Anyone else like recipes you can cook once and eat all week?  I make a batch of this Chile Verde and serve it one night as Smothered Bean Burritos and the next night as a soup with Homemade Tortilla Strips (lots easier than it sounds).  The flavor of this Chile Verde can’t be beat…it’s full of tender pork, tangy tomatillos, diced tomatoes, green chilis, and comforting spices.  It’s comfort food at it’s best!

Here it is as a soup with Homemade Tortilla Strips…

Tortilla strips aren’t complicated, you can make them in about 5 minutes!  Here’s how!

Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut tortilla in half and then into 1/4″ slices.

Fry in a pot of 350 F degree oil until crispy and delicious!

Make this today, you won’t regret it!

Chile Verde over Bean Burritos

Chili Verde:

1 1/2 lbs pork, diced into bite-sized pieces (I like to use country ribs or pork butt)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
5 T flour
1 15 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
11 ounce can diced mild green chilies
3 large fresh tomatillos, diced
5 cup chicken broth (not low sodium)
1 tablespoon chili powder
Salt to taste

Refried Beans:

2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed and picked over
1 large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sliced bacon, raw
1 teaspoon table salt, more to taste
1 teaspoon chili powder, more to taste
Water, to cover beans by 2″
1 cup cooking liquid reserved after cooking beans (this is used to thin the beans as you process them after cooking)

Tortilla Strips:

Corn tortillas, sliced in to 1/4″ strips.

DIRECTIONS

Chili Verde:

1. Season the pork with salt and pepper and brown over high heat in a 6 quart pot. Lower heat to medium and add onion and garlic. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.

2. After the pork is browned add the flour and chili powder, and stir.

3. Next add all the rest of the ingredients, cover, and simmer over very low heat for at least 1 hour (longer for even more tender meat and better flavor). Stirring occasionally.

4. Serve over homemade beans wrapped in flour tortillas.

5. Top with cheese, freshly diced tomatoes, freshly diced onion, avocado, sour cream, etc.

Refried Beans:

1. Cook the beans, onion, garlic, and bacon by about 2″ of water in a medium stock pot. Let mixture come to a boil, turn down heat so the beans some to a slow simmer, cover, and cook for several hours until the beans are soft. Add more water

2. Set aside 1 cup of cooking liquid. Drain the bean mixture and process the beans, onions, garlic, bacon, chili powder, and salt in a food processor. Add reserved liquid as needed to get the right consistency.

Homemade Tortilla Strips:

1. Using a pizza cutter or knife, slice corn tortillas in half and then into 1/4″ strips (see picture above)

2. Heat oil to 350 F and fry tortilla strips in oil until brown and toasty, about 1-2 minutes. Let drain on a paper towel and season with salt, to taste.