Pressure Cooker Chile Verde

Low psychological pressure, high barometric pressure.

So I broke down and bought a pressure cooker.  I got the 6 quart Instant Pot. This thing kicks ass!

What to make for the maiden voyage? Just as I asked that question I got into a discussion about who makes the best Chile Verde around here.  (La Casita, but that is for another day.)  It was then that I realized that Chile Verde was the best thing with which to inaugurate my pressure cooker.

Here's what you'll need;

• 3 to 4# Boneless Pork Shoulder (pork butt) cut into .75 to 1 in cubes (discard anything with too much gristle or fat) 
• 4 to 5 tomatillos (leaves and stems removed – quartered)
• 2 Poblano peppers (seeded and membranes removed) coarsely chopped
• 2 Anaheim peppers (as above)
• 2 Jalepenos (as above)
• 1 med onion (yellow) coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic (minced) or 3 in from the squeeze tube
• 1.5 Tbsp cumin seeds
• ½ Tbsp oregano (chop up fresh Mexican oregano if you can get it)
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 Tbsp fish sauce (or ½ tsp salt)
•  ¾ cup chicken stock
• 1 bunch of cilantro (chopped)
• 2 Tbsp flour
• salt to taste

Chop the pork into 1 in cubes. Season with salt and pepper and half a Tbsp of the cumin.

Put 1 Tbsp oil into the bottom of the pressure cooker set on saute.

Brown the pork cubes in batches in the pressure cooker.

Add all the ingredients, but only half the cilantro (and not the flour) to the pork in the pressure cooker and stir to combine.

Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes.

After the cook, allow the cooker to naturally cool for at least 10 minutes.

Vent the cooker and open the lid.

Add most of the remaining cilantro and sprinkle the flour over the contents. Use a potato masher to gently mash the ingredients.  We just want to slightly break up the pork and mix in the flour.  Or use a spoon if you want to leave the pork in the big chunks.

Be careful! This dish is hot!

Taste for salt and spice. It usually needs another 1/2 tsp salt.

Serve with rice, tortillas, or over a quesadilla and garnished with cilantro and lime.

My preferred serving is to make a quesadilla with Mexican cheese and then put a spoonful of Chile Verde over the top.

On another note, one could up the ante by charring and peeling the peppers and/or tomatillos...

Chipotle Seasoned Pork Tenderloin

'tis the season...

A while back I tried this marinated pork tenderloin recipe from Alton (as if we're on a first-name basis) and it didn't really grab me.  So I went all in with the chipotles in adobo and a winner was born.  Just don't put more of this marinade/sauce on the pork than I recommend here.  It turns out that chipotles are smoked jalepenos and that means that they are still jalepenos -- hotter ones if you ask me.  If you have friends that have cast-iron palates just serve them a little extra sauce on the side.

You'll need;

• 1 to 2 pound pork tenderloin (or two 1 pounders)
• a 7oz can of chipotles in adobo sauce (check the pic for the brand I use)
• 2 limes
• 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 1/2 an onion (chopped)
• 4 oz mushrooms (chopped)
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro for garnish
• an oven safe skillet  

To make the sauce/marinade you need to zest one of the limes into a blender with the oil, agave nectar, garlic powder, juice from both limes and the contents of the chipotle can.  Blend into a paste.

Half of this paste goes into a ziplock bag with the pork to marinate.  4 to 24 hours, it depends on how much time you have.The other half is your sauce.

Preheat your oven to 375 and your skillet to med hi.  Put the butter and onions in the skillet and sweat them for a minute or two.

Add the mushrooms for two minutes.

Make a space for the tenderloin and use the skillet to sear the pork on all four sides -- about a minute per side.

Put the probe of your thermometer into the fattest part of the meat and get this thing into the oven.  Next stop, 140-145F internal temp.

Before the pork finishes, prepare a resting foil with a swipe of sauce.

When the temp is reached, remove the skillet and get the pork into the foil.  Put another spoonful of sauce on top and button it up for 5 to 10 minutes.

The mushrooms and onions will have caramelized in to sweet and spicy awesomeness but may need to be coaxed off the skillet. Use a tiny bit of water, if necessary.

After the rest period, slice the pork and plate.  The small amount of sauce that stuck to the pork is all you need, but like I said, put the rest on the table for people who don't wanna taste anything. Cilantro for garnish. (For the photos I used chives -- sorry)

The onions and mushrooms can be stirred into rice or couscous to punch it up and help it compliment the pork.

Pow!  Liftoff!