these and removing the skin. Little skinny peppers won’t leave much after the seed pod and skin are removed. Leaving the skin on makes the stew a little acrid.

What follows is a starting point. Your mission is to run with it and make it your own. An idealist’s chili verde, this recipe assumes that you have access to authentic ingredients and an afternoon in which to work your magic. If you don’t, work with what you have. It will still be good. Chili verde loves you and is very forgiving of your sins.

Ingredients:
2lbs. Pork Loin, 3/4-inch cubes
1 cup chopped fresh Cilantro
1 large white Onion, diced
1 head of Garlic, chopped
6 Tomatillos (or green tomatoes)
Enough large meaty Green Peppers to make 2 cups of chopped pepper flesh after roasting, peeling and seeding (Anaheim peppers, Poblano peppers, Jalapeno peppers and Green Bell peppers)
1/4 cup Olive oil or Vegetable oil (enough to brown the pork)
2 cups Chicken broth
1/2 tsp. White pepper
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Coriander
1 tsp. Salt
Optional: Jalapeno powder, raw jalapeno peppers or pickled jalapeno peppers in a jar
Optional: Corn tortillas
Optional: Sour cream

Process:
Remove the husks and scrub the tomatillos until the slippery residue is gone. Set aside. Chop onion and set aside. Chop garlic and set aside. Chop cilantro, discarding the stems, and set aside.

Cube pork & then brown over high heat (until medium rare) in a little oil in your chili pan. Set aside meat and pan juices.

Meanwhile, roast peppers. A barbecue grill works easily for this. You can even hold each pepper with tongs and sear them one at a time over the flames of a gas rangetop. A regular oven and a cookie sheet will work for this, just place them on the top shelf and crank the heat to 400 or 450. Once roasted, toss peppers into a paper bag, close the bag and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Roast tomatillos (or green tomatoes) until soft and slightly browned. Set aside.

In chili pan, saute white onions in olive oil until they start to become translucent. Then add the chopped garlic. When the garlic starts to soften, add back pork and juices. Set burner to low heat. Add spices and salt. Add 1 cup of chicken broth.

Pulse the tomatillos in a food processor until slightly chunky. It’s important to do these separately because they breakdown much easier than the remaining ingredients. Add to chili pan.

Peel skin off the roasted peppers and discard. Carefully remove the seed cores and discard. Chop the roasted pepper flesh.

Combine cilantro and 1/2 cup roasted pepper flesh in food processor until it is a bright green liquid. Add a little liquid (chicken stock) if needed. Add to chili pan. Add remaining roasted pepper chunks to chili pan.

Add remaining chicken broth. Let simmer for 30-45 minutes. Don’t cook it for too long or the pork will become dry. Adjust spices and salt as it simmers, to taste. If you need more cilantro freshness, add a little coriander, which is the seed from the same plant.

If not spicy enough, add jalapeno powder, diced fresh jalapeno (seeded), or diced pickled jalapeno to taste.

Serve with warm tortillas. Add a dollop of sour cream if you like.