Peruvian Pork Stew with Chiles, Lime, and Apples

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 pounds trimmed boneless pork shoulder or sirloin roast
• 2 large yellow or Vidalia onions
• 4 large apples
• 3-5 ancho or other mild dried chiles
• 3 bay leaves
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Redman's® Rea Salt, plus more to taste
• McCormick's® Peppercorn Medley to taste
• Steamed rice for serving
• Chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Zest one lime.  Using a reamer, juice limes until you have at least 1/4 cup and set aside.   Rinse and pat dry pork, cut into 2-inch pieces, and set aside.  Rough chop the onions and set aside.  Remove the stem and seeds from the peppers, straighten them out and cut into squares, and set aside.  Core the apples, cover with a towel, and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a caste iron dutch oven and brown the pork on two sides, working in batches so as not to steam the meat.  Use medium heat, approximately a minute a half per side.  Set the meat aside.  

In the same pot, begin sautéing the onions on low heat.  Add the cloves and the bay leaves.  Quickly peal and rough chop and apples and add to the onions.  Cook until the onions are tender, approximately 10 minutes.

Add the pork, lime juice, lime zest, and stock and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat until so that it simmers.  Cook covered for 30 minutes.  Stir and continue cooking uncovered, until the meat is very tender and just about falling apart, at least an hour.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste.  When satisfied, turn off the heat. 

Serve over steamed rice, garnished with cilantro.


Myrtle's Note:  I really liked this recipe, though I did make a few tweaks to it.  Most are in how I only used one pot to cook it and the order in which I did the prep so that I could do so and keep the apples from browning.  I didn't want to try and remove the meat to reduce the liquid, so I cooked it half the time uncovered.  And I added salt!  I was so surprised at how the apples disappeared into stew sauce.  Four of them!  The onions, which I normally try to disguise in any way I can, were so soft their texture didn't bother me.  And I enjoyed eating the bits of pepper.  Next time I make this, I plan to increase the peppers to five, which is the number that goes in another pork recipe I have.  I could taste the apples and the lime and the chiles, but I thought it could have used more.  I ended up using 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and probably could have used a bit more.  I put in a shake or two of Ancho chili pepper and some of the peppercorn medley.  Next time, I will add a bit more.  I would really like to see what this tastes like with a layer of mild heat to it.  Also, since I am not a fan of rice, I plan on trying it with crusty bread.  However, I will say that the stew sauce was mighty, mighty tasty on the rice.


Yield:  8 servings

Source:  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12192-peruvian-pork-stew-with-chiles-lime-and-apples?mcubz=1

Chilorio

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds boneless pork loin 
• 1 1/2 cup orange juice, preferably freshly squeezed 
• 1 cup water
• 5 (about 55 grams) dried ancho chiles
• 1 1/2 cup of the chile soaking liquid (see below)
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped vidalia onion
• 5 garlic cloves peeled
• 2 large dollops Gourmet Garden's® Parsley Paste 
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or more to taste
• 2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher or sea salt
• Flour tortillas warmed, optional

Directions:

Rinse the pork and cut into two inch chunks.  Place into a cast iron pot. Barely cover with the orange juice and water, add a teaspoon of salt and set over high heat. Once it comes to a boil, bring the heat down to low and let is simmer for about 40 to 45 minutes or until most of the liquid has cooked off and the meat is thoroughly cooked and has rendered most of its fat.  

It is okay if there is still a lot of liquid left.  Remove the meat to a bowl and turn the liquid up to boil until it is reduced to a thick broth.  Strain into a cup for later.

Whilst the pork is cooking, set a kettle to boil.  Remove the stems from the chiles, make a slit down their sides and remove their seeds and veins. Place them in a bowl, cover them with boiling hot water, and let them sit and rehydrate for about 15 minutes.  Do not throw out the soaking liquid!

Place the chiles and 1 1/2 cups of their soaking liquid in the blender along with the onion, garlic, parsley, oregano, cumin, black pepper, vinegar, and puree until smooth.

Once the meat is ready, place it in a bowl along with any remaining cooking broth. Once it is cool enough to handle, shred it with your hands or with two forks.

In the same pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Pour in the chile sauce and let it season, simmering it for 4 to 5 minutes. 

Then toss in the shredded meat. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and let it cook, stirring often, until the meat has absorbed most of the chile sauce, which will have thickened, seasoned and changed to a darker color. It will take about 20 minutes. 

Taste for salt and add more if need be.

To serve (the way I liked them), take a warm flour tortilla and smear it with mashed avocado, seasoned with salt and a bit of lime.  Top with Chilorio, spreading it out across the avocado.  Roll into a burrito.  

Myrtle's Note:  I tweaked this a bit.  I upped the cumin and garlic and changed the type of onion.  I also swapped fresh parsley for Gourmet Garden's® fresh Parsley Paste.  And I tilted the orange juice/water ratio just a tad.  Wild, I know, for a first time trial of a recipe.  But I know that Pati Jinich writes excellent recipes that can handle slight tweaks.  The Chilorio was really awesome.  It made me think of Mexican food and barbecue all at once.  I just adored it.  

Yield:  8 servings of two burritas.

Source:  https://patijinich.com/recipe/chilorio/

Pomegranate Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

• Pork Sirloin (~2.5 lbs)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
• 1 cup white onion finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 1/2 cups red wine
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• Kosher or coarse sea salt, to taste
• McCormack® Peppercorn Medley

Preheat Oven to 325 degrees.


Directions:

Mince onions and set aside.  Mince garlic and set aside.  Finely chop rosemary and set aside.  Cut up the sirloin in to large chunks, season liberally with salt and pepper, and set aside.

In a cast iron dutch oven (or other oven proof dutch oven), heat up one and a half tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the meat and cook half the pork until browned on each side, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the meat from the casserole and place on a plate or in a bowl.  Add another one and a half tablespoons of olive oil and when hot, brown the other half of the pork.  Add the meat to the plate/bowl.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the casserole and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until completely softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two, until fragrant and lightly browned.

Pour in the pomegranate juice and wine, stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan to incorporate all the browned bits.

Return the meat to the casserole, add the crushed rosemary, and let it come to a simmer. Once it does, cover the casserole with its lid and place in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is completely tender.

Remove the lid from the casserole, and leave in the oven for another 1/2 hour, or until the meat falls apart when pulled with a fork, and the liquid has thickened considerably. Remove from the oven. Using a couple forks, shred the meat finely and let it sit in the sauce.

I recommend serving in tacos with Avocado Cream and crumbled goat's milk cheese, using Blue Corn Flour Tortillas.


Myrtle's Note:  I spotted this Pati Jinich recipe and wanted to make it immediately.  I bought all the ingredients save for the boneless short ribs.  After three days of trying to track them down, I heard from three butchers that they are not available in my area.  So, I thought I would try the recipe as pulled pork, since I am well verses in making Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork.  I did cut up the sirloin and browned it, trying to follow the recipe as closely as possible.  After all, browning brings flavor.  Meat change aside, I think the recipe turned out fantastic!  The tacos were the best I have made to date.  Mmmmm!


Yield:  10 servings (20 tacos)

Adapted from:  https://patijinich.com/recipe/pomegranate-short-rib-tacos/

Tacos al Pastor

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds pork sirloin cutlets
• achiote adobo marinade (directions below)
• pineapple, peeled, cut into ½-inch slices 
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
• 2 guajillo chiles
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons achiote paste
• 1 cup bitter orange juice (or substitute with 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup lime juice and 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar) 
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground true or ceylon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt or to taste, plus more
• 12 to 14 corn tortillas (use flour tortillas if turning these tacos into “gringas”) 
• queso fresco or queso cotija (shredded queso asadero, Mexican Oaxaca or Chihuahua, or mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or any melty cheese of your choice(optional, to be turned into “gringas”) 
• 1 cup roughly chopped cilantro to garnish
• 2 limes cut into quarters, to garnish 
• salsa of your choice

Directions:

Make the adobo de achiote.  Start by stemming and seeding the guajillo chiles. Toast them on a pre-heated comal or skillet, set over medium heat, for about 1 to 2 minutes per side until they are toasted, but not burnt.

Place the toasted chiles in a saucepan, add enough water to cover them, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the chiles are plumped up and rehydrated.  Save 1/2 cup of the chili water.

In a blender, add bitter orange juice, achiote paste, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, oregano, brown sugar, sea salt, garlic cloves, and chopped onions.  Pulse until blended.  Add chilis and 1/2 cup of chili water and blend thoroughly.

Use the adobe de achiote to marinate the pork for at least 3 hours, or up to 48 hours, in the refrigerator, reserving 1/2 cup of marinade to use later.

When ready to make tacos, remove the meat from the refrigerator and let sit for 30 minutes or until room temperature. 

Brush some of the reserved marinade on the pineapple slices. 

Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of oil. Place as many pineapple slices as will fit on the skillet and sear for about 3 minutes per side, until juicy and lightly charred on both sides. 

Carefully cut the pineapple into thin slices about 1 to 2-inches long and 1/4-inch wide, removing the core. Place in a bowl and cover. 

Drizzle another tablespoon of oil onto the skillet. Lightly sprinkle the meat with salt to taste. Sear as many slices of meat as will fit in the pan, without over crowding, for about 2 minutes per side until browned on both sides. Cook in batches if necessary. Place the meat on a chopping board. Cut it crosswise into thin slices about 1/4-inch thick and 1-inch wide.  Put on a plate and cover with foil.

Cook the corn tortillas, keeping them wrapped in a dish towel or in a warmer until all are made.  

Serve them with the meat, pineapple, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, lime wedges, and salsa of your choice for taco assembly.

If you want to offer some “gringas,” cook flour tortillas on the comal and, once hot, add the melty cheese, fold, and let it melt as if it were a quesadilla. Once melted, re-open the tortilla, add a generous tablespoon or two of the sliced meat, fold again and serve.

Myrtle's Note:  I have been wanting to make these ever since I watched Pati Jinich make them about nine months ago.  They were most definitely worth the wait!  If you look at the photo of the tacos on the original recipe, the meat doesn't look covered with marinade, so I opted not to to the final step in the original recipe of putting reserve marinade in the pan, returning the meat, and cooking it longer.  Pork cutlets are thin and only need brief cooking.  I thought the meat was flavorful enough without the extra marinade at the end.  Also, even though I am a flour tortilla person, I made these as described, using corn tortillas, adding a Mexican crumble cheese.  Mmmm!


Yield: 12-14 tacos (dependent upon the number of cutlets)

Source:  https://patijinich.com/recipe/tacos-al-pastor-with-garnishes/

Honey Chipotle Ribs

Ingredients:

• 1 cup ketchup
• 2/3 cup honey
• All the sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo sauce
• 3 chipotle chiles from chipotles in adobo sauce minced, seeded optional, or more to taste
• 10 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon McCormack® Peppercorn Medley
• 2 tablespoons dried Mexican oregano
• 3 pounds baby back or spare ribs

Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.


Directions:

One to 24 hours in advance, prepare the marinade.

Mince the garlic and set aside.  

Measure out the apple cider vinegar in a small dish.  Open the can of chipotle peppers and dip all the peppers in the apple cider to strip away the adobe sauce.  Discard all but three peppers (unless you want really, really hot ribs).  In a mini-prep or small blender, purée the adobo sauce and the three peppers.  Add to a medium bowl, with the apple cider vinegar you used to "clean" the peppers.  

Measure out and add the rest of the ingredients and add them to the mixing bowl.  Carefully stir until all the ingredients, including the honey, are well-blended.

Line a roasting pan with a tenth of foil sufficient for meeting in the middle to then fold down to the ribs and also fold up the sides, making a packet.  Then, if you plan to marinade over night in the refrigerator, line that foil with saran wrap.  

Place the ribs, first, curved side down, to brush on a thick layer of the marinade.  Then flip the ribs to curved side up, adding some marinade along both lengths of the ribs.  Fill the ribs with marinade, and add any extra along the sides once more.  Cover up with the saran wrap, then make a packet with the foil, folding first where the two sides meet in the middle and then along the sides, making neat folds so you can open them up later.

Refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Carefully, slowly, open the the foil packet and then saran wrap.  Carefully, slowly, slid the saran wrap out from beneath the ribs, using a spatula to scrap off any marinade clinging to the saran wrap.  Place in a preheated oven and cook for 90 minutes at 350.

Take the ribs from the oven and carefully open the aluminum foil, taking care not to be burned by the steam, and tear it back so that the ribs are fully exposed, but the sides of the foil are keeping the marinade tucked around the ribs.  If the marinade resting atop the ribs in the curve has spilled when removing the pan from the oven, spoon the thickened sauce from the bottom of the pan on top of the ribs and place them back in the oven to roast another 20 to 30 minutes.  The ribs should be 180 degrees.  Remove from the oven and let rest for a minimum of 5 minutes.  

Alternatively, you can finish off the ribs on the grill at medium heat, for about 15 minutes, instead of putting them back into the oven.

Carefully, use the bottom of the foil packet to drain the marinade from the roasting pan into a jar for re-use, such as with barbecue chicken!

Myrtle's Note:  These were bloody fantastic!  My instructions leave the ribs on the foil instead of taking them out after the first cooking period.  This keeps the marinade a bit soft, but also preserves about 16 ounces for re-use, such as with chicken.  As with all my chipotle pepper recipes, I purée the adobe sauce and peppers so as to minimize surprise hotness from chunks of pepper.  I also use liquid from the recipe, in this case the apple cider vinegar, to make sure I am not "losing" any of the tasty adobo sauce when I am discarding the peppers.  Again, these were really tasty!

Serves 4-8 (depending on how hungry folk are)

Source: http://patijinich.com/recipe/honey-chipotle-ribs/

Myrtle's 15-Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of 15 beans
• 8 strips Wright's Thick Cut Applewood Smoked Bacon
• 2 cups diced smoked ham
• 8 cups water
• 1 bottle Honey Lager
• 3 springs fresh rosemary
• 2 bunches fresh thyme
• 1 handful fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 1 teaspoon savory
• 1 teaspoon tarragon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 2-3 bay leaves (depending on size)
• 1 stick butter
• 1 onion
• 4 dollops Gourmet Garden® Minced Garlic
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 3/4 to 1 teaspoon McCormick's® Ancho Chili Pepper
• 1 teaspoon McCormick's® Peppercorn Medley
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon Redmon's® Real Salt

Directions:

Soak the beans overnight in beer and enough water to cover the top of the beans.

Drain the beans and set aside.  Mince onions and set aside.  Cube ham and set aside.  Mince fresh herbs and set aside.  Put marjoram, savory, and tarragon in a prep bowl and set aside.

Cut bacon into 1/4 inch strips with kitchen shears and cook in a stock pot.  Once browned, scoop to a paper towel lined plate and pour off the rest of the bacon grease.  Do not clean the pot.

Over medium low heat, add the butter and allow it to begin to brown.  Add onions and cook until the onions turn translucent.  Add the garlic, salt, peppers, and smoked paprika mid-way through the onion cooking.

Then add the brown sugar, bacon, cloves, and ham and stir thoroughly.  Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes.  Next add the beans and the water, stirring again.  Finally, add the bay leaves and stir once more.

Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 hour and 45 minutes.  Add herbs and cook 30 more minutes.  Raise the temperature to bring the soup back to a boil, uncover, and cook 15 more minutes to reduce the soup a bit.

Myrtle's Note:  I wanted to make 15-Bean Soup without the flavoring back.  As you can see, I cast a wide net for my flavoring.  The end result was better than I hoped, a bit smokey, savory, and a hint of sweet.


Yield: 8 servings

Source:  Myrtle

Spicy Dr Pepper Shredded Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 large red onion
• 1 whole pork sirloin roast 
• Sea salt
• Cracked black pepper
• 1 can (11 Ounce) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 2 cans Dr Pepper
• 2-3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Directions:

Cut up onion in wedges, separate, and line in the bottom of a dutch oven.  Put the pork roast in the pot fat side down.  Salt and pepper generously.  Turn over and salt and pepper again.

Open the can of chipotle peppers and dump out into a 16 ounce measuring cup.  Pour about a half of can of Dr Pepper into the measuring cup and stir.  Once the Dr Pepper has "cleaned off" the adobo sauce from the peppers, pick out all but two of the plumpest peppers and discard.  [Feel free to keep more of the peppers, but two will be plenty spicy.]  Use a small food processor or a blender to purée the mixture, so as to more evenly distribute the remaining peppers in your pulled pork.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the onion pieces around the pork.  Pour in the rest of the first Dr Pepper can and then the whole contents of the second Dr Pepper can.  Finally, pour the Dr Pepper chipotle pepper adobo sauce mixture on top of the porto.

Place in the oven and cook for 4 and a half to 5 hours, turning the roast over three times, basting as you do.  Take the pork out and allow to rest for a while, before using two forks to pull apart the meat.


Myrtle's Note:  The original recipe called for pork shoulder roast, but I accidentally got a pork sirloin roast.  The cut I used was extremely lean and tasty.  The original recipe also called for it to be cooked for six hours at 300 degrees, but I needed to compress the cooking time a bit, which is reflected above.  I substituted a red onion for a white one.  I also took out just under half the peppers, after "rinsing" the adobo sauce into the pot with the Dr Pepper.  All my guests agreed the pulled pork was extremely tasty, but very, very, very hot.  So, next time, I will probably leave no more than one or two peppers in the pot.  Finally, the original recipe also suggests serving as tacos, which I did, using Texas Flour Tortillas.


Source:  http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/03/spicy-dr-pepper-shredded-pork/

Myrtle's Medley Black Eyed Peas

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle beer
• 1 bag black eyed peas
• 2 cups cubed smoked ham (generous cups)
• 1 onion
• 8 slices Wright's® thick cut applewood smoked bacon
• 6-8 large cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon McCormick® Ground Peppercorn Medley
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or chipotle chili pepper
• 2 bay leaves 
• 8 cups water

Directions:

Rinse, pick over, and soak black eyed peas in the bottle of beer for eight hours.  You might need to add some water if the container you use means they are not covered or if they soak up so much beer they become exposed on top.

Mince onions and garlic and set aside.  Measure out brown sugar, salt, both peppers, and thyme and set aside.  Cube the ham into small pieces and set aside.

Sliver the bacon slices into quarter inch strips and cook in a large stock pot. Scoop them out, let them dry on paper towel, and set aside.  

In the bacon drippings, cook the minced onions until they become translucent.  Then, add in the garlic and sauté until browned.  Add butter, peppercorn medley, cayenne pepper, salt, thyme, and brown sugar and simmer until the butter is melted and everything is mixed together.  Then add the cubed ham and bacon pieces.  Stir thoroughly and simmer a few minutes.

Drain and rinse black eyed peas.  Add water, bay leaf, and black eyed peas to the pot and cover.  Simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  Remove cover and simmer an additional 30 minutes to reduce down the liquid.

Myrtle's Note:  I thought I had settled on a recipe when I was searching for one and remembered the beer.  But when I actually looked up the recipe, I realized I had combined several in my mind.  Since I can be a picky eater (no onions for this gal), I picked the ingredients I liked best and used them.

Yield: 8

Medley recipe ingredients adapted from:

http://whatwillwedotoday.com/2012/01/05/recipe-the-best-black-eyed-pea-recipe-ever/

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/new-years-day-black-eyed-peas

http://www.food.com/recipe/best-ever-black-eyed-peas-50159

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/daves-georgia-black-eyed-peas/

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/black-eyed-peas-with-bacon