52 Dinners

 

At the beginning of every year I go through the hundreds of recipes and pick out 52 (or more) new recipes to try.  I then put each recipe on the calendar for the next year and make a post-it not shopping list to attach to that week's schedule.

Ridiculous.  

And crazy.

But I prefer to think of it as a special form of OCD.  Or ADD.  Whatever.

Clearly it's something because I just got totally off topic of where I was headed, which was to say that this recipe was selected back in January of 2014.  

Only when I got to 4pm and the pork was thawed and the two pounds of tomatillo's were on the counter I realized the recipe I had intended to make was a slow-cooker recipe. God bless Google for saving the day and suggesting a different recipe that called for pork and tomatillos.    

 

INGREDIENTS

For the tomatillo sauce:

2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed

2 large jalapenos 

1 large onion, cut into wedges

6 - 8 large cloves garlic, peeled

Handful of cilantro stems, leaves attached

Juice from 1 lime

Kosher salt

For the pork:

Bacon grease, lard, or vegetable oil, for browning say what??  vegetable oil is just fine here.  I mean, who stores bacon grease??

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into cubes

1/4 cup Mexican-style beer

Kosher salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

For the tomatillo sauce, place an oven rack a few inches from the broiler. Place tomatillos, jalapenos,

onion wedges, and garlic on a roasting pan and broil for 5-6 minutes until starting to char. Flip all of the ingredients to the other side and broil for another 5-6 minutes, until tomatillos are soft and blackened.

Allow the vegetables to cool for about 20 minutes. Transfer the roasted vegetables and their juices to a blender. Blend until the ingredients are pureed but still a little chunky. Add the cilantro, lime juice, and a generous pinch of salt and pulse a few more times.

For the pork, heat a few tablespoons bacon grease (or oil) in a large Dutch oven or braising dish over medium-high heat until sizzling. 

  

Meanwhile, combine the flour, salt, and cumin in a large mixing bowl. Add the pork cubes and gently toss to coat. Working in batches, add the pork to the hot grease and cook until browned, about 1 - 2 minutes per side. Remove with a slotted spoon, set aside, and continue with the remaining pork.

    

Pour the beer into the hot skillet to de-glaze the pan and scrape up any leftover browned bits as the beer bubbles. Return the browned pork cubes to the skillet along with tomatillo sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes to allow flavors to marry.

Serve with warmed tortillas, rice, beans, cilantro, and lime wedges.

VERDICT

 I was surprised... but this was good.  Kind of ugly... but good.  Definitely something we wouldn't have normally tried, but I'm glad we did.