Congrats to my fellow banking colleague Catherine Fobes and her fiance, David Sanchez for their recent win with this fabulous Chili “Diablo” Verde at Rick’s Annual Chili Cook Off which recently took place during the Annual Boy’s Snowmobile Trip in Framingham, MA.

One of 35 entries, judged by their peers, Catherine and David poured their heart and soul into this recipe, carefully grilling, searing and charring at the crack of dawn to ensure great flavor.  To prepare this award-winning dish, they divided up the culinary tasks with one grilling outside in the cold, while the other seared inside in the warmth …so one can say it was truly a combined effort with a gratifying end result!

Catherine and David have been gathering their Tex-Mex cooking expertise for many years, bringing much of their experience with them from David’s Texan ranch,  the mecca for their delicious traditional homemade tamales which I have had the pure pleasure of tasting!

Chili “Diablo” Verde

Ingredients:

• 4 lbs pork butt or boneless country style ribs
• 4 yellow onions, chopped and diced
• 4 Anaheim chiles
• 2 jalapenos
• 4 tablespoons garlic, chopped
• 1 lb tomatillos, husks removed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 14 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons ground oregano
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper

Sear the outside of the ribs over a charcoal fire until well caramelized.  Cut into 1 inch cubes and sear again in a cast iron skillet, until all sides are browned but not yet cooked.  Remove the meat and set aside.  Add the oregano and cumin to the skillet, and stir for a few minutes to bloom the herbs…the heat will release their oils.  De-glaze the skillet with the wine and vinegar, scraping up all the fond on the bottom and stir to dissolve into the seasonings.  Set aside.

While the grill is hot, char the Anaheim and Jalapeno peppers.  Place them in a ziploc bag for a few minutes to sweat, which makes them easier to peel and de-seed and de-vein.  Dice.  The heat of the peppers are in the seeds and veins, so if you like your chili very spicy, leave the seeds in the mix.

In a medium Dutch oven, heat a little vegetable oil, and sweat the onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the chopped garlic and stir only until you can smell the garlic begin to give off its aroma.  Remove from the pot and set aside with the diced peppers.

Lightly grill the tomatillos on the open flame of the grill or gas stove, until lightly charred. Remove from the flame and place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap.  Keep warm for 20 minutes.

Add the meat to the Dutch oven, along with the liquid from the de-glazed skillet.

Add the onion/garlic/pepper mixture, then the lightly charred tomatillos.  Mix thoroughly, breaking up the tomatillos… and let it reduce at a simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the stock, and salt & pepper.  If desired, add more wine, and more jalapenos to taste.

Simmer for 1 to 2 hours until the pork is tender.

Serve with corn bread, corn sticks or corn tortillas.  Top with sour cream or queso fresco and fresh chopped cilantro.