Guajillo Pork and Potatoes

Sorry not to post for so long. I've tried some great new recipes that I ought to pass on. Here's the first for you (I didn't take pictures tonight, but will try to get one of the leftovers tomorrow):

Tried a new recipe today, with some friends as guinea pigs. It was delicious, as I fully expected from my buddy Ricky (can I call him that if I only have an imaginary friendship with him where we hang out in Oaxaca and cook excellent food with the locals?). I had a little struggle with the chiles because I couldn't find regular guajillo chiles and substituted guajillo pulla chiles, which were a little old and dry (meaning they shattered when I tried to split and seed them, unlike fresh dried chiles, which are more leathery and flexible), and they were also quite a bit smaller and hotter than regular guajillos (meaning I had to split and seed and toast many more of them to make 2 oz). I made the chile sauce part and trimmed and cubed the pork the night before, knowing I wouldn't have a lot of time in the morning to throw it all in the crockpot. So you can imagine me in the kitchen at midnight, deciding that the sauce was way too hot and then doubling all the other ingredients and doubling them again, making quite a mess in the kitchen in the process. In the end, it turned out that all my doubling was unnecessary. After the long simmer and adding the other ingredients it turned out the guajillo pullas weren't as hot as I was afraid, and I think the original recipe would have worked out just fine. I ended up mixing back in quite a bit of the full strength original batch. This recipe is very easy if you don't make the mistakes I did, if your dried chiles are fresher and larger than mine, and you don't make the sauce 4 times. The recipe was delicious and well worth the effort, and thanks to all my doubling, we now have enough sauce for another batch. It made enough to serve 8 adults with leftovers (we also had tortillas, beans, rice, salad, etc.).

Guajillo-Spiced Pork and Potatoes

Serves 6-8
Adapted from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
6 medium (1.5 lbs. total) redskin boiling or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 6 wedges
1.5 – 2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, cut into 1″ cubes
8 medium (2 oz. total) dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and torn into flat pieces
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 tsp. dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
salt
cilantro and chopped white onions (I used green) for garnish
Spread the potatoes over the bottom of your slowcooker and top with the pork.
Set a small (8″) skillet over medium heat and once it’s hot, toast the chile pieces, pressing them against the pan with a spatula until they are aromatic and lightened in color underneath–about 10 seconds per side. (Anything more than a whiff of smoke and they're burning - take them off FAST. And don't breath the smoke. Trust me). Transfer the chiles to a blender.
Add the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, Worcestershire, about 1.5 tsp. salt and 1 – 1.5 cups of water (I would choose this based on your slowcooker’s history for drying out foods, how much liquid is already in your tomatoes, etc.). Blend until as smooth as possible, and then strain the mixture through a mesh strainer directly into the slowcooker.
Cook on high for 6 hours, then it can keep on the warm setting for up to 4 hours. I spooned most of the fat off the top and discarded it. Also, my sauce was too runny because I had added the extra tomatoes, etc., so I ended up simmering down some of the sauce to thicken it and returned it to the crockpot.

This was my first attempt at a goal I have for the next year to have people over at least once a month. With so many dear friends moving away, I'm starting to feel cut off and decided I need to make more of an effort to reach out to other friends and to make some new ones. This recipe was a good one for keeping today low stress - once I had it in the cooker this morning, there was little else to prepare. Just threw together a salad, heated some tortillas, warmed beans from the freezer and put some of Rick's Gulf Coast White Rice Pilaf in the rice cooker. It was nice to have so little last minute preparations to do when our friends arrived. Lower stress and more time to enjoy their company. Plus it helps to let them do some of the prep work: one brought guacamole and the other brought a flourless chocolate cake. Both were fantastic. Good company, good food; I think I can get into this new habit! Anyone up for an Indian curry party next month? Everyone has to bring a curry. (Yes, A, I obviously stole the idea from you).