Chili Verde (Not to be confused with green chili!)

In my bountiful basket last Saturday I got a whole bunch of yummy Chili peppers PLUS I finally have some tomatillos ready from the garden...

Of course this meant I had to make some of my world famous Chili Verde! (Okay, you got me.. it's not world famous, but it did win first prize in our neighborhood chili cookoff... so almost, right?) Most of my recipes are not this much trouble. This recipe is a bit of a process from start to finish, but there are some short cuts to quicken it up if necessary. For example, the first time I made this I used chilis from my freezer that I had already roasted and peeled. You can also used canned peppers and soup. It will still be good, but not as good. Overall, the work is worth it in my opinion. I usually make a HUGE batch so I have enough to enjoy for a few days. Last time I meant to put some in the freezer but we ate it all in just a few days. It's good on just about anything- Eggs for breakfast, nachos for lunch or smothered burritos for dinner.

Mike gets irritated when I call my Chili Verde recipe "green chili". I keep telling him that it means the same thing but the first time I made it, I called it Chili Verde- so..he insists I must always call it Chili Verde or I must be talking about a different recipe. I have another recipe that I dubbed "green chili" the first time I made it.

Chili Verde

2-3 lb pork loin roast cut into bite-sized chunks
1 Tbs chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin, ground
1 tsp salt
1 bunch cilantro, washed & chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 large roasted jalepenos, chopped (you can use 2 [4 oz]cans instead)
8 med chili peppers- roasted, peeled and chopped (or 4-6 [4oz] cans)
5 cloves garlic UNpeeled
9 tomatillos, roasted
3 cups water
3 tsp chicken soup base or bouillon
2 tsp dried oregano
2 limes, juiced (or 1/4 cup lime juice)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
  or 1 1/2 cup white sauce mix

Cut pork into bite-sized chunks. Mix chili powder, cumin and salt in a small bowl. Coat pork pieces with seasoning mix then brown in a large heavy skillet. Do this in batches if necessary to be sure each piece browns well.

Add pork to large crockpot. Chop onion, cilantro and add to crockpot. Remove papery shell from tomatillos, wash and cut in half. Roast tomatillos with cut-side down. Roast peppers, tomatillos, and garlic by grilling at 500 F with the lid closed for 8-10 minutes or you can place them on a cookie sheet under a hot broiler for 8-10 minutes. (If grilling, place the smaller peppers, tomatillos and garlic in foil to prevent it from falling through the slats.) When peppers are done being roasted, place them in a plastic bag and seal to allow peppers to "sweat" for a few minutes.

Remove skins and seeds then place peppers, tomatillos, and peeled garlic into a food processor or blender. Pulse to chop finely or puree (whichever you prefer). Add pepper mixture to pork and onion.

Add water and chicken bouillon. Stir and cook on HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 7 hours. Add white sauce mix or cream soup and oregano. Stir until creamy. Keep on LOW or Keep Warm until ready to serve.

Serve over warm tortillas, use as a soup garnished with fresh chopped lettuce and tomato, use it to smother burritos, serve over nachos, ENJOY!

I just had to show off my yummy tomatoes from the garden. Look how red they are- all the way through! You just can't buy that at the supermarket. And in case you are wondering... yes. They tasted as good as they look! :)