This is one of the easiest, most mouth-watering and family-friendly meals in my repertoire.
It takes a few hours to cook, which makes it a perfect Sunday afternoon project.
It makes enough to use it all week, which is perfect because it's great on tortillas, baked potatoes, with eggs, on nachos, or all by itself with a little cheese!
Amanda De Jager Friedman
Merced Sun-Star - PHOTO BY BEA AHBECK
Amanda De Jager Friedman's chili verde with beans is essentially pork and beans with New Mexico flavors.
|
'Secret Chili Verde'
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Salt Water Cut pork into 1 inch cubes. Season with salt. Heat 1/4 cup oil, over medium high heat in large stock pot or soup pot. Add onion and garlic. Sautee until onion is soft. Add pork cubes, and turn up heat if necessary to brown pork. Continue browning pork cubes for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add green chiles, tomatoes, jalapeno salsa, and dried beans. Cover with enough water so that all ingredients are submerged. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat to a simmer, and cover pot. Simmer for at least two hours, checking pot occasionally to make sure there is enough water. The beans will continue to soak up water, so add more as necessary to keep the chile hydrated. When the beans are soft and the pork is tender, remove lid. Salt to taste if necessary. Using a wooden spoon, break up the chunks of pork and stir to combine. This should have the consistency of chili, so if it's too thin, bring to a boil and reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. As soon as the green chile is thick enough, remove from heat. Serve immediately, or store in fridge or freezer. |
It's also a great opportunity to get familiar with dried beans, if you don't use them often. Dried beans are not only inexpensive, but they are a blank slate for flavor. Because you get to bring them from dry to cooked, you have total control over the flavor, sodium and cooking temperatures, unlike canned beans.
Before you get down and dirty with the details, I should explain a few things.
I have several internal struggles regarding this recipe:
1. I actually had no idea what to call it!
In Colorado, it would be referred to as "pork green chile," but here, it's closer to chile verde, except that it includes beans. At home we call it "green chile." I've also heard it called "chalupa," which is technically incorrect, as chalupa means "little boat," and just so happens to be a menu item at Taco Bell. Essentially, it is pork and beans, with decidedly New Mexican flavors.
I almost decided on "pork and beans," for the recipe title, but for many of you, that conjures up images of brightly colored cans containing some version of shiny, tin-flavored beans surrounded by goop and heaven-only-knows what kind of pork. Thus, I resolved to give the recipe a locally appreciated name, "chile verde with beans."
If you've got a better idea, I'm open to suggestions!
2. This is one of the recipes I've always hesitated to give away. In fact, like many of my recipes, I've never even written it out, or bothered to measure when I make it. When people rave about it and ask how I make it, I typically respond with the classic "little o' this, little o' that" quip, which confuses the listener just enough so that they'll never ask again.
See, this is my strategy for shunning requests for my "secret" recipes. Secret recipes, in turn, give me leverage with those close to me. Whether they are used to showing compassion, as a peace offering, or for blatant bribery, an arsenal of secret recipes is something any decent cook should possess.
Thanks for your patience concerning the ridiculous psychology of a chef.
Now, get to cooking!
Warning: The smell of this will drive your whole household wild!
E-Mail
Print
