Stephanie’s Chili Verde

Stephanie's Chili Verde

My wife is a lover of chili Verde. She orders it whenever she can when we go out to eat. She is truly addicted to the meat goodness simmered in its mildly spicy green sauce.

When we first started dating, I wanted to impress her by preparing one of her favorite dishes. I researched recipes and techniques and was not surprised to find all the different variations-like most dishes, and recipes vary from region to region and from grandmother to grandmother.

I finally came up with this version. I love the bright flavors of the tomatillos as well as the richness created by roasting the chiles and tomatillos first before adding them to the pot.

Feel free to increase the amount of jalapeño if you are looking for more heat.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pounds of the meat butt or shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch
• cubes
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Flour (for dredging)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 ½ pounds tomatillos
• 2 jalapeños, halved and seeds removed
• 2 pasilla chiles, cored and halved
• 2 green bell peppers, cored and cut into halves
• 3 cloves garlic, left whole with skin on
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
• ½ cup cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped, plus extra for garnish
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Garnish: sour cream
• Serve with: small flour tortillas

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper. Pour some flour into a medium-sized bowl to dredge the meat. Lightly flour the meat and place it on a plate or tray.

Heat some of the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat in batches, paying attention to not crowd the pot.

Brown until the meat has a nice crust on all sides. When you place the meat in the pot, leave it alone-don’t stir it around. the meat may initially stick, but once the crust forms, the meat will release, letting you know it is time to turn it.

Move the browned the meat onto another clean plate or tray and set aside. Remove the pot from the heat.

Place the tomatillos, jalapeños, pasilla chiles, bell peppers, and garlic in a large bowl. Coat with oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread the ingredients on a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for 25–30 minutes. Roast until the vegetables and garlic are soft.

Gently toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a small pan over medium heat. Once the oils start to release from the seeds and you can start to smell them, remove the pan from the heat so the seeds don’t burn.

Allow the toasted seeds to cool, then transfer them to a spice grinder. Grind until the seeds are a powder.

Return the heavy-bottomed pot to the heat. Add the diced onions and sweat over medium heat for 5 minutes.

Add the ground spices and sauté for 1 minute.

Working in batches, transfer the roasted vegetables and garlic (removed from their skins) to a blender and blend until smooth.

Once the onions are softened, add the blended mixture to the pot. Add the oregano and cilantro. Return the meat and any juices that are on the plate to the pot. Cover with the chicken stock and stir to incorporate. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce and simmer for 2–3 hours uncovered or until the meat is fork tender.

Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve with flour tortillas and top with sour cream and cilantro.