Pork with Roasted Tomatillo Sauce

In the spring we planted four tomatillo plants in our garden.  Tomatillos are in the nightshade family, related to tomatoes.  I haven't had much luck with tomatoes in my garden, so I wasn't expecting much.  

But our tomatillo harvest has far exceeded expectations!  In August we harvested twelve pounds of tomatillos, and we have plenty more still growing.  

We canned 32 jars of salsa verde.

And we had enough tomatillos leftover to make this tasty pork dish.  

Here's what you need:

2 pounds tomatillos, husks removed
2 large jalapeños
1 large onion
6 - 8 large cloves garlic
Handful of cilantro
Juice from 1 lime
salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil3 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 pounds pork tenderloin or pork loin roast
1/4 cup beer
salt and pepper

Cooked rice or tortillas to serve

First make the roasted tomatillo sauce.  

Halve the tomatillos, slice the onion into wedges, halve and seed the jalapeños.  Scatter them, along with the garlic cloves on a baking sheet.  Place the top oven rack 4-5 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler.  Broil the vegetables for about 5 minutes, then flip them over and broil another 5 minutes until the tomatillos are blackened and soft.  

Remove the vegetables from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes.

Place the vegetables and any liquid in the pan in a blender and purée until not quite smooth.  Add the cilantro, lime juice and a pinch of salt and blend until combined.

For the pork, combine the flour, salt and cumin. 

Dice the pork into cubes.

Toss with the flour mixture until evenly coated.  

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or large pan.  Add half the pork to the pan and brown on all sides for about 2 minutes.  Remove from the pan and add the remaining pork to brown.  

Remove all the pork from the pan and add the beer, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.  Add the tomatillo mixture to the pan.  

Return the pork to the pan and bring it all to a simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes until the pork is cooked through and the flavours have combined.  

Serve with cooked rice or on flour tortillas, sprinkled with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.  Simple and flavourful, this also freezes and reheats wonderfully.  Even if you don't have a garden full of tomatillos, pick some up at the market and try this!