Tomatillo Pork Braise With Pickled Chilis (Puerco En Salsa Verde

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 3-4 canned pickled jalapeno peppers, stemmed, halved and seeds scraped out
• 1/2 cup loosely packed roughly chopped fresh cilantro (divided use)
• salt
• 1 1/2-2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

• 2 (15 ounce) cans large white great northern beans, drained (or 3 1/2 cups home cooked beans)
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar, if needed

Directions

1. 1

   Scoop the tomatillos into a slow cooker and spread them in an even layer. Scatter on the garlic, jalapenos and half of the cilantro. Sprinkle evenly with 1 ½ tsp salt.

2. 2

   In a large bowl, combine the pork and Worcestershire sauce, mixing until the cubes are well coated. Distribute the meat over the tomatillo mixture. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours.

3. 3

   With a pair of tongs, remove the pork to a bowl. Tip or ladle the sauce mixture into a blender and add the remaining cilantro. Cover loosely and blend until smooth; return the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the drained beans, taste and add salt as necessary; Stir in a little water if the sauce has thickened beyond the consistency of a light cream soup. Add a little sugar if the sauce is too tart. Return the meat to the pot, let everything warm through and serve.

4. 4

   Variations:.

5. 5

   This dish can be cooked in a Dutch oven instead of the slow cooker. In a medium large (4 to 6 quart) heavy pot or Dutch oven, layer the tomatillos, flavorings and meat as described above. Cover with the sauce, set the lid in place and braise in a 3000F oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the pork is completely tender. Complete the dish as described above.

6. 6

   The beans can be replaced with potatoes or small sweet turnips (cut into wedges) or carrots (2 inch lengths cut into sticks). Toss them with a little salt and place them on top of the sauce ingredients before layering in the pork. Take them out with the meat while you finish the sauce.

7. 7

   Add a big handful of spinach to the blender when pureeing the sauce; a few Tbsp of Mexican Crema or heavy cream works magic on this spinach enhanced sauce. Epazote may be used in place of the cilantro.

8. 8

   This dish is perfect made with 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Or replace the pork shoulder with 1 inch pieces of beef chuck; double the cilantro and use 2 poblanos. The beef will benefit greatly from browning before slow cooking.

9. 9

   Either brown the cubed pork in a little oil in a single layer in a large skillet, or spread it out on an oiled baking sheet (with sides) and slide it close up under a broiler. Slide the browned meat into the slow cooker.