I would have to say that my love of food, and cooking in general came from my mother.  She had a natural skill set and despite her years of chain smoking, her palate was quite good. Growing up in a Hispanic household, bland food was rarely if ever experienced and a resistance to spicy, flavorful food would have been a futile one. More than often, we ‘ate Mexican’ several times a week.  This usually consisted of frijoles días (day beans); whole pinto beans slowly cooked for hours with whatever bacon/pork fat that my mother kept on hand.  In addition to the beans was the obligatory Spanish rice, which had to be made fresh.  Even if we had plenty of leftover rice in the refrigerator, my mother insisted on making it fresh for dinner (leftovers were for lunches).

The dish that I most looked forward to, the dish that the beans and rice served as a vessel for was Chili Verde. Now, there seems to be some dispute as to who taught who this recipe or who was the originator in the family.  EIther way, I have never found another like it.  And I probably never will.  Unfortunately, my mother passed away before I was able to have her teach me.  So after her passing, I contacted her sister, my Aunt Virgie, to ask her to help me out.  I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for taking me through the process.

The ingredients are few, but the process would be considered laborious.  But then again, I have spent many hours doing absolutely nothing useful, like watching other people cook food on TV.  It’s just the ass-kicking reminder I need.

Chili Verde

35 fresh Anaheim chilies roasted and skinned *
5 pounds of cubed (1/2 inch) pork shoulder or country style pork ribs
15 garlic cloves minced
Vegetable oil and butter
Flour
Garlic Salt and Pepper
Water as needed.
Sugar

* Please note, roasting the chilies is a core part of the recipe and the result will not be the same. It does require some labor and dedication to igredients, but it is soooo worth it.

Remove the stem, but retain the seeds and veins for the heat. I shred the chilies by hand into strips.

Generously ‘garlic’ salt and pepper the meat. Toss with your hands to ensure even coverage.

Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour over the meat and also toss with hands for even coverage.

In a large heavy bottom Dutch oven type pan over high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and brown the pork in batches so they are evenly covering the bottom and evenly browned.

You will have bits of pork and fat browning on the bottom. Once all the pork has been browned, add water in ½ cup increments as needed to the pan to deglaze.  Continue to heat to boil to scrape up all the brown bits until you are left with a broth liike consistency.

Add back all the pork and the garlic to the broth in the pan and mix well to incorporate. Add the strips of peppers and mix again. Heat the mixture until boiling, and then lower the heat to a very low simmer and cover.

Occasionally stir for an hour and then remove the lid, increase the heat just a bit and then continue to simmer and stir for another hour.

Once the liquid/sauce is at the consistency of your choice, the chilies have broken down and the pork is fork tender, add salt to taste. By following the ½ cup water measurement, the consistency would lean more toward a broth consistency rather than a sauce/gravy consistency. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add less water. To balance the flavor, add ½ to one tablespoon of sugar.