Chile Verde and Mexican rice

One of the favorite go-to comfort meals in the Tiny Kitchen is Chile Verde, which in loose translation means "Awesome pork in green sauce", it's a great all day slow-cooked meal that will leave your living space, no matter the size, smelling like roasted chilies and tomatillos. My good friend Joel Linares' mom (and former GHS teacher and principal) Terry used to make this when I was in high school and I always vowed to one day be able to make it on my own, I don't think I can quite do hers justice, but I try anyway!

We start out by making the salsa verde, consisting of about 1 1/2 lbs. of tomatillos, 3 serrano chili peppers (you can use jalapenos for a somewhat less spicy version, or both), 1/2 a yellow or white onion rough chopped, 2 cloves of garlic, juice of 1/2 lime, a bunch of cilantro 1/4 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt...


Husk and halve the tomatillos and peppers (don't include ribs and seeds if you want it not too spicy) and put a little olive oil on em and throw em under the broiler about 8 inches or so for 4 minutes...

I put the onions and garlic in and cook about 3 more minutes until it looks like this...

Then throw all of that goodness in a blender with the sugar, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and FRAPPE!!!

Be sure to not let the pork "hog" all of the salsa and set some aside for chips while your chili is cooking...


I buy the pork sirloin tenderloins from Costco, they come in three individually wrapped sections so you easily freeze two and have one in the fridge, cube it and salt and pepper...

Brown the cubed pork in some olive oil to lock some of the juice in...


Of course deglaze afterward with some chicken stock...

...then pour all of the tasty bits in the slow cooker with the pork

Add a can of green chilis...

...and pour in the salsa verde

This is good stuff! 8 hours on low...

For the Mexican rice you need some onion, garlic, jalapeno, tomato sauce, water, chicken broth, and whatever seasonings you like, i enjoy cumin, cayenne, chili powder, and salt & pepper...

Start out by cooking the onion, jalapeno, and garlic in some vegetable oil until translucent, then cook your dry rice until it gets golden brown (You have to stir often and maybe add some liquid to keep from sticking too bad)

Then add all of the rest of the ingredients, I used 2 cups of rice, so you want to have 4 cups of liquid all together, I used 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, 1 cup of chicken broth, and 1/2 cup of water...and all of the various seasonings, hot sauces and juice, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, it will still look runny, but when you stir it up (little darlin') it will be just fine...fluff then recover off heat for about 3-5 minutes and stir in some chopped cilantro...

Grumpy plate of Mexican food, had it with the Mexican rice and refried black beans that are found at Trader Joes and are fabulous..."No comer me señor!"
Til next time Amigos!