Chile Verde Con Cerdo y Frijoles Blancos (Green Chili with Pork & White Beans)

Directions

1. Prep for the chillies, peppers and tomatillos: To roast. Simply, place the veggies on an aluminium lined cookie sheet. Place under the broiler for five or so minutes. Watch carefully because this process is quick. When the skins on top, crackle and turn brown and almost black, turn the veggies green side up and repeat. Continue until your veggies are broiled on all sides. Remove from oven and immediately place into a large glass bowl and quickly cover with a layer of aluminium foil or plastic wrap. The steam from the hot veggies will help the skins separate. Let cool, approximately 15 minutes. Under cool, running water, pull the stems from the tops of the chillies and peppers and peel the skin away. Make sure to wash away all of the seeds, as they will give a bitter flavour to your chili; rinse well. For the tomatillos, cut an X shape on the bottom and peel skin away, do not do anything else, all the goodies inside the tomatillo are what you need for your chili.
2. Salt and pepper the pork roast. Heat the oil in a hot pan or pot, large enough to hold your entire batch of chili. Add the roast and brown on all sides and set aside.
3. Reduce pan heat to medium-low. Add more oil to the pan if depleted. Add chopped onions and garlic cloves and a dash of salt and sauté until soft.
4. Add water, return the roast back to pan and add bay and oregano. Add all chillies and tomatillos. Place on medium-low heat for one hour.
5. Remove roast from pan. Let cool slightly, then cube roast into 1/2 inch pieces, regardless of done-ness. The pork will later shred on its own. The idea of cubing them into 1/2 inch pieces is to get the pork just the right size for your spoon.
6. Remove the bay leaves from the pan. Then, puree the liquid with a stick blender or upright blender. If you want a "finer" sauce, sieve the puree and then return the sauce to the pan. (this will remove any stray seeds or skins) Add back the roast. And place on medium-low heat.
7. If desired or needed, add a bit more water. Add in the picadillo seasoning and cumin. Simmer for one hour.
8. Finally, add the white beans and keep the pan on low heat to incorporate the flavours. At this point, you can leave the chili on the stove for 20 minutes or two or more hours. The more time you give it, the more the pork will fall apart and the flavours will incorporate.
9. While everything is on the stove, chop cilantro and place in a small dish; the cilantro, avocado and creme fraiche are for garnish and to taste. With the avocado, cube and squeeze a bit of lime juice over the top with a dash of salt. I like to place the creme fraiche in a squeeze bottle but spooning it is just as effective. The Queso Fresco can be served with a spoon. These items are to personalise the chili to each individuals tastes. Put some hot sauce on the table if someone in your house likes really spicy chili!
10. Just before serving the chili, taste it! Add more cumin, picadillo seasoning, oregano or salt to your taste. Mix in the lime zest just before plating the chili.
11. Serve while hot! Let everyone personalise with toppings and enjoy! I like mine with a bit of corn bread on the side and served with a beer!
12. TIP: This is even better the next day! If you want to make this the day before, just put it in the fridge and take it out and heat it for dinner the next night! The FLAVOUR gets even better!