All the tomatillos...

I love tomatillos.  I love the lemony flavor they have, green salsa you can make with them, along with recipes like Black-eyed Pea Posole with Collard Greens, or Enchiladas Verdes (though I usually use a jar of pre-made salsa for that one).  The recipe that got me started on using fresh tomatillos in cooking was this White Chili from way back in the day.  My roommate Kathy and I had planted tomatillos in our garden in Oregon, and were stunned at how prolific they were!  The White Chili was a good way to use them up.  I think if I make it again I'd use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts, but that's just me.

When my mother-in-law was in California, she subscribed to the LA Times and would save the food sections for when we'd come to visit.  I'd clip out all the recipes I thought looked interesting, bring them home and .... never make them.  Oh well.  One page I'd saved forever (from 2008) was an article entitled "The Tomatillo Unwrapped":

Slow-Cooked Pork with Fresh Herb Tomatillo Sauce
LA Times, Wed May 14, 2008 (http://www.latimes.com/style/la-fo-tomatillosrec14b-2008may14-story.html#)
Total time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Note: From test kitchen director Donna Deane.
2 pounds boneless pork butt
2 to 3 slivered garlic cloves, plus 1 minced garlic clove, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 small serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed and coarsely chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 teaspoons fresh oregano, divided
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1 tablespoon chopped mint
1 teaspoon lime juice
Black pepper
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a small sharp knife to make small 1-inch deep cuts all over the surface of the pork, and push one sliver of garlic into each slit. Season the pork with salt and pepper, rubbing the seasonings all over the meat.
2. In a large, heavy oven-proof casserole, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sear on all sides to a rich brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the pork to a plate and set aside.
3. Add the onion to the casserole and reduce the heat to medium. Sauté the onion until tender, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the minced garlic, the serrano chile and the tomatillos and continue to sauté until the tomatillos are tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chicken broth to deglaze the pan. Stir in the orange peel and 1 teaspoon of the oregano. Nestle the roast back with the vegetables and spoon some of the juices over the meat. Cover and roast 2 hours, until the pork is tender (it will pull apart easily). Remove the casserole from the oven.
5. Carefully lift the meat out of the casserole onto a carving board. Stir the basil, mint, remaining oregano, lime juice and a few grinds of black pepper into the sauce. Use a fork to break the meat apart into bite size pieces. Divide the pork evenly among six plates and spoon the tomatillo sauce evenly over the portions. Serve with grilled tortillas and/or rice.
Each serving: 323 calories; 27 grams protein; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 21 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 90 mg. cholesterol; 385 mg. sodium.


 This weekend I went to the Greensboro Farmers Curb Market.  I hadn't been much this summer since, well, with the CSA I have a ton of produce to use!  But they also sell meat, eggs, baked goods, milk and cheese, and also it is corn and cantaloupe season and the Guilford College farm doesn't grow either of those.  And I am tomato snob and need my Cherokee Purples.  While there I stopped at Pine Trough Branch Farm and along with some pork chops that were on sale, I picked up a 2 lb pork shoulder that I knew would be perfect for the recipe above.  And I was right.  Their pork shoulder is more expensive than what I can get at the grocery store, but as they say on their web site "We grow beyond-organic vegetables and highest-quality meat from free-range animals born and raised on pasture and forest land. All our meat production is certified as Animal Welfare Approved."  The pigs are a heritage breed that produces 2-lb shoulders as opposed to the 7-9 lb behemoths I see at the Teeter.  And while that might not be the best for a big barbecue (though I should consider it) it's definitely good for dinner for 2-6.  The recipe came out great.  I really liked the fresh herbs and lime added to the sauce at the end.  It wasn't that hard to put together and this it just did it's thing in the over for 2 hours (you could probably toss it in a slow cooker as well).

Here's the pork shoulder seasoned with salt and pepper (this one was bone in):

Chopping up the tomatillo (husks peeled and rinsed):

The pork after browning, sitting in the tomatillo/onion/chicken broth mixture, ready to braise:

After 2 hours at 350°F

Plated up!  With grilled squash from the Guilford College Farm.

Verdict?  Worth keeping around that recipe for the past 10 years.  Also worth the PTB pork!