Recipe: Chile Verde (La Frontera Style)

CHILE VERDE (LA FRONTERA STYLE)

"This is my recreation of the chile verde made by La Frontera restaurants in Salt Lake City. It is best served over bean burritos, with shredded cheese, diced onions, and salsa as desired. Note: I am not associated with La Frontera; I created this recipe myself, with the goal of recreating the flavor of their chile verde."

8 to 10 tomatillos, husked, de-stem, cut into large chunks
6 small jalapeno peppers, cut into large chunks*
6 to 10 Serrano peppers, cut into large chunks
3 Anaheim peppers, cut into large chunks (optional)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce**
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
2 lbs pork (pork roast, pork loin, or Boston butt), cut into small chunks
Flour (for browning the pork)
Salt and ground black pepper (to taste)
2 Tbsp. olive oil, shortening, or lard
1 large sweet onion, cut into large chunks
1 Tbsp. garlic minced
2 Tbsp. corn starch
2 ounces of cold water
FOR SERVING (OPTIONAL):***
Bean burritos
shredded cheese
diced onions
and salsa

Put tomatillos and peppers and cilantro in a food processor, puree them all. Add the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and can of green chiles, to the food processor. Continue blending until the mixture is a consistent color.

Pour the vegetable puree into a crock-pot. Add the chicken broth, oregano, cumin, and chili powder.

Turn the crock-pot on HIGH and cover.

Dust the pork with flour, salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat oil, shortening, or lard in a frying pan. Add the garlic and onions, saute until the onions are tender.

Add the pork to the frying pan; brown it thoroughly.

Pour the entire pan's contents (including drippings) into the crock-pot. Cover and cook in the crock-pot on HIGH for 2 hours. After 2 hours, reduce the heat to MEDIUM or LOW and cook for another 2 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, mix the cornstarch with 2 ounces of cold water, and add it to the crock-pot. Add more if you want to thicken it further.

*If you don't want this too spicy, remove the jalapeno seeds before you put the jalapenos in the food processor. If you want it more spicy, add Habanero peppers or Malagueta peppers, as desired.

**Try 7 to 8 ounces of tomato sauce rather than 14 ounced, for more tomatillo flavor.

***TO SERVE:
Serve over bean burritos, if desired. (I used flour tortillas, with refried beans, chopped onions, and cheese wrapped inside.) Bake the burritos in the oven at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes (until the tortilla just barely starts to dry out). Cover them with the chili verde and pork, then garnish (or further smother) with diced onions and shredded cheese. Serve with salsa, if desired.

Makes 12 servings
Adapted from source: Big Oven / MGymme