Easy Chile Verde

From: Martha Stewart

Whether you're cooking for date night or game night, a recipe that is easy to prepare but leaves an impression is the way to go. This dish—which in Italy is known as spaghetti all'ubriaco or “drunken” pasta, combines thin strands of spaghetti with a reduced red wine-shallot sauce. Studded with bits of salty pancetta and sprinkled with Pecorino Romano cheese, it's a thirty-minute meal that is perfect for serving alongside slices of good crusty bread and a green salad.


Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 3 hrs 25 mins
Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

3 1/4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into thirds
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 can (7 ounces) diced green chiles, such as Goya
1 jar (15 ounces) medium green salsa, such as Xochitl (1 3/4 cups)
Tortilla chips, cilantro, sour cream, cotija cheese, and sliced radishes, serrano or jalapeño chiles, and avocado, for serving

Method

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat a medium Dutch oven (6 to 8 quarts) over medium-high. Swirl in 2 tablespoons oil. Working in batches, brown pork all over, 16 to 20 minutes total (adding remaining oil when needed). Let pork cool slightly, then cut into 1-inch chunks.

Step 2

Return Dutch oven to medium-high heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Return pork to Dutch oven along with canned chiles, salsa, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, then cover and transfer to oven. Roast until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Step 3

Let stand 10 minutes; skim fat with a spoon and serve with various accompaniments on the side.

Cook's Notes

Browning the pork in a few larger pieces gives you the flavor you are looking without having to brown it in multiple stages.

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