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).

Chicken Veracruzana

I'm surprised I haven't posted this recipe yet. It smells heavenly while it's cooking. It's fairly quick to assemble if you use skinless chicken thighs. This time I'm actually using the chicken quarters with skin on, and it took much longer to peel off the skin and cut off the extra fat. I would prefer to use the boneless skinless thighs again next time. I like to serve it with warmed corn tortillas and a side salad. We have the leftovers in tacos or on tostadas.

Chicken Veracruzana (from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday)

1 lbs (4 medium) red-skin boiling or Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in wedges
6 (3 lbs. total) chicken leg and thigh quarters, skin pulled off
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes in juice (preferably fire roasted), drained
4-6 canned pickled jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and cut into strips
3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped or pressed
2 Tbs. Worchestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
salt
1/4-1/2 cup coarsely chopped green olives
1/4 c. roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of a slow-cooker and top with the chicken. In a medium bowl, mix together the tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, Worcestershire, thyme, cloves, cinnamon and a scant 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Pour evenly over the chicken. Set the lid in place and slow-cook on high for 6 hours (the dish can hold on the warm setting for another 4 hours or so).

Carefully transfer a portion of chicken and potatoes to each of six dinner plates, leaving as much sauce behind as possible. Mix the olives and parsley into the sauce, then taste and season with more salt if needed and spoon the sauce over the chicken.

Yucatecan Pork (Cochinita Pibil)

This fantastic dish comes from Rick Bayless's "Everyday Mexican". Rick Bayless does it again. This is my current favorite cookbook because the recipes really are easy enough for every day, but they sing with authentic Mexican flavors and take me back to our days living in Mexico.

The hardest part of making this dish (aside from finding the ingredients) is juicing limes and slicing onions, which is to say that I think it's easy. It's pretty quick to assemble and fabulous enough for company, but we love it so much we sometimes find it difficult to share. It's my all-time favorite way to eat pork, and perhaps the main reason my daughter hasn't become vegetarian yet. It's the perfect combination of flavors - I LOVE the red onions pickled in fresh lime juice on top - they turn a lovely pink color and are so tart and crunchy. We like to eat it just with some shredded cabbage and warmed corn tortillas. You can make little soft tacos to eat it, and the leftovers are also good on tostadas (layer on the shredded pork, pickled red onions and cabbage). If I'm making it just for us, I usually freeze half of the pork to eat later with freshly made pickled red onions. And I've found the leftover pink and oniony lime juice from the red onions is great in guacamole (the color's not the best, but the flavor is).

We found achiote paste at the Mexican grocery store just off of Bates street in Oakland, but I bet you could find it at Reyna's in the strip. I got the optional banana leaves at the Asian store in Wilkinsburg in the frozen section, and I think their aroma adds a lot to the experience of opening up the crockpot, unfolding the banana leaves, and finding this perfectly tender and savory piece of pork roast nestled inside - I can almost imagine it was roasted in a pit for a day or two.

Sorry no pictures - we couldn't wait to dig in. I'll have to take some the next time I make it.

So, with that raving intro, here it is:

Slow-Cooked Achiote Pork (Cochinita Pibil)
1/2 of a 3/5 oz. package achiote seasoning (he recommends Yucateco brand adobo de achiote)
3/4 cup fresh lime juice (divided use)
salt
half a 1 lb pkg banana leaves, optional (defrosted if frozen)
3 lb. bone-in pork shoulder roast (I think I've usually made this with 3-4 lbs boneless pork loin)
1 large white onion, sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 large red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted fresh chile salsa or bottled habanero hot sauce for serving

Place the achiote seasoning in a small bowl. Pour in 1/2 cup lime juice and 1 1/2 tsp salt (he calls for 2, but I prefer it with this), then use the back of a spoon to work the mixture into a smooth, thickish marinade.

If you have banana leaves, cut two 2-foot sections and use them to line a slow-cooker -- lay one down the length, the other across the width. Lay in the pork and pour the marinade over and around the roast. Scatter the white onion over the meat.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat. Fold up the banana leaves to roughly cover everything. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours, until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender (this can also hold on the keep warm setting for 4 more hours or so).

Once you've started the meat, combine the red onion with the remaining 1/4 cup lime juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp salt, toss and set aside to marinate, stirring from time to time.

Use tongs to transfer the meat (it will easily break into delicious-looking pieces) and onions to a serving dish. Spoon off any rendered fat that's floating in the juices (I also peel off the layer of fat from the top of the roast and discard it). If there are 2 cups or more of the sauce, put it in a saucepan and boil it down to 1 cup. Spoon the sauce over the meat. Top with the lime-marinated red onions and serve with the salsa and plenty of hot tortillas.

This can also be baked in a dutch oven for 2 1/2 -3 hours at 300 degrees. And you can substitute chicken thighs for the pork. Black beans make a great side dish, too.