Chile Verde
This chile verde is a huge family favorite around here, especially during harvest time. We love making this with fresh tomatillos and peppers from our garden. Not too spicy, this heartwarming dish can be made on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in a pressure cooker (i.e. Instant Pot).
Ingredients
- 1-½ pounds tomatillos
- 5 whole unpeeled garlic cloves
- 2 Anaheim Chile peppers
- 2 Jalapeños seeded and chopped, optional
- 1 bunch cilantro leaves cleaned and chopped
- 3-½ to 4 pounds boneless sirloin pork roast trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
- salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 cups diced yellow onions 1 large or 2 small onions
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried
- 1 ½ cups water
- 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon see note
- pinch of ground cloves
- grated cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, diced avocados, sour cream, tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
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Preheat broiler. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil. Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves on prepared baking sheet. Wearing gloves, slice Anaheim chile peppers in half and remove seeds and ribs. Place cut side down on the baking sheet.
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Place baking sheet under a broiler for 5-10 minutes or until skin on tomatillos and peppers is lightly blackened. Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle.
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Place roasted tomatillos, skins included, into food processor or blender. Remove the roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add them to the blender. Remove blackened skin from Anaheim peppers and place in the blender. Add chopped Jalapeño peppers (if using) and cilantro. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.
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Heat olive oil in large heavy-bottom skillet over medium-high heat (or pressure cooker on "brown" or "simmer" setting, if using). Season the pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. Working in batches so that the pork is not crowded, brown pork on all sides. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pressure cooker and place in bowl, set aside. Repeat until all pork chunks are browned.
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Place chopped onions and garlic in the skillet (or pressure cooker) and cook, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. Then add the pork back to the pan along with the oregano, and the tomatillo Chile Verde sauce, the water, chicken bouillon, and a pinch of ground cloves.
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Stovetop Instructions: Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cover and cook for 2-3 hours uncovered or until the pork is fork tender.
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Pressure Cooker Instructions: Transfer to pressure cooker and lock lid in place. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Release pressure naturally and remove the lid.
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Slow Cooker Instructions: Transfer to slow cooker . Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours or until pork is fork tender.
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After cooking, taste and add more salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
Recipe Notes
1. For this recipe I use this homemade chicken bouillon substitute. I've also made it with 1 ½ cups of chicken stock in place of the chicken bouillon substitute and water and it works great, but you may need to adjust the salt in the recipe depending how much salt is in the chicken broth you are using, so keep that in mind.
2. I leave out the jalapenos for our family who really doesn't care for much heat, but feel free to include them if you do.
3. Serve immediately or keep warm until ready to serve. This Chile Verde improves in taste the longer it simmers and the leftovers are even better the next day. We love to freeze it after it's cooled in Ziplock Freezer bags for an easy meal to reheat later.
4. This dish can be served in a bowl topped with grated cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes, diced avocados, and sour cream. It's also yummy with tortilla chips or warm tortillas on the side. We also love to use the leftover meat in burritos, enchiladas, or in a taco salad.