Chicken Pozole Verde

Recipe & Pic from Isabel Eats

2 pounds boneless chicken thighs, skin removed

1 pound tomatillos, husked and washed

1 large onion, chopped

3 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped (or keep the seeds if you like it spicy)

6 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

1 large handful fresh cilantro, stems and leaves

1 28-ounce can white hominy, drained and rinsed

In a large pot or dutch oven, add chicken thighs, tomatillos, onion, jalapeños, chicken broth, oregano and sea salt. Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cover partially. Cook for 40 minutes, until chicken is fall-apart tender.

Transfer chicken to cutting board and shred with a fork. Set aside.

Using a large slotted spoon, place the cooked tomatillos, onions and jalapenos in a large blender. Add a large handful of fresh cilantro, a cup or so of the cooking liquid and puree until completely smooth.

Add the shredded chicken, pureed veggies and hominy into the large pot. Stir and cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes uncovered. Taste and season with salt as necessary.

Serve with fresh lime juice, radishes, jalapenos, cilantro and oregano.

Recipe: Lacto-Fermented Tomatillo Salsa

Image from NW Edible Life

from NW Edible Life

5 cups husked, chopped tomatillos

1-½ cups seeded, chopped long green chiles

½ cup seeded, minced jalapeño peppers

4 cups peeled, chopped onions

1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

1 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro (about 1 bunch)

1/4 cup loosely packed minced fresh oregano, or 1 tablespoon dried oregano

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin, or more to taste

about 3 tablespoons fine sea salt

Clean and prepare a 1 gallon fermentation crock or a 4-liter glass, bail-top jar for fermenting. Make sure it's perfectly clean!

Chop the ingredients one at a time in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Combine all the prepared vegetables in a large bowl, and stir to fully mix everything.

Add the cumin and salt and 2.5 tablespoons of the salt, and mix to combine. Taste the salsa. It should taste distinctly salty, but not unpleasantly so. If the salsa seems bland, add the remaining half-tablespoon salt. Adjust seasonings as desired.

Add the tomatillo salsa to the crock or jar. With a clean spoon, press the ingredients down to release some of the juices. Press the solids under the juices, and weight the ferment.

Seal the crock or jar, and leave the tomatillo salsa at room temperature out of direct sun, for 2 to 4 days. Check the ferment daily. Look for bubbles and other signs of fermentation, give the ferment a little shake and swirl to keep everything fermenting evenly, burp the lid to release any pent-up carbon dioxide in the jar and taste the development of the tomatillo salsa (clean spoon please).

When you like the taste of the salsa or after 4 days, transfer the fermented salsa to smaller jars for cold storage in the refrigerator, where it will keep for at least 4 months.

Recipe: Grilled Radicchio & Fontina

from Martha Stewart

One 10-ounce head radicchio

3/4 cup (3 ounces) finely grated Fontina

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Lemon wedges for serving

Keeping base intact, quarter radicchio so head opens out into four wedges. Combine vinegar, salt, pepper, and 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano. Whisk in oil. Brush half the vinaigrette over and into cut radicchio.

Place a grill pan over medium heat. Place radicchio, cut-side down, on the pan. Cover radicchio with a metal bowl. Cook 2 to 4 minutes, until leaves start to soften. Turn radicchio over. Tuck some of the grated cheese into leaves, separating layers a little; sprinkle some more cheese over surface, leaving a little for garnish. Cover, and cook on low heat until outer leaves are soft and cheese has melted, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to serving platter, drizzle with remaining half of the vinaigrette, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and cheese. Serve with lemon wedges.

Recipe: Tomatillo & Chicken Stew

from Simply Recipes

Tomatillo Sauce

1 1/2 pounds tomatillos

1-2 jalapeño chile peppers, or 2-3 serrano chili peppers (include the seeds if you want the heat, remove them if you don't want the heat), stems discarded, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lime (or lemon) juice

Pinch of sugar

Stew

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1-inch cubes

Salt and pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

2 cups tomatillo sauce

1 teaspoon dry oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh, chopped

1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro (about one bunch, rinsed and chopped, stems and leaves)

Make the tomatillo sauce: Remove the papery husks from the tomatillos and rinse well. Cut the tomatillos in half and place them cut-side down on an aluminum foil-lined roasting pan.

Broil for 5-7 minutes until blackened in spots. Let cool enough to handle.

Place the tomatillos, any juice they have released, chile peppers, garlic, salt, lime juice and sugar in a blender, and pulse until well blended. If you make ahead, refrigerate until needed.

Brown the chicken: Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a large, thick-bottomed pot on medium high heat until almost smoking. Pat dry the cubed chicken parts with paper towels. Sprinkle salt and pepper over them. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, and adding more olive oil when necessary, brown the chicken pieces on two sides. When you place the pieces in the pan, make sure there is room between them (otherwise they will steam and not brown), and don't move them until they are browned on one side. Then use tongs or a metal spatula to turn them over and don't move them again until they are browned on the other side. Do not cook through, but only brown. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits (fond) at the bottom of the pan.

Cook the onions, add cumin and coriander, add garlic: Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil if needed (likely). Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant. Remove the chicken pieces from the pan and lower the heat to medium. There should be a nice layer of browned bits (fond) at the bottom of the pan.

Cook the onions, add cumin and coriander, add garlic: Add the onions to the pan, and a tablespoon or two more olive oil if needed (likely). Add ground cumin and coriander. Cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally until onions are softened and the browned bits from the chicken have been picked up by the onions and are no longer sticking to the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until fragrant.

Recipe: Slowcooker Chile Verde

From The Kitchn

2 pounds tomatillos, thin, papery skin removed, halved
1 large yellow onion, diced
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 jalapeños, halved lengthwise, seeded, and ribs removed
2 fresh poblano chiles
3 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400°F. Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet. Roast until softened and golden-brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a blender or a food processor fitted with the blade attachment and set aside.

Turn the broiler to high. Place the jalapeños and poblanos on the same baking sheet. Broil until charred and blistered all over, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let sit to 'steam' for 10 minutes. Once cool enough to handle, remove the seeds, stem, and skin from the poblanos, and remove the skin from the jalapeños. Add both to the blender or food processor.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with the salt, and brown in 2 to 3 batches until golden-brown all over, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.

Pulse the contents of the blender or food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the cilantro and oregano and pulse until mostly smooth. Pour the salsa verde sauce evenly over the pork. Cover and cook until the pork is tender, 7 to 8 hours on the LOW setting, or 4 to 5 hours on the HIGH setting.

Serve the finished pork chile verde over rice or in charred corn tortillas.

Recipe: Lemon Oregano Compound Butter

From Epicurious

Try this butter on steak, salmon, roasted veggies, or with your favorite egg dish!

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened slightly

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic or 1 tablespoon roasted garlic puree

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh oregano or marjoram

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Cream the butter with a fork, integrating all the ingredients, using about 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Taste and add more of any ingredient you deem necessary.