Pork Chile Verde

I love trying to cook, I emphasize “trying”. But, there is something wrong with me in that I find it nearly impossible to follow a recipe. I always feel like doing something different to it. I use the basic recipe of whatever I’m trying, but always have to add or subtract something…I don’t know why, but that’s how I am, and it probably contributes to why I have many more failures than successes when it comes to cooking. Oh well, I call it “experimenting”.

A little background might be in order: because I’m half Puerto Rican ancestry (the other half made up of German and Irish) – I have become interested in the cooking/food of Puerto Rico (or at least the Americanized versions that I have eaten from my family). My brother and I have been trying to cook PR food, and admittedly he has had MUCH MORE success with it. He also has been cooking it much more regularly than I have. He cooks at least one PR meal per week, whereas I try it every once in a while. I still haven’t been able to perfect simple yellow rice (although I’m very close!) Well, a traditional Christmas Eve meal is Pernil (roasted pork shoulder) – I figured out how to do this this past New Year’s Eve. It required marinating in vinegar, adobo (garlic, oregano spice blend), fresh garlic, and olive oil (what I call a pernil rub/paste) for about 2-3 days. After which, the refrigerator and surrounding area stunk to high heaven. I roasted it in a 375° oven for about 4.5 hours; I then bumped the oven up to 425° for the last 30 minutes or so. The result was an amazing pernil!

I found a recipe for Pork Chile Verde in the most recent Men’s Health magazine – and I decided I would like to try it. Although, as far as I know, it’s a traditional Mexican dish I’ve decided to try to give it a little Puerto Rican twist by prepping it like I would have for pernil.  The following is my attempt.

The ingredients (the bag is the marinating pork)

Pork Chile Verde, wannabe PR style:

• 1-2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 + lb boneless pork shoulder

• Pernil/Adobo marinating paste (I don’t measure, just mix until it makes a paste that covers all the meat)

• Yellow onion, diced
• 1-2 green bell pepper cut into chunks
• Jar of salsa verde (this is Mexican green salsa made with chile and tomatillos)
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Potatoes (optional)

I took a 2.5 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut it into ~2 inch chunks and marinated it in the pernil rub (vinegar, olive oil, adobo, and fresh garlic) for almost 2 days. I took the meat, in batches, and browned them in a skillet with about 1tbsp of olive oil. After each batch was browned, I transferred them to a crock pot.

I then sautéed some diced yellow onion and green peppers in the skillet I used for browning the meat. I added the jar of Salsa Verde (green salsa) and let this heat up. I transferred all of this to the crock pot. I then added the 1 cup of Chicken stock. I let this cook on the high setting of the crock pot for about 6 hours. In the last hour I put in a couple cut up potatoes (I used fingerling because I have never tried them before and found them in a big-@$$ Wal-Mart around here and wanted to see what they were like!) They are optional though, so use them if you like, if not, don’t.

onions and peppers

salsa verde added in (I used the Herdez brand)

everything into the crock pot (you'll notice I went to a larger pot from what I planned)

about 6 hours later and all done - looks good

I served it with yellow rice and pink beans (PR style). 

The Results: (DRUMROLL PLEASE!)

all plated up, looks pretty good in pictures...but?

Well, it was not a success...but, it was also not a failure, so it was a semi-success.  The problem I made (and I thought it might mess it up, but I wanted to try it - experimenting, see?) - was the marinating.  Marinating it in the paste made it WAY TOO salty.  Mixed with the rice (which, again came out sticky - not good either) cut the saltiness down a bit, but it was still too salty.  I also did not expect it to have the spiciness that it had - although, that wasn't a bad thing.  I just didn't realize that the salsa verde I put in had serrano peppers (I probably should have checked the ingredient list!).  The spicy aspect though was pleasant, and was similar to a dish I've had a Mexican restaurant nearby - guiso de puerco (I'm thinking this is essentially the same dish).  I will make this again, but next time I will not try to Puertoriqueño-nize it, I will go with the straight recipe.  And I think I'll try it with plain white rice next time, too! 

Tuesday - Food!

I love food, some people eat to live, I (somewhat unfortunately) live to eat. I love the Food Network and I really enjoy trying to cook - as tends to happen though my recipes/experiments tend to not come out as planned.

One thing that I usually have success with is simple Italian tomato sauce. Sauce (or gravy as my guindaloon friends back home would probably call what I make) is not hard at all, but I take a lot of pride in making it. This basic recipe is really simple and it was given to me by a great, straight from Italy friend that I knew from when he was a contractor at the ANG base I worked at. Fernando took great pride in explaining to me how to make his sauce, and with his thick Italian accent I was sure I wanted to try it his way. I don't always follow his specific method, but I basically do as he said. Here is the recipe as I follow it, and I should say, I don't measure things:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Red pepper flakes
• .5 medium yellow onion diced (or up to a whole onion depending on your likes)
• Minced garlic (1 tbsp of the jarred stuff or 2-3 cloves fresh)
• 2-3 cans of GOOD TOMATOES (by this I mean the imported stuff – like Cento, whole peeled tomatoes or crushed)
• Sausage/meatballs (optional – I prefer mild turkey sausage, a little healthier than regular)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Sugar (optional)
• Fresh basil

I made this yesterday (Monday Feb. 1) and while it was just starting to simmer we lost electricity – so I moved it to the grill out back and let it continue cooking that way…it was still great!

I start with pouring the olive oil around the pot 3 or 4 times (I use a 4 or 5 qt. dutch oven) – this should be about 3 tbsp. of olive oil (maybe a little more). With the heat on medium, I put a handful of red pepper flakes in the oil while I chop the onion. Put the diced onion in the pot when the oil is heated, about 2 or 3 minutes. Let the onion cook until soft – probably close to 8 minutes or so, then put in the minced garlic. I then add a healthy pinch of salt and let all of that cook for a couple more minutes.

Put the canned tomatoes (I prefer the whole peeled kind, but crushed will do – but it is important to buy good stuff!). Let that cook until it’s bubbling (NOT BOILING). If using whole peeled tomatoes, crush the tomatoes at this point – be careful, they are full of liquid and will spit out if you get too ambitious! Add some pepper and the meat if you’re using it (if you add meat then technically this is a “gravy” and not simply a sauce – semantics) and lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for at least 2 hours – I tend to go 3 or 4 hours though. In the last hour or so, you can pull the sausage and slice it and put it back in or leave it whole. Also, add as much fresh basil (chopped) as you like. I don’t think you can add too much.

Here is a variation that Fernando offered (but I usually don’t do this because of time – so if you do this, start this sauce early): he would then turn the sauce off (after the few hours of cooking) taste it, season it (add salt, pepper, sugar if too acidic) and leave it off to come back to room temp. or fairly close. He essentially cooled it all the way down, then would turn the heat back on and recook it for another hour or so. He claimed this helped the flavors to fully mix. Sort of when you eat leftovers the next day and the flavors get more time to meld – the few times I’ve done this, the sauce has always tasted great – BUT, the sauce always tastes great anyway…so to avoid the time hassle, I rarely do this.
Boil up your spaghetti or whatever pasta you plan on eating it with, and when it’s al dente (firm but thoroughly cooked) serve with the sauce over it. It is especially good with grated parmesan melted over it! Delicious!!!

If you try it, let me know what you think or if you have any great recipes you like to share, let me know – I’m always looking for ideas and good meals!