Chile Verde

Chile Verde is a dish with a somewhat spotty history. While it’s most likely based on the Mexican dish Carne De Puerco En Chile Verde (pork with green chilies), it’s taken twists and turns as it made its way across the border. At its core, this is a pork dish that’s braised for hours in green things like tomatillos and green chilies. The tangy fresh flavours of the green stuff juxtaposes the richness of the tender slow cooked pork making this a favourite at taquerías all over the South West.Unfortunately many of them take shortcuts, using canned veggies or leaner cuts of pork. Since moving out east I’ve yet to even see it on a menu, much less have a good bowl, so I started on a quest to make the perfect Chile Verde.I won’t lay any claim to authenticity here, but I will say that this is the best Chile Verde I’ve ever had. I know you’re probably thinking “Well of course he’s going to say that about his own recipe”, but I think my claim is justified. Here’s why:1) Everything is either browned or roasted which gives the dish a concentrated sweet, smoky flavour. 2) I hand chop everything which makes for a nice chunky texture that you don’t get with blended preparations 3) While there’s no wrong way to make Chile Verde, for me, this strikes the perfect balance between tart, sweet, savoury and spicy.I also made my own corn tortillas which is so simple, and the results taste so much better, there’s no reason why anyone should buy the packaged ones. You can rehydrate a big batch of Masa Harina and leave it in the fridge, pan grilling only what you need at each meal, so they are fresh.Perhaps one of the most compelling reasons to make a big batch of this is what you can do with the leftovers. Shredded and stuffed into masa, it makes for a sublime tamale and as you can see from the photo above, Chile Verde con Huevos makes for an awesome breakfast.

Yield:

Serves 4

Ingredients

1. To Marinate the Pork:
2. =======================
3. 2 lbs fatty pork butt cut into large chunks (2″+)
4. 1 Tbs olive oil
5. 1 Tbs kosher salt
6. 2 cloves garlic minced
7. 1 tsp cumin
8. .
9. For the Roast:
10. =======================
11. 2 Anaheim chilies cut in half lengthwise
12. 4 Serrano chilies
13. 1.5 lbs tomatillos scored so they don’t pop
14. 4 large cloves garlic
15. 1 large onion cut into 12 wedges
16. .
17. For the Chile
18. =======================
19. 2 C chicken broth
20. 3 cilantro roots with about 5″ of stem attached
21. 1 tsp dried oregano
22. 1 cinnamon stick
23. 1 tsp honey
24. salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Marinate the pork butt in the oil, garlic, cumin and salt for at least an hour.
2. Move the oven rack to the top position. Put the chiles, tomatillos, garlic and onion on a baking sheet and put under a hot broiler. Allow everything to char on top then flip and char the other side. Remove and allow to cool.
3. Heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat until very hot then add the pork (no need for oil). Leave the pork undisturbed until it is golden brown. If the pan was hot enough, the pork should not stick to the pan when it is ready to flip, if it sticks, leave it there longer.
4. Once the pork is browned on both sides, add the chicken stock , cilantro roots and stems, oregano, cinnamon, and honey. Destem and seed the roasted peppers (leave the seeds in the Serrano chilies if you want it spicy), core the tomatillos then roughly chop all the roasted veggies and add them to the pot along with any juices on the baking sheet.
5. Turn down heat to medium low and partially cover the pot with a lid (leaving room for steam to escape). Simmer for 3-4 hours or until the meat falls apart when a fork is inserted. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, simmer with the lid off allowing the chile to thicken (should be about the consistency of salsa). Salt and pepper to taste and serve with warm (preferably home-made) tortillas.

Notes

Salsa Verde

I tend to prefer salsas made with tomatoes for chips, but as a condiment on tacos, eggs, etc, I’m a huge fan of this green tomatillo salsa. It’s tangy, sweet and spicy with some very concentrated flavours owing to the fact that everything gets fire roasted before it goes into the salsa.You could of course use canned tomatillos, but given how widely available the fresh ones are here in North America, there really isn’t any excuse to not use fresh ones.

Yield:

Makes 2 Cups

Ingredients

1. 5 medium tomatillos
2. 1 medium serrano chili
3. 3 cloves unpeeled garlic
4. juice of 1/2 lime
5. 1/2 medium onion minced
6. 10 sprigs of cilantro minced
7. 1 tsp kosher salt

Directions

1. Peel the husks off the tomatillos and wash thoroughly. Score the bottoms of the tomatillos with a knife.
2. Move the oven rack to the top position and turn on the broiler. Lay down a piece of foil onto the rack and turn up the edges to prevent juices from running off. Place the tomatillos, chili and garlic on the foil and broil until the skins charred. Flip everything over and char the other side.
3. Remove everything from the oven with the foil, being careful not to spill any of the liquid. Remove the core excess char from the tomatillos and mince with a sharp knife. Mince the chili and garlic and add to a bowl with the tomatillos. Add the lime juice, onions and cilantro then salt to taste.

Notes

Tacos Al Pastor

Like the Mexican food in NYC, Cinco De Mayo is a bit misguided here in the US. Most people think it’s the Mexican equivalent of July 4th, but it’s actually not even a federal holiday south of the border (Mexican Independence day on September 16th however is). I suspect its prominence in the US has a lot to do with the marketing engines of big tex-mex chains looking for a way to sell more burritos (ironically, this is a food item that doesn’t have the wide popularity in Mexico that it does here). Still, it is a good excuse to cook Mexican food especially something a bit more elaborate that takes about a day to make.One of my favourite taco’s, Tacos Al Pastor (”shepherd style”) likely originated from Lebanese immigrants who made their way to Mexico and brought with them Shawarma. Like any food that emigrates from one place to another, changes are made to include locally available ingredients and to suit local palettes. In this case, the meats were flavored with various chiles and then topped with a pineapple while roasting.The pineapple, aside from adding some sweetness and acidity, also has an enzyme called bromelain that breaks down proteins making the meat very tender. Since we don’t all have shawarma spits at home, I’ve adapted this recipe to work in an oven or on a cooler grill. The pineapple goes into the marinade which gets layered into the roast and is then left to marinade for a short amount of time.The meat is stunningly tender with a distinct earthy-smokey flavor coming from the dried chiles and a nice balance of sweetness, tartness and salt. I like my taco’s simple (like they serve them at taquerias in Mexico) and load up a double layer of corn tortillas with meat then add a bit of minced sweet onion, cilantro and salsa verde on top.

Yield:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1. For Al Pastor
2. ================
3. 1 4 lbs pork “butt” roast
4. 1/4 pineapple sliced into long 1/4″ thick strips
5. .
6. 2 ancho chiles
7. 1 guajillo chile
8. 1 bay leaf
9. .
10. 3/4 C fresh pineapple
11. 1/2 onion
12. 1 Chipotle chile (in adobo sauce)
13. 1 Tbs adobo sauce
14. 1 Tbs vinegar
15. 5 cloves of garlic
16. 1 Tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt
17. 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
18. 1/2 tsp oregano
19. 1/4 tsp achiote paste (or 1/2 tsp paprika)
20. .
21. For Serving:
22. ================
23. small white corn tortillas
24. minced vidalia onion
25. minced cilantro
26. lime wedges
27. salsa verde

Directions

1. Put the pork in the freezer until its firm enough to cut (about 30 minutes).
2. Put the the ancho and guajillo chiles along with the bay leaf in a put of water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and allow the chiles to steep until they are rehydrated. Discard the seeds and stems and toss the chiles in a food processor along with all the other ingredients.
3. Take the roast out of the freezer and orient the roast how you’d have it sitting in the roasting pan (fat side up). The idea here is that you want to slice the meat into 3/4″ thick slices that will stack on top of each other in the roasting pan. I don’t slice all the way through which helps when you’re trying to put the roast back together.
4. Slather the marinade between each layer until every nook and cranny is covered. Tie the roast back together. Cover it and allow it to marinade for no more than an hour. Fresh pineapple has a powerful enzyme that breaks down proteins and if you let it sit too long you’ll end up with mush. If you’re using canned pineapple let it marinate overnight as most of the enzyme is destroyed in the canning process.
5. When the roast is ready to go in the oven, set the oven to 450 degrees F. Put the roast on a rack in a roasting pan and add water to the bottom of the pan (this is to keep the drippings from smoking). Roast for 30 minutes at this temperature then place the pineapple slices on top of the roast and turn down the heat to 300 degrees F. Roast until the meat is tender (about 3 hours).
6. After removing the meat from the oven, cover it with foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes. When you’re ready to serve, just cut the meat up into small cubes. I like to pan fry it at this point to give the pieces a bit more caramelization but it’s up to you.
7. To assemble the tacos just heat up a pile of tortilla’s in the microwave covered with a damp paper towel for about 30 seconds. Using 2 tortilla’s per taco, fill with meat, then top with minced onions, cilantro and salsa verde. Serve with a wedge of lime for squeezing.

Notes

Beef Tacos

These beef tacos are the kind of weeknight meal I’ll prepare when I come home after a long day of meetings only to find the fridge devoid of anything even remotely inspirational. The kind of day when I’m almost tempted by my phone and a takeout menu that someone surreptitiously slipped under the door. Thankfully, stand-bys like these beef tacos are at the ready to save me from an almost-certainly bad meal and subsequent heartburn.There’s nothing fancy or even authentic about these tacos, but they’re a great quick meal that can be thrown together in as little as 10 minutes if you have a few basic pantry items prepared. Just make sure you stock some type of protein in the freezer, some onions, a spice mix, and a bag of masa harina (to make the tortillas). The rest are all condiments and embellishments that are nice to have, but aren’t necessary for this simple satisfying meal.

Yield:

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1. 1/2 medium onion chopped
2. 2 cloves garlic minced
3. 1 lbs sliced or lean ground beef
4. 2 Tbs chili powder
5. 1 tsp kosher salt
6. 1/2 tsp sugar
7. .
8. For Serving:
9. ==============
10. 12 corn tortillas
11. 1 recipe salsa verde
12. cilantro
13. lime wedges

Directions

1. Heat a pan until hot then add a splash of oil along with the onions and garlic. Fry until the onions are just turning translucent, then add the beef, chili powder, salt and sugar.
2. Stir fry until the beef is cooked and there’s no liquid left at the bottom of the pan.
3. Heat the tortillas and serve with the beef, salsa verde, cilantro and lime wedges.

Notes

Carne Asada

Carne Asada, or “roast meat” is a Mexican dish that’s commonly associated with barbecues. The spices used vary by region, but carne asada is almost always made with thin, cheap cuts of beef such as skirt steak or hanger steak. They may not be the most tender cuts, but boy howdy! they sure pack a wallop of flavour.Not only does this Carne Asada do a good job balancing the salt and spices with the fresh tang of limes and cilantro, it’s cheap, and easy to make. The marinade helps tenderize the meat, and if you’re rushing off to a mid summer barbecue, you can always add a bit of kiwi to recruit the services of its enzymes. These microscopic thugs will gleefully beat the crap out of any uncooperative strands of protein in the meat.While you could just grill this up and eat it like a steak, I like chopping up the Carne Asada and stuffing it into fresh homemade tortillas to make tacos. It’s also great in a torta with some avocado and cilantro.

Yield:

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1. 1 skirt steak or 2 hanger steaks
2. .
3. For the Marinade:
4. =================
5. juice of 1 limes
6. 1/4 C olive oil
7. 1/4 C minced cilantro
8. 1-2 Serrano chillies minced (to taste)
9. 1 Tbs minced garlic
10. 1 tsp sugar
11. 1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
12. 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
13. 1/4 tsp ground cumin seed
14. 2 tsp kosher salt (less if using table salt)
15. black pepper to taste
16. 1 Tbs pureed kiwi (optional)
17. .
18. For Garnish
19. =================
20. 1/4 C sweet onions minced
21. 1/4 cilantro minced
22. .
23. To Serve
24. =================
25. 1 batch of homemade tortillas

Directions

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a container with a lid that will fit the meat. Kiwi has a powerful enzyme called actinidin that breaks down protein, making it a great addition to the marinade if you don’t plan on letting the meat marinate overnight. Taste it and add more salt or sugar if needed. It should be relatively salty, but not so salty that it burns your tongue. The sugar is a personal preference thing. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar.
2. When you’re ready to grill the meat, remove it from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come to room temperature. This helps ensure the Carne Asada will cook evenly. If you’re using a broiler, move the rack to the top position and turn the broiler on high, with a grilling rack on top of a baking sheet. Scrape any excess marinade off the meat and place the meat on the grill. Cook until nicely browned on one side, flip and brown the other side. Skirt steak will cook much faster than hanger steak, so be careful not to overcook it.
3. Transfer the Carne Asada to a cutting board and let it rest for at least 5 minutes. Use a sharp knife to roughly chop up the meat then add it to a bowl with the sweet onions, cilantro, and any juices that accumulated on the baking sheet or cutting board.
4. Serve the Carne Asade with fresh tortillas and Pico De Gallo.

Notes