Chili Verde and Spanish Rice

A while back I had a friend out visiting and I had them share their grandma's Chile Verde recipe. I love Chili Verde and I did not have a recipe I loved. They shared Grandma’s recipe and I have been playing with it ever since. I am the kind of person that even if Julia Child had prepared a recipe just for me I would be fiddling with it the minute her back was turned.

Tonight I added roasted tomatoes & red pepper to this recipe. I had already decided that I liked about 75% Anaheim chilies and about 25% Poblano, which were not in Grandma’s recipe either. I also added some chicken broth to this version.

I wanted to have something to eat with the Chili Verde with so I decided I would try making Spanish rice. I like really good Spanish style rice but I have to say not many Mexican places do it very well, even some of my favorites. I again used the roasted tomatoes and red peppers in the rice plus tomato paste and lots of garlic.

I decided I better hurry up and share this on my blog while I could still remember what I did differently!

Chili Verde
2 Tbls olive oil
3/12 lbs of pork butt roast, cubed, remove excess fat
6 Anaheim peppers roasted and chopped
2 Poblano peppers roasted and chopped
1 small red bell pepper roasted and chopped
3 medium tomatoes roasted and chopped
1 clove garlic chopped
1 med yellow onion chopped
2 C low sodium chicken stock
Salt/Pepper to taste

I roasted the peppers and tomatoes at the same time I sautéed the meat with the onion and garlic. I salted and peppered the meat before adding it to a warm pan with olive oil. I browned the meat in batches and returned to a large soup pot. I then added the chopped peppers and tomatoes to the pot. Simmered for about 15 minutes and then added the chicken stock. Cook the dish for at least 2 hours on low heat with the lid on and then simmer for about an hour with the lid off.

Spanish Rice
1 Tbls olive oil
2 C long grain white rice
1 large tomato roasted and chopped
1 small red bell pepper roasted and chopped
1 clove of garlic chopped
1 small yellow onion chopped
1 Tlb tomato paste
3 C of chicken stock
Salt/Pepper to taste
Sauté the garlic and onion in the olive oil until clear add the tomato and pepper, cook another 5 to 10 min add the rice, stir to mix. Add the chicken broth. Let the mixture boil on the stove and then reduce to a simmer and cover. The rice will take about 30-40 mins to cook.

Serve with tortilla's, lime wedges, sour cream, avocado and salsa.

A beer or two would not be a bad addition either!