Zagarella Italian Restaurant

Visit just about any taqueria in the Southwestern United States or Mexico and chili verde can be found on the menu. Green chili is a basic Mexican meal, albeit with a somewhat sorted history. While the classic pork chili verde is based on Carne De Puerco En Chile Verde (translated as "pork with green chilies"), like traditional chili with beef, chili verde recipes have taken many twists and turns.



The basics of green chili are very simple. Essential to the recipe is pork shoulder that's seared and then simmered in green things, including tomatillos, onions, and a few different chilies. The stew is a preferred filling for burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and simply scrumptious all by itself when served with white rice and corn tortillas.

Most recipes suggest pureeing raw tomatillos, peppers and garlic, and blending them with the pork shoulder to simmer. That is the quick way, but it lacks a certain southwest flavor. The secret to an authentic recipe is flame roasting the tomatillos, chilies and garlic to awaken the flavor.

There is no mistaking a fantastic chili verde. The delicious, tangy flavors of the "green mixture" are highlighted by the juicy richness of tender, slow-cooked pork is pure South West heaven.

The ideal way to make magic happen with this recipe is to go 100% fresh and do everything by hand. That's how it's done down south, and it makes all the difference. You brown or roast everything, which gives the recipe its tangy, smoky, POW taste. Besides, if you hand chop all of the ingredients -- instead of taking them from a can or running it through a food processor -- you get a nice chunky texture.

For me the tomatillos are a bit sour for my taste so I add 2 special ingredients that you don't find in other recipes. I didn't figure this out on my own. I was introduced to the special flavor from a Mexican-American neighbor who hand makes fresh tamales that are completely out of this world.

The two special ingredients are honey and cinnamon. The honey tames the acidity and sourness from the tomatillos and peppers. The cinnamon brings out the flavor in the peppers and the other spices. Most people will never pinpoint the flavor until you tell them what it is.

To make this recipe the tomatillos, garlic and peppers must be roasted. Slice the tomatillos in half and put them cut side down on a foil-lined cooking sheet, together with 6 unpeeled garlic cloves, 2 jalapeno peppers and two Anaheim or Poblano peppers. Put under a broiler for five to seven minutes to slightly blacken the outside. Take out of the oven. Place the chilies in a bag to cool. Once cooled, take off the skin, seeds and stem. Chop fine. That is the essentials of the verde mixture.