Mario Batalis Green Chile Pork Tamales Recipes

TAMALES WITH GREEN CHILI AND PORK RECIPE

Steps:

• Preheat broiler. Roast poblanos and jalapeño peppers directly over the flame of a gas stove, grill, or under a hot broiler, turning occasionally, until skin is completely charred and blackened all over. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand until cool enough to handle, 10 to 15 minutes. Using paper towels, run off charred skins, then stem and seed peppers. Transfer to the jar of a blender and set aside.
• Meanwhile, place tomatillos on a baking sheet, cut sides down. Broil until tomatillos have charred and softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to blender with peppers, along with any liquid.
• Add garlic, cilantro, chicken stock and lime juice and puree until smooth. Transfer salsa to a large bowl and season with salt and sugar to taste. Stir in shredded pork and set aside.
• Working one at a time, place a corn husk on work surface. Place 2-3 tablespoons of tamale dough on larger end of husk and spread into a rectangle approximately 1/4 inch thick, leaving a 1-inch border around edges of husk. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling in a line down center of dough. Fold over sides of husk so dough surrounds filling, then fold bottom of husk up and secure closed by tying a thin strip of husk around tamale. Repeat with remaining husks, dough, and filling.
• Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Rest tamales upright in a steamer insert or on rack above the water level. Cover and steam until dough is cooked through and pulls away easily from the husk, about 1 hour. Remove tamales from steamer and let rest until dough firms up, about 15 minutes. Serve immediately with salsa verde or store in refrigerator for up to a week or freeze for up to four months. Defrost and reheat tamales in steamer until warmed through or in microwave on high for 2 minutes.

GREEN CHILE TAMALES

Steps:

• Combine the roasted poblanos and tomatillo salsa in a blender of food processor. Puree until smooth. Add the pureed chile mixture to the masa dough and mix well to combine. Reserve at room temperature. Follow method of filling and steaming as in Turkey Tamale recipe.
• In a blender place tomatillos, jalapenos and water. Puree until just chunky. Add remaining ingredients and puree about 2 minutes more, or until no large chunks remain. This salsa keeps in the refrigerator, in a covered container, about 3 days.

BRAISED PORK WITH GREEN CHILE SAUCE OF CHILE VERDE

Steps:

• Trim and discard fat and cut pork in 1-inch cubes.
• In a large frying pan, heat oil over mediun-high heat; add meat a few cubes at a time and cook until very brown.
• Push meat to side of pan and add onion, garlic and bell peppers; saute until limp.
• Stir in chiles, oregano, cumin, salt, cilantro, vinegar, and water.
• Cover and simmer until meat is fork tender(about 1 hour).
• Skim off fat & discard.
• Serve with rice or make burritos or serve in your favorite way.

GREEN CHILE PORK TAMALE FILLING

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot heat the oil (I use my Le Cruset). Saute the onion until just translucent, then add the minced garlic and saute another few minutes until garlic softens.
• Add the green chiles and saute, stirring occasionally, for about 7 minutes, allowing most of the moisture from the chiles to evaporate.
• Add the ground pork and stir well to combine. Saute until pork is fully cooked and slightly browned, about 10-14 minutes. Add the ancho powder, cumin, and oregano, stirring to coat the mixture well.
• Fold in the cotija cheese and combine well. Use as tamale filling and enjoy! Top your tamales with your favorite tamale sauce (I use my Rich and Delicious Enchilada Sauce recipe for tamales, absolutely wonderful stuff).
• Also works very well as an enchilada filling. Makes about 3-4 cups filling.