Comfort, South of the Border style

Tex-Mex, a century-old blend of Mestizo/ USA/ Mexican dishes, is making such an entry into the daily lives of our US world that there are now favorite cocina contenders on the list of national 'comfort foods' being universally recognized. 

The long-loved 'Grandma' dishes from Europe, Eastern Europe, New England and the American South are fast being sided up by those soul-warming dishes from our neighbor to the south as well. 

I'm including some that I grew up loving, and seeing as a dish that brought great enthusiasm from my youngster point of view.  Although my mom was not of Mexican origin, that rich and sassy style influenced her cooking way back even then.

CHILES RELLENOS  

(chee-lace ray-ay-noce)   ‘stuffed’ chiles

I first made rellenos while living in San Diego, after trying to guess how they were made after a wonderful brunch with friends.  A buddy flippantly threw out that the egg coating was whipped egg whites then mixed with the yolks, and the roasted pepper was dipped into this batter and deep-fried.  That was all I had to go on, and in those days we didn’t have the internet to look up things like this, so I labored over many incarnations until I came up with a basic presentation that tasted great and had a nice ‘chew’.  Well, through further playing with this wonderful dish, it became only one of these presentations.  Although any pepper may be used, the poblano is my all-time favorite. It isn’t too hot, has tons of flavor, and is a good size for stuffing.  I’ve always liked the ‘Americana’ version, stuffed bell peppers, but I’m really excited to have this ramped-up spicier version as my idea of what a stuffed pepper is all about.  Chiles rellenos may be sweet or savory, coated or left nekkid, smothered in sauce or standing dry; they can be eaten steaming hot or room temperature, and coated in a modest fried egg wash or a battered coating embellished with crushed nuts and grated aged dry cheese.

I’ll give some options to start off with, rather than as I usually do at the end.  You can use these options as building blocks of this dish, creating a huge variety of possible flavor and texture combinations for a great ‘portfolio’ of future dishes, perhaps not making the same one twice for a while – eh?  I’ll give a quick rundown of some basics here, and after will pass along details, procedures, techniques and finishes for you to have the basic prep to have some fun.

Peppers:  Poblano, New Mexico, Cubanelle, banana, Anaheim (Hatch), bell etc.

           

Methods of preparing peppers:  Deep-frying (submerged in hot oil,

            about 325-350°, until the green color pales considerably, and

            blisters have formed over the surface), fire roasting (rotating

            consistently on a gas burner and/or over a direct flame until all

            the surface has been blackened), or oven roasting (in a 400°

            oven for 10-20 or so minutes, finished by a brief broil setting 

            until the surface is charred both light and dark brown).

            All these methods lead to allowing pepper to cool in a sealed container, 

            steaming the skin loose in the cooling, then gently peeling off skin bits 

            with a moist cloth, butterknife, or fingers till the under flesh is revealed.

            Pepper is then sliced on the side near the stem, long enough cut to 

            gently remove seeds and seed core.  If stuffed, then held together with 

            toothpick, chilled till set and pick removed.

Coatings (if used):  Chicken fried:  coat in flour; dip in beaten egg
               with buttermilk; then re-dip in flour – optional with crunch

               additives (crushed bread/Panko crumbs, chips, crackers,
               crushed nuts/seeds, dry-aged cheese).  Shallow or deep fry. 

            Egg wash:  coat in flour; dip in thin-beaten egg with a tiny bit of 

               canned milk or buttermilk.  Pan fry. 

            Battered:  coat in flour; dip in whipped egg batter – soft whipped 

                egg whites with folded-in yolks and one or two tbs flour.

                (optional – sprinkle with crunch stuff).  Shallow or deep fry.

            Allow fresh coating to set on the surface, refrigerated, for a good 

            twenty minutes prior to frying.  This encourages better adhesion.

Fillings:  Meat and carb ‘stew’:  Potato/rice/pasta with sausage/
                 pork/chicken/beef/shellfish/lamb etc and mirepoix

            3 Cheese:  cheddar/Swiss/jack; Provolone/cream cheese/
                 Parmesan; or cheddar/ parmesan/fontina, etc

            Meat and vegetable:  Shredded beef/pork/chicken with carrots,

                celery, potato chunk and onions

            Vegetable:  Mushrooms, squash, onions and garlic in butter;
                lightly floured as thickener; in wine or stock sauce

            ‘Salad’:  Prepared chicken, egg and tuna salads; prepared
                crab, lobster and shrimp salads; devilled ham salad;

                macaroni and potato salads, all chilled firm (These are not

                oven-heated through after a quick fry, but kept cool inside,

                like a savory version of ‘baked Alaska’)

            Dessert:  Fruit (dried and/or fresh)/candies/candy or chocolate
                bars/nuts; may be mixed with cream cheese/Mascarpone/
                Neufchatel, Ricotta, rice pudding, tapioca, bread pudding etc.

           

Sauces:  Savory:  Tomatillada; avocado cream; green chile sauce;
               cilantro cream sauce, sausage gravy; chicken gravy; Béchamel
               with cream cheese (or other shredded cheese); roasted nut
               sauce, and any of the book salsas, especially salsa fresca,
               molé,  guacamole and the red and green salsa presentations,
               fish sauce and oyster sauce (purchased), marinara sauces

            Dessert:  Chocolate (white, dark, milk or bittersweet) ganache,

               cream cheese icing, caramel, butterscotch, marshmallow
               cream, fruit preserves, and of course, ice cream.

Peppers – Whichever pepper you choose, more than likely the tough surface skin will need to be removed.  This is traditionally done by scorching that layer, thereby softening the flesh below to allow the removal of the skin.  Whether through heat applied by roasting, deep-frying, or direct flame the end results will be similar.  Right away, allow the freshly roasted pepper to steam briefly in a paper bag or covered bowl, then carefully peel/scrape the charred outer skin off – the final distinct tastes will be affected by the roasting choice. The peppers are to be cooked to a done but firm version; because a too-limp state makes the de-seeding, filling and handling more difficult, if not disintegrating the pepper form entirely.  Conversely, the pepper must be cooked through, as a partially raw pepper is NOT good here.  Chill to set.  The cooled peppers will need to be slit down one side, two-thirds of the way from the stem, then carefully seeded and deveined, using tweezers and/or grapefruit spoon if necessary. Avoid rinsing the interiors out, or at least very minimally, as this will remove flavor.

Fry Coatings – All three of these options are delicious, and the difference is with the resistance (chew), texture and taste.  All three work well with all fillings, and the option is yours as to which to try or not.  The chicken fried technique is very familiar, with dusting the moist surface of the skinned pepper in flour, then dredging in a mix of beaten egg thinned slightly with milk, canned milk, buttermilk or water (so far, this is the ‘egg wash’).  This sticky surface can then be rolled in flour alone again, or flour mixed with crunch factor:   seeds, crushed prepared onion rings or shoestring potatoes, crumbs, or grated hard cheeses, and fried carefully to done (see the fried chicken/fish recipes in this book).   Finally, the batter version is taking egg whites (three eggs per five or six coatings will be offered here) and beating to foamy, adding a pinch each of salt and cream of tartar and continue beating to soft peaks.  The beaten egg yolks, a pinch of salt and a couple of spoons of flour are then carefully folded into the whites till blended.  The flour-coated peppers are then laid in the batter on one side and then the other to coat the pepper (at least a quarter inch thick), then carefully laid into the hot oil (or deep fried), flipped, till browned a golden color on both sides.  This batter coating may also be sprinkled with crunch coatings or grated cheese just before setting in the hot oil to fry.  These coatings should be fried till a perfect golden brown and the coating and the pepper ‘container’ has finished cooking; then the non-salad peppers can be placed on a metal rack in a 250° oven to finish heating through to the interiors, and allowing all the peppers for the meal to be served warm.

Fillings – Fillings are the ‘jewel’, so the pepper the ‘necklace’, so to speak, with this dish.  Both very important, and both very different.  The fillings may be sweet or savory, thick and creamy/saucy, or granular fluffed.  Whichever filling you choose, it should be a finished, completely cooked presentation – first chilled well, portioned, and needing only to be melted/heated in the fry (or not at all as with the salad/dessert versions).  The stew version is precisely as it sounds, with starch added, cooked, then all ultimately in a smallish chilled chunk for easier filling.  The cheese can be grated or diced small in a cold state for best blending and then melted in the final heating inside the pepper. Any filling made with gravy or sauce should be chilled and thickened, for easier filling and handling.  The filled peppers are to be overlapped slightly at the slit (held with a toothpick if necessary), pressed out of any air, and chilled well to re-establish firmness and easier handling before dipping or applying the coatings for frying.  When set, remove pick.  Fry carefully to finish the coating.  The entire piece will be heated to satisfaction after, if necessary, while on a rack in the oven.  This makes serving multiple guests at once much easier.

Covering sauces – The final presentation is when the sauces are to be applied, which is just prior to serving.  This maintains the crispness, and the adhesion of the fried coating as well.  The flavor and texture of the covering sauce should complement the flavors and back-tastes as well. Tomatillada (tow-ma-tee-ya-dah) sauce is a simple fresh tomato-based heated sauce of tomato (fresh, canned and/or roasted), onion, garlic and broth base, simmered till blended or swirled briefly in the food processor (salt and pepper to taste).  The avocado and cilantro cream sauces are a chilled or room temperature version, with fresh diced avocados and/or fresh cilantro as the base, blended with cream/sour cream/crème fraiche/Greek yogurt or fromage blanc and with the avocado sauce, a bit of cilantro or fresh parsley in the processor, finished over with sea or kosher salt (the salt texture is also what we’re after) and fresh cracked pepper.  Green chile sauce is given with the BBQ citrus recipe, but basically roasted green chiles blended with mayo and sour cream.  Sausage and chicken gravies are mentioned elsewhere in this book, but basically a roux-thickened milk-based gravy, with cooked sausage or meat bits with onions, garlic and/or mushrooms as desired.  The fats in the roux can be olive oil, chicken fat, pork fat and/or butter mixed with equal parts flour.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Béchamel is a butter-based flour roux thickener, with a milk (evaporated milk is best and healthiest) base.  Half the milk content is matched with room temperature bits of cream cheese.  A splash of wine/sherry may be added at the onset before the milk, also seasoned to taste with salt and pepper (and/or a pinch of cayenne) and a tiny dusting of fresh grated nutmeg. 

Nut sauce:   Roast about a cup of nut choice (almond slivers, cashews, walnut pieces, pecan pieces, crushed macadamia pieces) in the oven till lightly golden.  Let cool.  Place in blender (best) or processor and patiently grind to a ‘flour’, then add a third cup of sour cream/crème fraiche/Greek yogurt etc, a half cup of milk/evaporated milk, a pinch of salt and a splash of lemon juice, blend WELL till like a thick cream, and finally add just a part of a glug, about a tsp, of pure maple syrup (go light, or a taste of honey if you prefer) for a finish.  Return to low heat and bring just to a simmer, re-blending if necessary. The nut sauce works with savory or sweet, and your choice of optional accompanying enhancement ingredients (very small amounts – a ‘pinch’) will dictate that direction – like whether garlic or ginger, cumin or nutmeg, cayenne or mint, wine or vanilla, mustard or citrus zest.   Have fun playing with this one; it has tremendous potential.

Dessert-oriented toppings are more direct.  The home-mades are incredible, and will be better than anything you can buy, but the store-bought’s will certainly do perfectly and more easily.  Gently melting shaved chocolate (milk, dark, bittersweet, white etc) bits with a bit of butter, cream and light corn syrup make a great chocolate ganache.  Both it and cream cheese icing are in this book.  Caramel is the heating of sugar and light corn syrup just to barely hardball stage (usually with a bit of water initially to keep the sugar from burning) and adding cream to it and emulsifying the mix to the meltingly creamy popular confection.  Instead of white sugar, use brown sugar and add butter, plus a pinch of salt, heat till molten, add cream and light corn syrup and you have the butterscotch choice.  Gently melting a purchased marshmallow cream container in very hot tap water or very low in the microwave makes the last suggestion sauce (watch for packaging metals and foils).  Go online or check any cookbook for more details of these sauces. 

Try mixing and matching, build a ‘resume’ of recipes that you create on your own.  Truly, sweet and hot don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  Just try what sounds good and see how it goes.  Alright, I’ll give you some incentives:  Try three cheese coated in tomatillada (traditional).  Or chicken and mushroom in wine stuffing, with cool avocado cream.   Or crab and shrimp salad stuffing in walnut sauce.  Or chicken salad stuffing with green chile sauce.  Or mac and cheese stuffing with sausage gravy.  Or ‘Milky Way’ bar and black cherries diced up in mascarpone cheese stuffing, with caramel sauce. If you’re up to it, try a broken chocolate bar stuffed relleno with a cream and fruit preserves topping.  

Rich. Fun.  Delicious! 





Odd sounding concept, great eats!

  TAMALE PIE

This was one of my favorite often expressed ‘please make this, Mom!’ dishes.   I grew up loving the textures, savory flavors and just a nice bit of heat.  It was oh so good on a cold day.  But I'll take it anytime! 

When I left for France, I made sure to take this recipe with me.  The first time I made it there, my French was not so good (like as if it ever got THAT good), and when I asked for hamburger meat at the butcher (I didn’t know how to say ‘hamburger’, but I surmised it was boeuf haché – pronounced ‘boof achay’ or chopped beef -- they didn’t have anything that looked like hamburger) the poor guy meticulously hand-cut up the meat to tiny bits for me, and I felt almost evil that he went to all that work. If only I’d remembered that ‘ground’ was the same as ‘milled’ – or moulu (moo-loo) – like Moulin Rouge (moo-lan rooge), the Red Mill – and EVERYBODY knows that word.  That was then, and perhaps the word has changed, but then I was treading on new ground.  The closest my Paris friends had to spicy exotic dishes was North African or Middle Eastern dishes.  Mexican or Tex-Mex there was yet to happen, so I did my best to open more options for them. 

I borrowed the chili powder from my co-worker, Kaye, from Tyler, Texas (That’s Taahler, Texas, y’all – I loved her drawl, and her French was hers to claim! – I lived in northern California in those days and was new to the music of the Southern drawl) who had searched the city meticulously for weeks to find chili powder and finally found it in a mega mart in the burbs – and she had made enchilada casserole (she even made her own tortillas), Mexican rice, refried beans and apple pie and home-made ice-cream – all from scratch – for our friends, and I have to say, they were totally SOLD on our TexMex chow.  The only apple dessert they had was a sliced fruit ‘pizza’-style tart with no juices or sauce; dry – and kinda boring.  But as you’re learning from this book, the sharing of good food certainly didn’t just go one way.

Mom’s version was typical of what was made in the sixties, and not at all typical with TexMex or Hispanic-based cooking.  It was a one-dish meal, a casserole, and consisted of hamburger, canned black olives and creamed corn.  The milk and egg made it kind of a custard, so this is basically a mix of quiche and tamales.  Wow.  These ingredients are almost against the law to some of today’s cooks, so I’ve tweaked her recipe to set with a more ‘purist’ mindset. 

The ‘old’ recipe as Mom made it:

Preheat oven to 350°                              serves 4-6

Tools:  sauté skillet, cutting board, mixing bowl, 2-3 quart casserole dish

Ingredients:

2    lb lean ground beef

1    onion, diced ¼-½ inch

¾  cup yellow cornmeal

              1   cups milk

2   eggs, beaten

2   tbs chili seasoning

1   tsp salt

1   tsp pepper

1   lb canned tomatoes, drained, diced

1   can creamed corn

1   can ripe pitted olives, drained and
          rough chopped

1   cup grated cheddar cheese (I think
          Mom used diced up Velveeta)

In skillet, cook beef and onion until the meat releases most the fat and spoon out the fat.  Add the chili powder, tomatoes, salt and pepper, corn and olives and bring to heat, simmering gently for five to ten minutes, then allow to cool.  In large bowl, mix cornmeal, milk, egg and half the cheese. Fold in cooled ingredients and level out in pre-greased casserole dish.  Bake for about forty-five minutes to set the custard/meal, then place last of cheese on top and return to heat just to melt cheese (a broiler may be used to bring cheese to ‘chewy’ if desired).  Serve with a pat of butter and salsa/hot sauce over.

This dish is perfectly wonderful as it is.  For me, it’s a ‘comfort’ food, and full of memories.  You may choose to create it exactly as it is above, or you can always, always alter it, bump it up, translate it or amend it to your liking.  Need a push?   

First off, let’s enlarge the recipe a bit.  Make it a sure amount for at least four.  From there, we’ll start with each ingredient and offer options.

Meat: A prepared roasted or grilled offering of skirt, hanger

        or flank steak, brisket etc, cut thin on the bias against
        the grain; or prepared deli roast chicken; leftover roast,
        steak or stew meat, shredded; trimmed turkey, BBQ,
        fried chicken, and always the shredded pork here in the
        book – about 12 –18 ounces.

Onion: two small onions; and/or one large leek, white end;
        and/or two shallots  -- diced ¼ to ½ inch

Cornmeal:  One cup cornmeal, plus one-half cup corn flour,
        masa, or wheat flour

Milk: 3 cups: half milk - half cream; two-thirds evaporated
        canned milk - one-third milk or broth; or all ‘half and half’

Eggs:  two eggs and one egg yolk (to promote the custard
        texture)

Chili seasoning:  3-4 tbs homemade chili powder, or store

        bought quality chili powder

Canned tomatoes:  2 lbs fresh seasonal tomatoes, diced;
        1 28 oz canned Italian whole tomatoes, drained, diced

Creamed corn:  1 can creamed corn plus 1 pkg (12 oz)
        frozen kernel corn, thawed (or 1-2 ears fresh sweet
        corn)

Canned olives:  canned black olives; deli imported black
        olives;oil-cured black or green olives

Cheese:  8-12 oz jack; pepper jack; white or yellow cheddar,

        medium to sharp – grated large or diced small topping
        cheese:  Parmesan, Cotija, very sharp cheddar/goat/
        Swiss, Gruyère -- grated

The re-vamped recipe could go as such:

Preheat oven to 300°                              serves 4-6

Tools:  sauté skillet, cutting board, mixing bowl, 3-4 quart casserole dish

Ingredients:

         1½-2    lb shredded chunks of prepared brisket

                        (or ‘shredded pork’ in this book) or skirt
                        steak, cut thin, on bias, diced to bite-sized
                        chunk

2      tbs canola or peanut oil

1      large leek, white end, diced, rinsed, drained;
            or 2 onions, peeled and diced ½ inch

1     cup yellow cornmeal

½    cup corn flour, masa, or wheat flour

           1½   cups milk

1     can (12 oz) evaporated milk

½    cup chicken broth or stock

2     eggs plus one egg yolk, beaten

2    tbs homemade chili seasoning,
            or quality purchased

2     tsp salt

2     tsp pepper

2     lb fresh-diced tomatoes, or 1 28 oz canned
           Italian (like Cento, San Marzano)
           tomatoes, drained and diced ½ inch

1     can creamed corn

1     pkg (12 oz) sweet corn kernels, frozen, thawed

           or 1-2 ears fresh sweet corn (depending
           on size), trimmed

        10-12   oz black pitted olives, Greek Calamata or French
                       Niçoise, rough chopped

          8-12   oz mix of large grated (or small dice) white
                       cheddar, fontina, and/or pepper jack cheese

            ¼    cup Parmesan or Cotija cheese, grated or
                       crumbled

In skillet, cook onion or leek in oil until tender and beginning to golden.  Add the chili powder and thawed or fresh-trimmed corn and sauté gently to a bit caramelized, about three or four minutes, you will smell the aroma of the leek and corn. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, canned creamed corn and olives and bring to heat, simmering gently for a few minutes to finish the tomatoes, then allow to cool.  In large bowl, mix corn, masa or wheat flour, salt and pepper, canned evaporated milk and eggs/yolk mix and blend well to a rich, thick ‘cream batter’.   Fold in the remaining milk and broth, the yellow cornmeal, half the grated cheese, mix well, then add the diced meats and the cooled simmered ingredients and fold together gently.  Pour into greased casserole dish and level out.  Top with the remaining grated cheese and bake for 45-55 minutes to set the custard cornmeal, then sprinkle grated/crumbled hard cheese into the melted cheese on top and return to heat just long enough to finish the cheeses (a broiler may be used to bring cheese to ‘chewy’ if desired).  Serve with a slice of butter and salsa/hot sauce over.

You see?  Just a bit of imagination and this simple any-night casserole has been altered to a ‘the boss is coming to dinner’ type meal.  Just dang good.

Options:  Green olives may be mixed or replaced with the black.  Heat.  Yes, we have to have heat, as in spice.  Canned diced mild chiles (as with Ortega brand) may be added to the final ‘fold’ of ingredients, and/or fresh jalapeños or serranos may be stemmed, seeded, veined and finely diced and/or chipotle chiles – and added to sauté with the onions and corn.  The canned tomato option may be upgraded to the tomato/chile offering (like Rotel brand).  Crushed potato chips, Panko bread crumbs etc may be added to the dry/hard topping cheeses for a final great crunchy finish. 

Don’t mess too much with this, the custardy corn flavor and texture is perfect.



Heavenly

PULLED PORK  WITH
CHIPOTLE SAUCE 

(chi-pote-lay) serves a party as a sandwich, taco or side meat dish

Pork is quite possibly the most flavorful of all meats, I don’t know if it’s the rich savor of the fat and flesh or the texture of the meat, but truly it’s the meat of choice for many societies in this world.  There are as many ways to prepare, cook, and serve this multi-faceted meat as there are cultures on the planet, and then some; but I’ll give a favorite one here.  With the influence of the Latin kitchen, this variation is one of immense flavor and texture.  Pork shoulder for this dish is the best option.  It is relatively affordable, full of flavor and texture, albeit a tough cut of meat.  No problem, as this dish is simmered a considerable length of time, rendering that ‘toughness’ to a very wonderful chew and taste.  The cooking method is a French inspiration, a ‘confit ’ (con-fee) -- or slow cooking in its own fat – as is usually performed with duck.

Tools:  Dutch oven (or a broad-bottomed low stockpot with cover), a zip lock sealable heavy-duty bag, cutting board

Prep:  The previous day/evening:  Find a fresh four to six-pound (bigger is fine if you have it) shoulder pork roast(s); evenly marbled of fat, carefully trimmed of gristle, ‘silver-skin’, major fat and bone.  The end presentation will be about three-four pounds of two-inch cube-sized chunks of meat.  Evenly dust the cubes with salt and pepper and the homemade meat rub (in this book), and let air dry, lightly covered with paper towels and chilled in the refrigerator for at least two hours, to allow the salt and the rub and flavors to ‘seep’ into the meat.  Then with a cup of tequila (a cheaper variety is just fine) along with a cup of recently brewed coffee place in the large zip-lock plastic bag, squeeze out all air, seal, and massage to blend.  Refrigerate for at least several hours, but best overnight.  Today:  In the large stockpot, slowly bring 2 pounds (32 oz) of lard (fresh rendered is best) sometimes labeled 'manteca', to heat, careful not to burn.  Slowly melt it to a liquid state (but not exceptionally hot).  Add to this the contents of one liter-sized bottle of non-diet cola (Pepsi or Mexican ‘Coke’ is perfect, being the sweetest).  Next add the pork chunks and the marinating liquids to the lard-cola mix.  Bring all to a low simmer, stir well and cover.  Place in a 300-325° oven for at least one and a half hours, but better up to three (or even four hours if you can stand to wait).  You may prepare this stovetop fashion, but monitor heat and stir regularly and gently with flat-bottomed wooden spatula to keep from scorching, monitor closely.  

The end result is that the chunks of pork should be very tender (could be easily shredded, but don’t yet) – but be sure that they still maintain a form somewhat in ‘chunks’.

Strain the braising liquid from the meat and discard (not down the drain. Best method:  Chill well, hardening the lard again.  Separate and zip-lock the congealed lard and toss, pour out the liquids, now safe, down the drain – or chill all this mass and re-use within a week, or freeze and reuse within a month).  Let the chunks remain unshredded until cooled, cover, then refrigerate for at least an hour, best four, resetting a perfect meat texture to the meat chunks.  Chill sealed as-is for later use, or continue:  Shred roughly with forks and/or fingers.  The shredded pork at this point is excellent for any ‘meat’ application in this book, reheated or fried – as in spaghetti; with BBQ sauce on a bun (a sloppy Jose?); scrambled with eggs (machaca); in a pita with Tzatziki sauce and tomatoes – you get the idea. 

Chipotle sauce and pork ingredients:

              3-5     lbs finished weight braised pork shoulder
                                chunks, cooled, partially shredded

2-3     smallish onions, diced ½ to ¾ inch

2-3     medium-sized carrots, diced ½ to ¾ inch

1-2     stalks celery, diced ½ to ¾ inch

4-5     cloves garlic, minced

 2       tbs oil – canola, peanut or vegetable

 1       tbs each dried oregano and thyme, crushed

                ½      cup fresh citrus juice – orange/tangerine, lime

                                and/or red grapefruit       

 1       tbs paprika

 1       tsp each salt and fresh ground pepper

                2       cups good stock (pork, veal, beef or chicken --

                               low or no sodium)

                ½      pint (1 cup, 8 oz) prune, raspberry, cherry or

                               pomegranate juice – NOT ‘drink’ or ‘beverage’

                ½      6 oz package pitted prunes/dried plums,
                               chopped small

 1      7 oz can chipotle chiles, chopped, with adobo
                               sauce (2 cans if you like more smoky heat)      

                                   

Preparation:  Meanwhile, in the Dutch oven or stockpot, heat oil to medium-hot and add vegetables, salt and pepper and sauté to limp.  A few minutes later, add the garlic and spices, and lower the heat to medium and sauté vegetables, stirring occasionally – another five minutes or so – until golden and attaining a great caramelization.  Add the chopped prunes and juice, stock, chopped chipotle peppers/adobo sauce and citrus juice, and bring to boil and lower to a simmer, heating until reduced by about one-fourth – about fifteen minutes or so.  Taste, and adjust seasonings.  Fold the shredded meat in with the vegetable mix in the Dutch oven, mix well.  Bring to a full boil and maintain on high heat, stirring regularly till most all the liquid has been absorbed or evaporated – and the mix begins sizzling – to gain a nice texture – or until the aroma makes the neighbors knock on the door.

A soft corn or flour taco filled with this magical concoction – plus grated cheeses, guacamole, shredded lettuce, fresh salsa, some chopped cilantro, and a generous squeeze of lime – will win you many more friends.  Promise.

Option:  For a great shift in flavor, instead of 'coke', try 'cherry coke', 'Dr. Pepper' or 'root beer' (non-diet) and enjoy the great taste!

Cooking option:  Because of the slow and low nature of cooking style in the shredded pork portion of preparation, this segment of braising in lard and cola may be performed in a slow cooker or 'crock pot' situation, where the meat may gently braise over a lengthy period of time.  This may be done overnight or during a workday, and the results will be less strenuous and equally successful.

CARNITAS! - Carnitas is the preparation of meat or vegetable where the proteins and sugars are heated to caramelization and Maillard status.  There is a bit of crunch, a lovely gentle sweetness and a great toasted/roasted flavor that is a direct result of the final high heat grill.  In this case, Pork Carnitas can be brought into the option by stopping the above directions at the shredding stage.  Allow the meat to cool to room temperature and gently pack into a sealable container (usually a cube-shaped container).  Refrigerate well.  Remove the chilled and more solid mass of shredded meat and, like a loaf of bread, slice into slabs (3/8 - 1/2 inch).  In an oiled skillet at high heat, fry the slabs under a watchful eye until they brown, obtain a bit of 'crust' and are warmed well thru.  Remove, let drain, and either consume as a 'meat' course, or break up and place as the guest of honor in a taco.  Guacamole, salsas, fresh diced white and green onions, tomato bits, bacon bits, crema, radish slices - and of course, fresh-squeezed lime - make this a very perfect bite!