Chili Verde
(Green Chili)

This is the food your mother warned you about!

There are many different variations on this theme including the use of beef instead of pork, no tomato products, different type and quantities of hot chilies, etc. Since I think that you should be able to taste the food in your mouth before all your taste buds are destroyed, this version is only in the medium-hot range. You can vary the 'hot' easily by either changing the amount or type of chilies used in the preparation (hotter) or by serving it with sour cream floating or stirred into the sauce (milder). However, unless I have to wipe the sweat off my forehead before I finish my first bowl, it's not hot enough!

Cut 1½ to 2 pounds of pork lion into small cubes. (It helps if the loin is partially frozen.) If you are going to eat the whole thing by yourself, make the cubes large. The more people you hope to serve, the smaller the cubes should be to give everyone a chance at them! Mine are generally half an inch or so.

In a stock pot or other heavy bottomed pan with a lid, place the pork and cover with water. Add the following spices:

1 1/2 teaspoon crushed/chopped Garlic (4-5 cloves)
3 teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder (also known as Comino)
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
1/4 teaspoon Coriander

Boil till there is no visible 'pink' in the meat. A brown/gray 'scum' may form during this process. It is normal, don't worry about it, and don't try to remove it - just keep stirring. Then add:

1 large Onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 green pepper, diced or thinly sliced
1 lb. fresh Tomatillas, husked and chopped (12oz can if fresh are not available)
2 cans (4.5 oz) chopped green Anahiem chilis
1 or 2 finely diced Jalapeño peppers (to taste, these are medium hot)
2 cans (14.5oz) of Crushed Tomatoes
1 can (12.5 oz) of tomato juice

Simmer at least another hour to allow the flavors to mingle. I often refrigerate this recipe overnight and reheat the following day for another hour or so before serving. The older the chili, the better the flavor!

Half an hour before serving, if the sauce is thinner than you like, make a roux by adding three tablespoons of flour to six ounces of cold tomato juice. Mix thoroughly so there are no lumps, then stir into the Chili.

Serve this dish in a bowl with flour tortillas on the side. Add a spoon of sour cream to tone down the 'hot' (any milk product does this.) Or make a burrito from the drained chili and use the liquid to 'smother' the burrito. Add cheese, sour cream, and/or guacamole on top. One of my favorite dishes is Huevos Rancheros which is a plate of fried eggs on top of soft corn tortillas, smothered with Chili Verde with refried beans, Mexican Fried Rice, and flour tortillas on the side

You may wonder why this dish is named "Green" chili when, in fact, it is red. And why "Red" chili is also red! The name comes from the type of chilies used in preparation. In this case,the three different chilies are used: Anneheim, Bell, and Japaleno chilies, which are all green in their normal cooking state. Red chili is flavored with dried and powdered, ripe New Mexico peppers which are red.