Description

Purslane, known as verdolagas in Mexican cooking, is a nutritious leafy vegetable that amps up this comforting pork stew with tomatillos, cilantro, and serrano peppers.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork ribs, cut into 2-inch sections
• 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 onion, quartered
• 6 tomatillos, husked and quartered
• 2 serrano chile peppers
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• water to cover
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 3 bunches purslane

Instructions

1. Combine pork ribs, pork shoulder, water, and salt in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium-high. Continue cooking and stirring constantly until all liquid has evaporated and pork has browned, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Combine onion, tomatillos, serrano peppers, and cilantro in a medium saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook until tomatillos are tender and have changed color, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer vegetable mixture to a blender; add garlic and and blend carefully until sauce is smooth.
3. Pour sauce into the Dutch oven, season stew with salt and pepper, and simmer for 1 hour. Add purslane and simmer until pork is tender and purslane is soft, about 20 minutes more.