Rachael's Pork Tacos with Poblanos and Raw Green Salsa
Serve with grilled corn brushed with hot sauce, butter, and lime and black beans.
- 6 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed, coarsely chopped
- Salt
- About ½ cup cilantro (a handful of tops)
- About 2 tablespoons mint leaves
- 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 small or ½ medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 ripe Haas avocado
- 1 lime
- ¼-1/2 cup water, to thin sauce if necessary
- 3 large or 4 small poblano peppers
- 4 tablespoons olive or canola oil
- 2 white onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 pounds coarse ground pork (ask your butcher to grind on coarse side for you)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin (a palmful)
- 2-3 stems fresh oregano, stemmed
- 2 serrano or jalapeno peppers, coarsely chopped
- 1 bunch scallions, whites and greens, finely chopped
- 6 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, stemmed and finely chopped
- 1 cup combined parsley and cilantro tops, chopped
- 1 lime, plus wedges to serve
- Shredded Chihuahua or Monterey jack cheese
- 12-16 corn tortillas, charred
For the salsa, place tomatillos in food processor or blender and pulse into puree. Add salt, cilantro, mint, peppers, garlic, onion, avocado, and juice of 1 lime, and combine until fairly smooth. Adjust seasoning and thin with water if too thick. Store in fridge up to 2 weeks.
For the poblanos, char them over an open flame on burners or under a hot broiler until blistered all over. Cool poblanos in covered bowl. Peel and seed the peppers, then cut into thin strips or “rajas.”
For the pork, season with salt and pepper and baking soda and chill uncovered 1 hour or overnight. (This will help the pork get extra-crispy once crumbled.)
Heat a large cast iron or nonstick skillet with 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. When pan smokes, add pork and brown well, crumble, and season with cumin and oregano. To a food processor, add serrano peppers, scallions, garlic, chard, and parsley and cilantro. Pulse until smooth. Stir mixture into pork, adjust salt and pepper and add juice of 1 lime.
To serve, place cheese on hot tortilla, top with pork, poblanos, onions and a little raw salsa.