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| From gastronomic guesswork |
Chile Ingredients
3lbs whole pork loin roast (untrimmed, 1" cubes)
1lb double hickory smoked bacon (whole foods, made in the store)
3.5lbs frozen hot hatch green chiles (forgive me, from walmart because no one else has these)
3 large yellow onions (coarse chop)
1 teaspoon baking soda
16oz canned fire roasted tomatoes (muir glen)
2 quarts water
salt to taste
4 cloves garlic minced
Begin by rendering lardons of the bacon (1/4" square strips) for 3 minutes on medium heat. Separately toss cubes of the pork butt in flour with a little salt and pepper; brown these over medium heat with a little grapeseed oil, reserve. Add the onions and sweat to translucency. Add the baking soda and stir frequently until the onions become golden to medium brown and the bacon is cooked through though maybe not crisp; you're going for an onion confit here, this is where the caramel notes are created while the smoke comes from the bacon. Add 1 quart of water and raise to high heat. When the mixture begins to boil, add the frozen green chiles; return to just short of a boil, then add the tomatoes. Return to near a boil, add the pork and the second quart of water. Incorporate the garlic and simmer for 1 hour. Adjust salt to taste. The tortillas were lightly buttered and delicately dusted with the pungent Lebanese version of Za'tar (which contains sumac berries).
The results were great and closer to a traditional green chile than most I make as I almost always add tomatoes (in greater quantity than here) for a little sweetness, and I rarely use hatch chiles (just hard to come by most of the year, and fresh roasted are better). The family had it for dinner and then lunch the next day, it was even better the 2nd day. The Za'tar roasted tortillas worked really well as a flavor pairing with this green chili, elevating the savoriness. On their own the za'tar spice was a little intense, but smoky caramel flavors really played well with it.
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