My Latina wife smiled at me a couple of months ago and said simply, "We are not having wild game on New Year's Day. We are going back to my family's cultural tradition, the one you loved when we first met."
I smiled and said something like, "You mean your incredible Chile Verde? I'm in."
This is a great holiday dish. If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, this is the dish Carmen used to hook me.
A note on roasted, peeled, seeded fresh chiles (RPS): As the gringo in the house, RPS is usually my job. Make sure you thoroughly wash your hands and even rinse them in lemon juice—the residue from RPS on your fingers can be excruciatingly painful if you happen to touch your eyes. One small glass of sipping tequila for both the cook and the person preparing the chilies completes the experience.
INGREDIENTS
For the pork:
4 lbs. trimmed pork loin, cut into 2" pieces
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Flour for dredging
¼ cup vegetable oil
For the base:
2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 Poblano chile, roasted, peeled and seeded (RPS)
10 Anaheim chiles (RPS)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
For the sauce:
1½ lbs. tomatillos, roasted, peeled and chopped (or canned)
4 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 Tbsp. coriander seeds, crushed and dampened
2 bay leaves
For serving:
1 bunch fresh cilantro, cleaned and chopped
1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 dozen corn tortillas, warmed on a buttered cast iron skillet
ROASTING, PEELING & SEEDING CHILES (RPS)
Turn on the oven to broil and place fresh chilies on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Slide them under the broiler, close to the flame. Watch carefully, turning chilies as the skins begin to blister. Rearrange the chilies on the sheet to ensure all are cooked evenly. (Try not to blacken them.)
As each chili becomes completely blistered, remove it and place it in a large zip-lock bag. Continue adding until all chilies are in the bag, then seal it. Leave them in the bag until they are cool.
When cool, take each one out and trim off the blistered skin, then split the chili and remove the seeds. Discard the skin and seeds, then shred the chili into approximately two-inch strips, each one-half inch wide.
PREPARATION
Season pork with salt, pepper, and dust with flour. Heat oil in heavy pan and brown pork chunks on all sides, then move to a large soup pot.
Sauté onions in the same skillet until soft, then add chilies and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes, then add to a large soup pot.
Add tomatillos and all herbs to the soup pot and cover with chicken stock. Bring the contents to a boil, reduce to simmer, and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until pork is fork tender.
Serve in bowls and top with fresh cilantro and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Serve with warm corn tortillas.