Chile Verde

When I was a kid, my next-door neighbor was a Mexican woman named Rose who owned a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in town. Rose made everything from scratch, from her fresh salsa to hand rolled tortillas. Locals flocked to her restaurant for fresh enchiladas, carne asada, sopa de albondigas and her famous chile verde. I grew up eating her food and when I was in college, I spent my summers waiting tables in her restaurant. After each shift, Rose gave me a free meal of my choice and I never tired of the amazing handmade Mexican delicacies that she created.

When I got married, one of the first places I took my husband was Rose’s little restaurant. My husband loved it as much as I did and we spent many evenings lingering over chile rellenos and fresh margaritas. My husbands favorite was Rose’s spicy chile verde and he ordered it nearly every time we went into the restaurant. Rose’s food was our favorite and we became regulars at her little restaurant, chatting with the waiters and waitresses and knowing the menu by heart. When we moved to Texas, one of the things we missed the most was Rose’s cooking. We have yet to find a restaurant that even compares to Rose’s and everytime we go home, the first thing we do is head over there for dinner. It never fails to satisfy.

My husband has had a rough week so I decided to try to surprise him with something special. So, yesterday, I set about to recreate Rose’s top-secret and famous chile verde. Starting with an old chile verde recipe that I found, I have added a bit of this and a touch of that and let it simmer all day. While I think I’ll add another jalapeño next time to make it a bit spicier, all in all, I really enjoyed the dish. It was also really easy and inexpensive to make which is an added bonus. Here’s my recipe:

Chile Verde

1.5 lbs. pork tenderloin or chicken breast (cubed)
10 fresh tomatillos
2-4 jalapeño peppers (I used two, but I think I’ll use three next time)
2 poblano peppers
1 onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp cumin
3-4 tsp. salt
¼ c. chicken broth

Husk tomatillos and place in boiling water for 15 minutes. Strain and set aside to cool.
Put jalapenos and poblanos under the broiler until their skins are charred. Turn and char the other side. When charred, remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Mince garlic and dice onion. Place in crock pot with broth.
Cube meat, add to crock pot and stir.
Sprinkle cumin and salt on meat and veggies.
Carefully peel still-warm tomatillos and peppers. Place in blender and puree until smooth.
Cover meat with tomatillo sauce.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with rice, cheese and tortillas.