Braised Pork With Tomatillos Recipes

PORK IN TOMATILLO SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large pot, add the pork meat seasoned with salt and pepper, plus the bay leaf, and cook. Stir frequently to brown the pieces of meat on all sides. About 6-8 minutes.
• Add 1 cup of water and reduce heat to simmer (covered) for about 20 minutes.
• While the meat is cooking, roast the tomatillos, peppers, onion and garlic on an ungreased griddle over medium heat. Toss to evenly roast them. About 12-15 minutes. The garlic will take less time, so be sure to remove promptly. Remove the tomatillos, peppers and garlic once they're soft and blackened, and place in a bowl covered with aluminum foil to cool for 3-5 minutes. Peel garlic cloves. If you are adding the cinnamon and cloves, slightly toast them too, they will take just a few seconds.
• Place the roasted tomatillos, peppers, garlic, onion, cinnamon, cloves, oregano and the released juices into blender or food processor. Puree until you have a chunky mixture.
• Add the tomatillo mixture to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring frequently until meat is tender. This step will take about 45 minutes or more.

BRAISED PORK WITH TOMATILLOS

Steps:

• In a small dry skillet over medium heat, toast coriander and cumin seeds until aromatic, 1-2 minutes. Remove from skillet. Crush seeds using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle; set aside., Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, brown roast in oil on all sides. Remove and set aside. Add tomatillos and onion to the pan; saute until tomatillos are tender and lightly charred. Add the garlic and crushed spices; cook 1 minute longer., Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Stir in 8 cups broth and return roast to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and bake at 350° until pork is tender, 3 to 3-1/2 hours., Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan, 15-20 minutes. Serve with pork.

PORK IN TOMATILLO SALSA

Steps:

• Season the pork with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Let sit for a few minutes.
• Preheat 4 tablespoons of oil in a large, heavy skillet to medium for a few minutes.
• Brown the pork as best you can on all sides in the hot oil.
• Pour in 3 cups of warm water. Stir well, scraping the bottom of pan to get all those bits of flavor off the bottom. Cover with tight lid and continue cooking at heat right below medium for about 45-60 minutes or until the liquid evaporates.
• While pork is cooking, add your tomatillos, jalapeños, onion and garlic to a pot of simmering water. Simmer for 10 minutes or just until tomatillos turn from bright green to olive green.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer salsa ingredients to the blender. Add cilantro and salt to taste. Blend on high until very smooth. Set aside.
• Once all the liquid has evaporated from the pork, add the diced onion and garlic. Saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the salsa. Stir in the oregano and bay leaves. Reduce heat. If adding nopales, add them in right now. Cover and cook at a steady simmer for 20 minutes.

TOMATILLO PORK BRAISE WITH PICKLED CHILIS (PUERCO EN SALSA VERDE

Steps:

• Scoop the tomatillos into a slow cooker and spread them in an even layer. Scatter on the garlic, jalapenos and half of the cilantro. Sprinkle evenly with 1 ½ tsp salt.
• In a large bowl, combine the pork and Worcestershire sauce, mixing until the cubes are well coated. Distribute the meat over the tomatillo mixture. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours.
• With a pair of tongs, remove the pork to a bowl. Tip or ladle the sauce mixture into a blender and add the remaining cilantro. Cover loosely and blend until smooth; return the mixture to the slow cooker. Stir in the drained beans, taste and add salt as necessary; Stir in a little water if the sauce has thickened beyond the consistency of a light cream soup. Add a little sugar if the sauce is too tart. Return the meat to the pot, let everything warm through and serve.
• Variations:.
• This dish can be cooked in a Dutch oven instead of the slow cooker. In a medium large (4 to 6 quart) heavy pot or Dutch oven, layer the tomatillos, flavorings and meat as described above. Cover with the sauce, set the lid in place and braise in a 3000F oven for 2 ½ to 3 hours, until the pork is completely tender. Complete the dish as described above.
• The beans can be replaced with potatoes or small sweet turnips (cut into wedges) or carrots (2 inch lengths cut into sticks). Toss them with a little salt and place them on top of the sauce ingredients before layering in the pork. Take them out with the meat while you finish the sauce.
• Add a big handful of spinach to the blender when pureeing the sauce; a few Tbsp of Mexican Crema or heavy cream works magic on this spinach enhanced sauce. Epazote may be used in place of the cilantro.
• This dish is perfect made with 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Or replace the pork shoulder with 1 inch pieces of beef chuck; double the cilantro and use 2 poblanos. The beef will benefit greatly from browning before slow cooking.
• Either brown the cubed pork in a little oil in a single layer in a large skillet, or spread it out on an oiled baking sheet (with sides) and slide it close up under a broiler. Slide the browned meat into the slow cooker.

TOMATILLO-BRAISED PORK LOIN WITH HERBY WHITE BEANS AND BACON

Steps:

• Heat the broiler. Lay the whole tomatillos and serranos on a broiler pan or baking sheet. Set the pan 4 inches below the broiler and let roast until the tomatillos are softened and splotchy black in places (the skins will split), about 5 minutes; your goal is to cook the tomatillos through while they roast, which means they'll change from light bright green to olive green on the top side. With a pair of tongs, flip over the tomatillos and chiles and roast the other side for another 4 to 5 minutes or so. Set aside to cool. Turn the oven down to 425 degrees. Separate the onion into rings and, on a similar pan or baking sheet, combine them with the garlic. Place in the oven. Stir carefully every couple of minutes, until the onions are beautifully browned. (They're going to look wilted and translucent, even have a touch of char on some of the edges.) The garlic should feel soft and be browned in spots. The total roasting time will be about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a food processor, place the onion-garlic mixture and the serranos, and pulse until moderateley finely chopped, scraping everything down with a spatula as needed to keep it all moving. Scoop the mixture into a large bowl. Without washing the processor, coarsely puree the tomatillos with their juice, no need to peel off their darkened skin or cut out their cores. Stir them into the chiles. Stir in enough water to give the salsa an easily spoonable consistency. Stir in the cilantro. Taste and season highly with salt. Taste again and, if you like, add just enough sugar to take the edge off the bright tanginess of the tomatillos. If you are planning to use your salsa right away, simply pour it into a bowl and it is ready, or refrigerate it covered and use within 5 days.;
• In a medium saucepan, combine the beans with 3 cups of water and the herbs and bay leaves. Partially cover the pan and bring to a good rolling boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer the beans very gently (still partially covered) until they are tender, about 1 hour (if you simmer them gently enough, they won't begin to fall apart before becoming thoroughly tender). Add more water if the beans ever begin peeking up above the surface of the water. While beans cook, in a 6 quart Dutch oven cook the bacon slices over medium heat, turning them occasionally, until thoroughly crispy. Remove to drain on paper towels, and when cool, crumble. Tip the Dutch oven slightly, spoon off most of the fat that collects, and add it to the simmering beans. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. If your pork loin roast is in 2 sections that have been tied together, untie them. Sprinkle the meat liberally with salt. Heat the Dutch oven over medium-high until quite hot. Lay in the pork and brown thoroughly on all sides, about 10 minutes total. Pour in the salsa and nestle in the epazote if you it. Cover the pot and place it the oven. Cook until the pork registers about 150 degrees on a meat or instant-read thermometer; the meat will feel rather firm (not hard) to the touch, and cutting into the center will reveal only the slightest hint of pink. The total cooking time should be about 45 minutes. Remove the epazote and set the pot aside uncovered. When the beans are tender, season them with about 1 teaspoon salt, let stand for a few minutes for the beans to absorb the seasoning, then drain off their cooking liquid. Remove the pork to a cutting board, add the beans to the pork pot, set over medium heat and season with salt. Slice the pork, laying the slices slightly overlapping on a warm serving platter. Spoon the beans and sauce around the meat, sprinkle everything with the crumbled bacon, garnish with herb sprigs and carry to the table.