Happy New Year, happy THE YEAR MY BOOK COMES OUT, sorry about that last email
(tinyletter accidentally sent before I meant to, sorry about that, real stuff included here)
Sorry for the all caps, but all I can think every day now is "My book comes out this year. My book comes out this month. MY BOOK COMES OUT IN LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS." So, you know, that's where my mind is. THE WEDDING DATE has been on a bunch of fun 2018 lists in the past few weeks, like this Electric Lit list of 46 books by women of color coming this year, this Elle list of books they're excited to read this year, this Bitch Media list of fiction must reads in 2018, and this Cosmo list of books to get excited about reading. I'm so excited for the book to come out (and also terrified); I've been thinking about this book for almost three years, so it's just wild to finally be able to talk to other people about it!
And speaking of books, I glanced over my 2017 book spreadsheet so I could list out my favorite books of the year for you all. In the order that I read them: The Ghost Map, Gem & Dixie, Marlena, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, An Extraordinary Union, Far From the Tree, and The Hate U Give. Most of these I've already recommended here, but a few I haven't, and I loved all of them and I hope you read them! Also, if you needed evidence to trust my book recs, I told you all to read Far From the Tree before it was even out, and then it went on to win a National Book Award!
Many of you are in very cold places right now, and you want something cozy to make this weekend. And while it's not even that cold in the Bay Area, January weekends are perfect for cozy meals. I love love this pork chile verde recipe, which is warm and spicy and you can eat in all sorts of ways: as a stew, inside tacos, with a fried or poached egg on top, in chilaquiles, etc. You can also use chicken thighs in this (just don't cook it for as long), and you can tinker with the chiles depending on how hot you want it. Original recipe is from Simply Recipes, but my changes are below.
Pork Chile Verde
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos (I often use more like 2 lbs)
5 garlic cloves
2 jalapenos (I sometimes use more, but I like it hot)
2 Anaheim or Poblano chiles (she says this is optional, I think it's absolutely necessary)
1 bunch cilantro leaves, cleaned and chopped
3-4 pounds pork shoulder (I ask the butcher to cut this up into 1 inch or so cubes for me)
2 yellow onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon of dried oregano (I've done this either way, and it's good both ways)
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups chicken stock (I tend to like a thicker stew, so I use less stock, but go with what works for you)
pinch ground cloves
Take the husks off the tomatillos and wash them well (they are kind of sticky under there). Put them whole on a lined cookie sheet (the original recipe says to cut them in half, I never do, I just turn them over once, so go with what works better for you), along with the unpeeled garlic cloves, the jalapenos, and the other chiles. Roast for about 5-7 minutes until everything is blackened (turning everything over once). Put the chiles in a paper bag to let them cool, and then remove the skin and seeds. Puree the roasted tomatillos, garlic, and both chiles with the cilantro in a blender (or in a bowl with your immersion blender).
Season your pork on all sides with salt and pepper. In a big pot (I use my dutch oven for this) heat olive oil over medium high heat and brown the pork well on all sides, working in batches. Once the pork is done, saute the onions and garlic in the pot for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the pork, tomatillo mixture, stock, and the oregano and cloves. Bring to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 2-3 hours until the meat is tender. Enjoy!
Have a great weekend!
Jasmine
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