I've been away from the blog for far two long, so here is a new dish. This delicious little morsel is a deconstructed pork tamale...at least thats what I call it. The round on the bottom is cornmeal mush (polenta) that his been cooled overnight. The pork is cooked in a traditional mexican fashion. The sauce is my version of a 5 minute mole. Mole's traditionally are sauces that simmer for several hours and, in many cases, contain over 20 ingredients. This sauce contains a 70% cocoa dark chocolate. The red onions are pickled in vinegar with sugar and coriander. It is topped with sour cream and cilantro.

Mexican Orange and Milk Stewed Pork

       I know what you're thinking...Milk? It does sound weird at first but when you try it, you'll understand. We're going to infuse this pork with orange and mexican spice and after it's done cooking it will be fall apart tender. Here we go...

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 tablespoon Lard
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 orange, well washed
1 cup Whole Milk
About 2 cups of Water
1/2 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut the meat into about 6-8 large pieces. Melt the lard in a heavy dutch oven large enough to hold the meat in one layer. Brown the meat on all sides and season with salt. Squeeze the orange over the meat and toss in the rind. Pour in the milk and add enough water to cover the meat. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover the meat and bake for about 2 hours or until the meat is fork tender. Uncover, remove the orange rind, and break the meat into large pieces. Bake, uncovered, until most of the liquid had evaporated, about 20 minutes. Remove the pork from pan and shred. This recipe can be made on the stove top if a suitable oven proof container is not available. The flavor of the meat, however, will not be as good. RESERVE the left over cooking liquid for the 5 minute mole, which is up next.

5 Minute Mole

This is a very quick recipe for a classic Mexican sauce that takes several hours to make and can have over 20 ingredients.

1 tablespoon Vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Mole paste
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
Juice of 1 half orange

Saute onions in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until translucent. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium low. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until the chocolate has melted. Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth.

Pickled Red Onions

    These little gems are packed with flavor. They add a bit of a crunch and a sweet, acidic component to the dish and play very well with the pork and sauce. They're super easy to make, too. P.S...wear gloves when handling the habanero. They are extremely spicy and can be substituted for jalapenos for those who aren't into the whole crying and sweating at the dinner table thing.

2 whole red onions, cut into strips
1 habanero, seeded, deveined and very finely chopped.
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
1/2 teaspoon ground or whole coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon salt.

Combine all ingredients into large sealable container. Give it a stir and place in the refrigerator for a day or two. The longer they sit the better they get. If you notice the vinegar becomes too strong, add an equal part of water and that should tone it down.

Polenta Rounds

  I used polenta rounds to mimic the corn flavor you get from a classic tamale filling. You can actually buy premade polenta at the store, which comes in tube form and is a big time saver. The flavor isn't as good and you can't jazz it up like we will here.

1 1/2 cups cold water
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt.

Whisk together all ingredients in a 1 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Drop the heat to low and continue cooking until very thick, about 15-20 minutes. Spread the polenta out onto an oiled baking sheet. We want about 1/4 inch thick rounds. Chill in the refrigerator, uncovered, until firm, about 1 hour. Cut out 2 1/2 inch rounds from the polenta with cookie cutter. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet and broil for about 2 1/2 minutes on each side.

Once all of the components have been made it's time to construct our dish. We begin by placing a polenta round on the plate. Next we add some pork and then the mole. We finish the dish with the pickled onions, sour cream, and cilantro.

Happy Eating,

Tylor