Pork and Tomatillo Chili

I've decided to scale Christmas down this year. It seems that Thanksgiving is almost forgotten with the rush to start buying Christmas gifts earlier and earlier. So this year I have talked to my kids about not overdoing the holidays. They will be receiving one large gift from my husband and I and that's it. Now granted they are wanting electronics this year so the one big gift will be a little pricey, but it will still be less than the madness of previous years. In past years between family on both sides my kids have gotten more toys than I would like to admit. This year we will enjoy a big meal with family and the gifts will take a back seat. No mad dash for gifts and the frustration over not finding the 5,000 toys on my kid's wish lists.

The weather here has been cold and is supposed to get colder this week. Since the weather has been less than pleasant I have been making a lot of hot meals. Chili is a family favorite and this recipe for Pork and Tomatillo has great flavor and the meat is very tender.

Adapted from the Food Network Magazine.

Pork and Tomatillo Chili

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 2 plum tomatoes
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 4 poblano chili peppers
• 2 jalapeno peppers
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons cornmeal
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth

Cooking Directions

1. Toss 1 tablespoon canola oil with the tomatillos and tomatoes on a baking sheet.
2. On the other side of the baking sheet place the poblanos and jalapeños.
3. Broil in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until blackened.
4. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap.
5. Let the peppers soften for 10 minutes.
6. Take the skins off the tomatoes, then core and chop.
7. Repeat with the tomatillos.
8. Peel and seed the peppers.
9. In a bowl combine the pork with the chili powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
10. In a pot over medium heat add 2 tablespoons canola oil.
11. Add pork and cook 3 minutes until browned.
12. Move to a plate.
13. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil and add the onion and garlic.
14. Cook 3 minutes until softened.
15. Add cornmeal and cook for 1 minute.
16. Add the peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos.
17. Scrap up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
18. Add the broth and pork and bring to a simmer.
19. Cover and let cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
20. Uncover and salt and let cook for another 30 minutes.
21. Remove from the stove and let cool for 10 minutes.
22. Skim off fat.

Tips: 

• You can add sliced scallions, pickled jalapeños, or grated cheddar cheese for toppings. 
• When you trim the pork make sure to keep some the fat for cooking. If you don't have some fat your chili will dry out and your pork won't be as tender. 
• It may take longer for your peppers to char than 10-15 minutes. Just make sure to flip them when one side blackens so they cook evenly. 

Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Pork Stew

Pork is very popular in my house. As I have talked about before my two boys and husband love bacon. If they could eat it everyday, three times a day they would. However, I am not going to let that happen. As a compromise I make pork frequently. One of my favorite cuts of pork is pork shoulder. It is tender and delicious and can be made a variety of different ways. The crock-pot is a great way to cook pork, it is simple and always turns out well. Yesterday I tried a new recipe for Slow-Cooker Tomatillo Pork Stew from the February issue of Family Circle magazine.

This recipe has 11 ingredients. It takes 8 hours and 15 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and made no ingredient modifications. Since all the pork shoulder at my store was 6 pounds or more I bought a larger shoulder and cut it down to size. I would recommend increasing the salt or adding additional at the end since it wasn't salty enough as written. I normally serve brown rice to my family, but for this recipe I used basmati and it worked very well. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I was really pleased with how tender this stew turned out. It was flavorful enough for my husband and I without being too spicy for my two boys. If you want the dish to be more spicy use a less mild salsa. I chose to use mild salsa since I was serving it to my two boys. For my serving I used just cilantro, for my kids I served the stew with sour cream and cilantro.

For the recipe go to Tomatillo Pork Stew. (registration required)

Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde

There is something about fall that just screams for chili. It is comforting and warm even when the weather rages outside. My husband loves chili and has definite opinions about the right and wrong way for it to be prepared. When we first met I had been a vegetarian for a number of years and only knew how to make one type of meat chili. Let's just say that he wasn't impressed. Luckily for him I am a quick learner and I love trying new recipes. After a couple of years and a number of failed attempts I learned the right and wrong way to make a great bowl of chili. While I still like chili with lots of beans my husband insists on meat so I am always looking for recipes that compromise between the two. Last month I tried a new recipe for Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde from the October issue of Southern Living magazine, which looked like a great compromise chili for my family.

This recipe has 18 ingredients. It takes a total of 45 minutes and makes 12 cups of chili. As I normally do I had to go to multiple stores to find poblano peppers. Some weeks they are easier to find and other weeks not available anywhere. For the chopped chicken I used leftover grilled chicken with a bbq rub. It was a perfect fit. Instead of using bouillon cubes and water I used homemade chicken stock. I am not a big fan of bouillon, I find it way too salty to use in recipes. I don't salt my homemade stock, instead I salt the recipe itself. Instead of tortilla chips I used gluten free corn chips since I am able to eat them. I did find that I had to use additional chicken stock after the chili had cooked. Otherwise the chili would have been way too thick. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you're looking for a recipe that can feed a crowd this would be it. This recipe had enough for a meal for my family of four plus leftovers for two more meals. My two boys really loved this recipe. They especially enjoyed the chicken and picked it out and ate it first. The flavor on this chili is delicious. It has a perfect blend of flavors and the chicken was tender. Definitely a recipe I would make again.

For the recipe go to Chicken and Three Bean Chili Verde.

Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa

My oldest son starts school on Monday and I thought that everything was going well. That is until he started crying last night because there apparently was a boy last year that was mean to him. It broke my heart. I wish that he had felt comfortable enough to tell me last year instead of dealing with it on his own. Today he told me that he is nervous about his new teacher, classmates and that he won't have any friends in his new class. I wish that I could make him feel better, but I know that after his first day of first grade on Monday everything will be fine. He is very smart and everyone loves him once they meet him. I just need to make him feel better until then. So yesterday I decided to make enchiladas. Both of my sons love enchiladas and I found a great recipe in the August issue of Southern Living for Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa which looked like perfect comfort food for a nervous soon to be first grader.

This recipe has 11 ingredients in the enchiladas and 7 in the salsa. It takes a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes, 25 minutes of which is active and makes 6 to 8 servings. I made a few major modifications to this recipe. When I went to the grocery store I believed that I had bought reduced fat cream cheese. When I started to make this recipe I realized that I had accidentally purchased full fat cream cheese. So I decided to make a substitution. Instead of cream cheese I used a combination of smashed canned reduced sodium black beans and goat cheese. In total I used approximately 2/3 of a can of black beans and 2 ounces of cheese. I mashed the beans and cheese together with a fork and added them instead of the cream cheese in the recipe instructions. For the shredded cooked chicken I grilled chicken thighs with a paprika rub, cooled them and then shredded. Instead of using all mild or hot green chilies I used a can of each. Finally, I forgot to spray the tops of the tortillas with cooking spray, but they came out fine. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

If you like your enchiladas mild I would suggest using two cans of mild green chilies. With one can of hot and one can of mild this recipe had a slight kick. However, these were delicious. The modifications worked perfectly and I love the added nutrition from the black beans instead of cream cheese. My two boys ate more than half of the enchiladas and even though they drank milk since they were spicy, they loved them. I would definitely make this recipe again and the salsa was great as a steak topping the next day.

For the recipe go to Chicken Enchiladas.

Chile-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Salsa

I absolutely love grilled meat. Growing up my father could literally cook only two dishes, fried potatoes and boxed macaroni. However, he was great at grilling. He could make delicious chicken, ribs, steaks and my favorite corn. He was also very picky about the type of grill that he owned. We were a charcoal grill household and my father refused to even consider, much less use a gas grill. He also refused help or pretty much anyone to help him man the grill. My mom would prep the meat and veggies and then her job was done. When I grew up and got married I quickly learned that my husband had the same grill obsession as my father. My husband is a die hard charcoal grill fan and won't even hear about a gas grill coming anywhere near our house. In the summer we use both our outdoor grill and my indoor grill plate frequently so I was very interested when I noticed a recipe for Chile-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Salsa in the June issue of the Food Network Magazine.

This recipe has 13 ingredients. It takes 30 minutes of total time, all of which is active and makes 4 servings. I had no problems finding any of the ingredients at my local grocery store and made no ingredient modifications. I did end up using packaged lime juice due to my lime going bad before I made this recipe. The recipe has the spice mixture made in a bowl and then the chicken turned to coat. I did things a little differently. Instead of a bowl I made the spice mixture and then rubbed it into the chicken and placed it in a plastic bag to marinade. Without rubbing the spice mixture into the chicken the rub wouldn't have fully coated the chicken. Finally, my chicken took much longer than the 4 to 6 minutes suggested by the recipe. I used my indoor grill plate and my chicken breasts were very large so my time was almost twice as long to fully cook. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

This recipe worked very well the next day cut into strips and served in a tortilla with beans, cheese and salsa. I actually liked this method better than the recipe. The recipe needs a few tweeks. First, the salsa needs more lime and a jalapeno for more flavor. You could either seed the jalapeno or leave the seeds in for a spicier salsa. I would increase the lime to 2 tablespoons and make sure to add salt to taste. For the chicken I would suggest pounding it flat instead of butterflying. I had a horrible time getting my breasts to butterfly since they were half breasts and the thickness varied from side to side. Finally, make sure to get nice grill marks on the chicken to ensure that the spices are evenly distributed. With these changes I think this recipe could be great, especially when served with tortillas, yum!

For the recipe go to Chile-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Salsa.

Saveur Guacamole Taquero (Taco-Shop Guacamole)

As I've stated numerous times before, we make a lot of homemade salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips in our household. I love making these dishes because they are quick, simple and can be made a variety of ways. Plus, it's a great way to get my kids to try new types of peppers and introduce them to new tastes and flavors. Since I make guacamole so frequently, a lot of the recipes I have found are often variations of the same basic ingredients. However, I was interested when a recent issue of Saveur magazine had a recipe for Guacamole Taquero (Taco-Shop Guacamole), which included different ingredients than the guacamole recipes I have made previously.

This recipe has 8 ingredients, all of which I was easily able to find at my local grocery store. The prep time takes only  a few minutes, as most of the work is done in the blender. Honestly, I don't really chop my ingredients very finely since I have a higher end blender, which can handle just about anything. I followed the recipe as stated with no modifications.

If your used to a traditional chunky guacamole, this recipe is a little different. The texture is thinner, closer to a sauce than a dip. It would be great on a burger or taco and could be easily used with a number of different recipes as a topping. I served the guacamole with homemade tortilla chips, which was also delicious. This recipe is very versatile and could be used for a variety of uses.

For the recipe go to Saveur Guacamole Taquero.

Everyday Food Corn and Tomato Relish

I love making tacos and make them frequently. I have tried just about every store bought salsa available and have not found any that are as good as homemade. Since I make salsa so often I try to vary up the type of salsa I prepare based on personal preference and what fruits and vegetables are in season. The last month corn has sprung up all over the place at great prices, so I have been trying a number of corn dishes. The June issue of Everyday Food had a recipe for Corn and Tomato Relish, which was perfect for the chicken tacos I was preparing as a main dish.

This recipe has 7 ingredients and takes only minutes to prepare. I followed the recipe as stated with no modifications. The only problem with working with fresh corn is getting all the silk off completely. The best way I have found to take silk off of fresh corn is to rub them with a dry paper towel, works like a charm and makes using fresh corn much easier!

I loved how fresh and light this salsa turned out. It was a great accompaniment to the Chicken Tacos  I made as a main dish. This salsa would also be great with tortilla chips and is very easy. A great way to use fresh corn, that literally only takes minutes to prepare.

For the recipe go to Everyday Food Corn and Tomato Relish .

Bon Appetit Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa

 Between the two growing boys and the two adults in my house, we consume a large amounts of snacks each week. One snack that goes over well with my whole family is salsa and homemade tortilla chips. Instead of following the same recipe repeadidly, I try to look for new flavor combination and ingredients that I haven't  previously tried. The May issue of Bon Appetit magazine had a recipe for Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa, which looked simple and full of flavor.

With only 5 ingredients (including salt) this recipes is beyond simple to prepare. Almost all of the prep is done in the broiler. Currently, my oven broiler is broken, so I used the broiler on my toaster oven. It took longer than the stated 10-15 minutes for my tomatillos to char, it was closer to 20-25 minutes total. The remainder of the prep work is done in the food processor with a total time of about 45 minutes including the cooling time for the tomatillos. Make sure to adequetely salt after the salsa is completed.

This salsa on the first day lacked salt and tasted a tad bit too much like cilantro. After the salsa had sat overnight it tasted delicious and not too salty and the cilantro was a nice undertone, instead of overpowering. I liked the smokiness provided by the chipotles and the charred tomatillos were delicious. This salsa is quick and easy and after sitting for a day would be great with tortilla chips or as a topping.

For the recipe go to Bon Appetit Tomatillo-Chipotle Salsa