Early evening and I’m full of four chili verde burritos. Which is a lot, but not quite as gluttonous as it sounds, due to the fact that I have no talent for wrapping them tight and full. Maybe I’ll practice.
The recipe as I’ve evolved it bears very little resemblance to the one I found online and started with. Here’s my better version so far.
Stripped Down Purist Chili Verde
-1 jar 505 Green Chile Sauce
-1/2 jar 505 Flame Roasted Green Chile (these are 16 oz. jars)
Chilis, fresh, diced:
-1 Fresno
-1 Habanero
-1 Poblano
-1 Anaheim
-4 tomatillos
-2 lbs. pork, bought already cubed, chopped even finer
-half-packet taco seasoning, and garlic; ’cause the real spices are in some lost box, still …
-a little bit of olive oil (this is probably optional)
Throw it all in the crockpot, with enough water to rinse out the jars and maybe a little more than that if it looks too dry. Slow cook on High for as long as it takes your fear of trichinosis to evaporate. This time I went 2.5 hours, and then switched the crockpot to Low before sleeping, 8 hours more.
Use a colander to drain off the liquid–I ended up with a fat quart for soup. Fridge the soup, and the rest too.
Burrotizing: I just scooped out the cold Vaaiirde onto flour tortillas and put them in the oven two or three at a time. Use foil instead of putting them directly on the rack, or the tortillas will burn before the verde is even warm. Also, I slopped a little green enchilada sauce on their insides after baking and before wrapping.
It’s really really good. I think I have the spicy-heat level close to perfect for a winter’s eve.
There’s two things I’m still working on.
One, I’d love to find some kind of gluten-free tortillas that don’t suck. The obvious answer is corn, which I prefer strongly anyway, but that is definitely a whole layer more of work, and violates the one-pot ethic.
Two, I just don’t like my own pork. I don’t know how it can simmer in liquid for ten hours and still have such a dry texture to it. I’ll bet if I marinated … but again, that’s too much work for my aesthetic.
So next time I’m going to try turkey, which is decidedly non-purist, but probably easier on my system anyway. And, it’s far and away my preferred sandwich meat, so roasting one breast will create the basis for a lot of varied meals at one go.
Posting the basics of this to the sidebar on the right, under the r/Evolving Crocker link.
***
Speaking of gluten-free …
Between these larger meat-based kind of meals, I generally fill myself up on hummus.
I’ve sourced and switched to rice crackers for scooping it up, and I think that is making a major contribution to feeling good, from the gut upwards.
I got to wondering how much work it would be to make my own. It would have to be way cheaper too right?
It is, if you just get random bulk chickpeas/garbanzos. A dollar a pound.
However, the organic ones are about three times as much.
I’m going to look for a supply of them anyway.
The possible convenience approach is to buy them canned, but I generally don’t care for canned food as much.
I’m hoping the dried ones keep well forever, so I could buy in volume, knock the price down, and have a little emergency food stash besides.
Research in progress.