Cooking in Quarantine: Canlis's Pork Posole Verde

It’s going on who-knows-how-many-days of quarantine and we figure that, like us, you are tired of your own cooking. We asked local chefs to share some of their favorite safe-at-home foods to cook during the isolation period. Interested in submitting a recipe? Email chelsea.lin@tigeroak.com.

“Personally, I’ve been doing okay all things considered. One of the unique affects from this time is that my schedule and day-to-day life has been altered greatly. We are currently operating the restaurant from Monday through Friday, giving our staff a “traditional” weekend. Additionally, our operating hours have truncated—meaning I’m home each evening four to five hours earlier than I would be. After a decade of a fairly regimented and set schedule, getting home while there is still daylight has been an extreme adjustment and one that was hard at first and coupled with feelings of guilt. I’ve since found this time to be restorative though—I’m cooking more at home with my girlfriend, catching up on TV shows I’m years behind on and never had the time for, and most recently, been taking advantage of this great weather with some longer bike rides, which has been advantageous to both my mental and physical health.

At the restaurant, we discontinued normal service for a few new concepts (Drive-Thru Burger, Bagel Shed, Family Meal) a couple weeks ago. Since then, we have decided to now focus on our Family Meal dinner delivery, which offers a daily changing dinner option delivered to your doorstep by our staff. Additionally, we have added Bottle Service, which allows guests to order a bottle of wine from our cellar or an at-home cocktail kit, and a CSA program, featuring a box of ingredients from our favorite producers, artisans, and farms—both delivered to your home. Reservations for these go live via our website every Wednesday at 1pm for the following week.”

—Brady Williams is the 2019 winner of the James Beard award for Best Chef Northwest and is the executive chef at Canlis, winner of the 2017 James Beard award for its wine program. Order Family Meal or Bottle Service from Canlis via its restaurant.

PORK POSOLE VERDE

Serves 4-6

4 ea poblano pepper
2 ea anaheim Pepper
1 ea jalapeno pepper
1# tomatillo
1 ea large yellow onion
3 ea garlic cloves
1 bunch cilantro
2 L chicken stock
3 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into 1-2 inch pieces
2 ea limes
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp dried oregano
2 can hominy
grapeseed (or other neutral) oil
kosher salt
black pepper
Optional (for garnish): Additional cilantro, Onion, radishes (sliced), cotija cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, pickled jalapenos, cabbage, avocado

Equipment: Blender, large dutch oven or stock pot

Remove stems and seeds from peppers and husks from tomatillos. In a blender, combine poblano, Anaheim, jalapeno peppers, tomatillo, one bunch of cilantro, half yellow onion, and garlic cloves with a little water (to catch), and blend until fully pureed. Reserve.

Heat your large dutch oven over medium high heat with enough grapeseed oil to liberally coat the bottom of the pan. Chop remaining half yellow onion to a medium dice. In a large bowl, season pork with kosher salt and toss to evenly coat. Add pork to pan, turning pieces as they start to brown. Add a few turns of fresh cracked pepper to pork. When browned on all sides add onions. Stir, sweating onions until translucent. Add half cup of water to deglaze.

Add pureed mix to pan. Continue cooking over medium high heat, stirring frequently with a whiskey or wooden spoon. You want to “cook out” the mixture and the color should begin to deepen to a darker green. After 12 to 15 minutes, add chicken stock, cumin, coriander, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium low. Continue cooking until pork is fully tender, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Rinse hominy thoroughly with water. Add to pan and cook for 30 more minutes over low heat. The stew should start to thicken slightly. Season with salt and lime juice to taste.

To serve:

Distribute among bowls and top with any garnish you please or enjoy as is.