Chile Verde with Chicharron and Nopal Recipe

The Chicharron in chile verde sauce with nopal (Chicharron en chile verde con nopales)

Another version of the chile verde, this time with chicharron, chorizos and nopales; not quite the healthiest dish on the menu but so good; this one falls under the mexican comfort food category… You will need fresh nopal pads for this recipe, as the jarred nopal strips are kept in vinegar and this won’t work in this recipe. You can serve this chile verde with seasoned beans and corn tortillas to accompany the dish. Buen provecho!

Chicharron in chile verde with nopal Recipe

Ingredients

* 1/2 lb. mexican pork rinds (chicharrón)
* 1 lb. mexican-style chorizo sausages
* 5 fresh nopal pads, spines carefully cut out and scraped with a knife
* 15 tomatillos or green tomatoes
* 5 green peppers such as serranos or jalapenos
* oil
* 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder (2 cubes)
* 1 red onion, sliced in strips

Preparation

1) Fry the chorizo sausages in a pan, then slice them up. Reserve.

2) Prepare the tomatillos, peel their outer shells, wash, then roast in the oven on a baking sheet along with the seeded green chiles until slightly charred. Using a blender liquify the green tomatoes with the chiles and a little bit of water.

3) Carefully trim out the edge thorns from the nopal pads; scrape the thorns from the surface on both sides with a knife. Rinse the pads then check again for any missed thorns; slice the cleaned paddles in strips and cook them in boiling water for about 15 minutes, being careful for the foam from the nopales not to spill over. Some people change the water once while boiling them.

4) Pour a bit of oil in a pan and heat it up over medium-high heat setting. Pour the onion and stir until they become translucent. Put back the chorizo In the same pan and mix; fry for two minutes.

5) Pour the liquefied green tomatoes and peppers in, mix in the chicken stock, bring to a boil. At the first sign of boiling add the cooked nopales, and finally the chopped chicharron. Remove the pan from the stove and cover, leave for the chicharron to soak in the sauce, about 5 minutes.