Papá Steve’s Chile Verde

For years I have used chile verde as a Mexican restaurant litmus test, because it can tell so much about the freshness, quality, and authenticity of a place. It needs to be saucey, but not soupy, tender but not shredded, a little spicy, but not muddied up with spices that shouldn’t be there (no cumin or chile powder please!). If a restaurant can get this dish right, chances are everything else will be good too.

Until I married Navarre, I had never attempted to make chile verde at home. Instead, I would often make a pork roast in the crock pot covered with a jar of green salsa, which is a delicious and easy weeknight meal, but it is definitely NOT chile verde! The chile verde that the Valdivieso family taught me to make is more of a weekend or special occasion meal. I love to take my time with the cubing and browning, chopping and slicing and stewing. I start it in the morning, let it simmer all afternoon, and serve with refried pinto beans, Mexican rice, fresh tortillas, and sometimes fresh pico de gallo as well. It’s a humble dish, but in my opinion it has enough care and soul to qualify it as special occasion food.

I’ll never forget the first Christmas Navarre and I had to spend without the kids at home while they spent Christmas with their other parents. I was honestly so down about the whole thing, but I comforted myself with the process of making chile verde. That afternoon we snuggled on the couch and watched The Fellowship of the Ring while eating homemade chicken tamales smothered in chile verde. It wasn’t a perfect Christmas by any means, but it is now a treasured memory for me.

Navarre’s Take

My dad is always quick to point out that this is NOT how Aunt Sally made Chile Verde! She would often substitute tomatoes in place of tomatillos, went with beef over pork, and her “chile verde” often came out rojo instead of verde! (“The chiles are green, it’s still verde!”) Regardless, this is how my dad makes chile verde and it’s a dish rooted deeply in my soul, it is one of my ultimate comfort foods.

I am over the moon with how much love and effort Alyssa has put into learning and perfecting this recipe over the last few years. Her recipe, like dad’s, has evolved with time to become in all ways reminiscent of the original while also incorporating the added flair of new experience. This is also one of those dishes that gains a whole new character when allowed to rest. Next-day chile verde is out of this world.

Ingredients

• 4–5 pounds pork roast (pork sirloin works well)
• 1 large can whole tomatillos, roughly chopped
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½ tsp dried marjoram
• 5–10 jarred yellow chiles, chopped (to taste)
• 1–4 canned jalapeños, chopped (to taste)
• 1 small can Ortega diced green chiles
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cube the pork and brown it in batches in a little oil.
2. Remove the pork, leaving the drippings in the pan.
3. Sauté the onion, garlic, chiles, and jalapeños in the drippings until fragrant and translucent.
4. Return the pork to the pot along with the tomatillos, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Simmer over very low heat until the meat is tender but still holds its shape. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
5. Serve with rice, beans, and tortillas. Even better the next day.