Stashcook: Meal Planner & Recipe Keeper

Pork and Green Chile Tacos Recipe

Pork and Green Chile Tacos recipe
NYT Cooking

The best taco consists of a warm corn tortilla with a spoonful or two of savory filling. That’s it! If you’re feeling extravagant, add a drizzle of salsa or crema, maybe a sprinkling of queso fresco, a slice or two of jalapeño. Here, the filling is pork simmered with tomatillos, green chiles and spices, an exquisite mixture even if it’s gone in three bites. (Make extra!)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil or lard
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
Salt and pepper
2 cups diced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted until fragrant and coarsely ground
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted until fragrant and coarsely ground
1 bay leaf
1 cup diced tomato
1/2 pound tomatillos, husk on, left whole
3/4 cup chopped roasted hot green chile, like Anaheim (about 6 chiles)
Soft corn tortillas
1 large white sweet onion, finely diced, soaked for 30 minutes in cold water and drained
Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeños (optional)
Oregano, for sprinkling
Cilantro sprigs

Method

1
Put olive oil in a wide deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and season with salt and pepper. Stir-fry pork until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove pork with slotted spoon, leaving fat in pan.
2
Add onion to pan, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, coriander, bay leaf and tomato. Return pork to skillet. Add tomatillos and green chile. Stir well. Add 4 cups water and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a brisk simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until meat is tender and sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3
To serve, warm the tortillas on a hot griddle or cast iron pan over a burner. Put 2 warm tortillas side by side on a small plate. Spoon 2 tablespoons pork mixture onto each taco. Garnish each taco with 1 teaspoon chopped onion, 2 to 3 jalapeño slices, a pinch of oregano and a few cilantro sprigs.