Double Pork Chili Verde

Our Double Pork Chili Verde is rich and complex; it uses two cuts of pork, pork stew meat and ground pork.  Tomatillos, green bell peppers, pasilla chilis, celery and cilantro provide the verdant elements, balancing the richness of the two cuts of pork; the seasonings further add to the complex flavor of this hearty dish.  Double Pork Chili Verde makes a great dinner to enjoy with family and friends, start with a simple appetizer like Wilted Arugula Salad and pair this with icy cold beer or a chilled dry rosé wine.

Total Time: 3 hours. Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• Cut the pork stew meat into 1-inch pieces.
• Pour the cooking oil into a 12-quart stockpot over a medium heat.
• Add the pork stew meat to the stockpot and brown.
• Add the ground pork to the stockpot and brown.
• Chop the onion, mince the garlic, slice the celery and slice the serrano chilis into thin rounds and reserve all in a large bowl.
• Stem and de-seed the bell peppers and pasilla chilis; cut into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl with the other vegetables.
• Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and wash thoroughly to remove the sticky residue. Slice each tomatillo in half, remove the stem and small piece of core just below the stem, the cut each tomatillo half into four pieces. Add the tomatillos to a second bowl.
• Rinse, peel and core the Granny Smith apples and cut into 1-inch chunks; add to the bowl with the tomatillos.
• Add the onion, garlic celery, peppers and chilis to the browned pork in the stockpot; stir to mix and cook, covered until the vegetables start to soften.
• Combine the seasonings (sea salt through allspice) in a small bowl. Add the seasonings to the stockpot, stir to mix, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
• Shake the excess water from a well-rinsed bunch of cilantro, finely mince the leaves and stems and add to the bowl with the tomatillos and apples.
• Add the tomatillos, apples and cilantro to the stockpot and stir to mix with the other ingredients.
• Pour the beer and lime juice into the stockpot, stir, cover and raise the heat to high to bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the apples dissolve and the tomatillos turn into a sauce.
• Remove from the heat and serve. Any leftover Double Pork Chili Verde will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days.

Preparation:

1. Cut the pork stew meat into 1-inch pieces.
2. Pour the cooking oil into a 12-quart stockpot over a medium heat.
3. Add the pork stew meat to the stockpot and brown.
4. Add the ground pork to the stockpot and brown.
5. Stem and de-seed the bell peppers and pasilla chilis; cut into bite-size pieces and reserve in a bowl.
6. Slice the serrano chilis into thin rounds and add to the bowl with the peppers and chilis along with the onion, garlic and celery.
7. Add the peppers, chilis, onion, garlic and celery to the browned pork in the stockpot; stir to mix and cook, covered, for 5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.
8. Combine the seasonings (sea salt through allspice) in a small bowl. Add the seasonings to the stockpot, stir to mix, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and wash thoroughly to remove the sticky residue. Slice each tomatillo in half, remove the stem and small piece of core just below the stem, the cut each tomatillo half into four pieces. Add the tomatillos to a second bowl.
10. Rinse, peel and core the Granny Smith apples and cut into 1-inch chunks; add to the bowl with the tomatillos.
11. Shake the excess water from the well-rinsed bunch of cilantro and finely the leaves and stems together; add to the bowl with the tomatillos and apples.
12. Add the tomatillos, apples and cilantro to the stockpot and stir to mix with the other ingredients.
13. Pour the beer and lime juice into the stockpot, stir, cover and simmer over a medium heat until the apples dissolve and the tomatillos turn into a sauce.
14. Remove from the heat and serve. Any leftover Double Pork Chili Verde will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for 3 days.