This is Ray's favorite comfort food. There are many different variations on this stew, but this recipe I have developed, after trying it at least 10 different ways is the way we most often enjoy it.
Ingredients
4 cups Chicken Broth, divided
1 pound Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, quartered, divided
1 bunch Green Onions, roughly chopped
2 cups (packed) Fresh Cilantro with tender stems
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
6 Garlic Cloves, peeled
4 pounds cubed Pork Shoulder
2 cups chopped White Onion
1 Tablespoon Cumin Seeds
1/2 Tablespoon ground Cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher Sea Salt
1 teaspoon ground White Pepper
1 1/2 cups diced Roasted Peeled Green Chiles*
2 teaspoons Dried Oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 pound Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled, cut into 1” chunks or wedges
Prepare
Puree 2 cups chicken broth, 1/3 of the tomatillos, green onions, cilantro, and garlic in blender. Divide in half and set salsa verde aside.
Heat olive oil in heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium heat. Season pork with salt and pepper and brown in dutch oven in batches, being careful not to crowd the pork for best browning. When nicely browned, approximately 4 minutes, transfer browned pork with a slotted spoon to a bowl.
Once all the meat is browned, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil/fat from the.
Add chopped onion to the pot; sauté until soft, but not yet brown. Sprinkle cumin seeds, ground cumin, salt and white pepper over onion and continue to sauté until onion is light caramel color and the cumin seeds are toasted.
Add remaining tomatillos to the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Stir occasionally; cook until tomatillos are tender and have spots of browning.
Return pork and any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir in half of the reserved salsa verde, 2 cups of chicken broth, diced chiles, and oregano.
Cover stew and simmer over medium-low to low heat, until pork is tender, approximately 2 hours.
Approximately 30 minutes before you want to serve the stew, add potatoes.
Once potatoes are tender, stir in the remaining salsa verde. Further season to taste with salt and pepper.
Depending on your preference, you can thin the stew with additional broth, or thicken it with a slurry of broth and masa. Salt and pepper to taste.
Makes 6-8 servings
*NOTES: Typically, for medium to hot heat, I use a varied mix of Anaheim, Fresno, Jalapeno and Serrano peppers. For an easy, anytime, short-cut, use tinned or frozen roasted peppers and pre-made salsa verde in place of the fresh tomatillos/fresh salsa verde. You will want to have approximate 3-4 cups of salsa. Season the stew with additional chicken powder or bouillon cubes.
