Authentic Mexican chilli verde is a stew of pork shoulder slow-cooked in a green sauce. If you can buy fresh tomatillos, char-grilling them first will add a wonderful flavour to the recipe. Here in Australia, tomatillos are in short supply so I opted for a can. Delicious nevertheless.
Heat some vegetable oil in a heavy pot over high heat until it’s nearly smoking. Add 900g (2 lbs) of cubed pork shoulder and sear on each side until brown. You may have to do this in batches in order not to overcrowd your pot. Add 1 diced onion and ½ a teaspoon of salt and cook until the onion becomes translucent. Add 2 teaspoons of dried oregano, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, ½ a teaspoon of ground coriander and ¼ of a teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Stir and cook for a minute or two then reduce the heat to low. If you have fresh tomatillos, remove the husk from 10 tomatillos and rinse. Char them over a flame and then chop them roughly. Prepare 2½ cups of chicken stock. In blender, purée the tomatillos with 6 cloves of garlic, 3 seeded jalapeño peppers, 1 seeded poblano chilli, ½ a bunch of coriander (cilantro) leaves and some chicken stock to make a smooth sauce. Add the sauce and more chicken stock to barely cover the meat. Add a bay leaf and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir well and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a slow simmer and cook until the meat is tender. Garnish with sour cream and coriander (cilantro) and serve with fresh tortillas and other sides like refried black beans, fresh salsa and avocado.
*recipe adapted from this one by Chef John
michelle picker cooks 