It’s always a treat to come home to a house smelling like home-cooked food. This week, I came home to find the house smelling particularly savory and discovered Jon slaving away in the kitchen to prepare Pork and Tomatillo Stew*. “I know you like Tomatillos,” he said. And he’s right. This stew is full of robust flavors and interesting textures from the tender pork to the slightly crisp carrots. I wouldn’t change a thing. Making the tortilla crisps was fun and I can think of more recipes in which I’d use them. Top this off with some sour cream and cilantro, and you have the perfect week-night, warm-your-soul meal.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbs. Olive oil
• 1 ½ lb pork chops, cut into 1 inch chunks
• Kosher salt, to taste, plus 1/2 tsp.
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. Home-canned roasted Serrano pepper (or 1 jalapeno, seeded)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• 1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium organic chicken broth
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, thoroughly drained
• 1 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into 1-inch dice
• 1 can corn, drained
• Chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• Corn tortillas, cut into strips
• Sour cream

Preparation:

Place a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over high heat and add the oil. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Add to the pot and sear on all sides until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add the onion, reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes.

Add the roasted pepper, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano and the 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add the flour, stir to make a paste and cook for 1 minute more. Whisk in the broth and bring to a simmer. Add the carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, tomatillos and corn. Cover partially, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the pork is very tender, about 45 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a plate. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue to simmer the stew until thickened, about 10 minutes. Return the pork to the stew and season with salt and pepper.

Toss tortilla pieces in olive oil and bake corn at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, stirring and flipping every 5, until brown and crispy.

Ladle the stew into bowls, garnish with cilantro, tortilla crisps and sour cream and serve immediately. Serves 6

*Adapted from Williams-Sonoma recipe

Price per serving: $1.97**

**Based on feedback from readers, we will try to start including price per serving to show that eating well doesn’t mean spending more at the grocery.