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Chilorio
Chilorio
Chilorio is a popular dried chili pepper pork stew, hailing from the Mexican state of Sinaloa. Dried ancho chilies are used, making this dish fairly mild. If you want some spice, add in a couple of dried morita chilies. This chili sauce traditionally has vinegar in it, but you can also use orange juice. Chilorio can be found already prepared in delis at Mexican markets. It is even sold in a can.Chilorio is a great protein for tacos, burritos, tortas, gorditas, sopes, tamales, quesadillas, etc.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder cubed
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 cup water
- 3 dried ancho chilies
- 3 dried morita chilies
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tsp oregano
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Add the pork, salt, bay leaves, and water to a Dutch oven. Bring to a boil 0ver medium high heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
- While the pork is simmering, soak the dried chilies in hot water for 20 minutes.
- Add the dried chilies plus a 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, garlic, oregano, cumin, and 1/2 cup of orange juice to the blender.
- Purée until smooth.
- After the pork has simmered for 45 minutes, remove the cover and let the liquid evaporate. Let the pork fry in it’s own fat for a few minutes.
- Pour in the rest of the orange juice, deglazing and scraping up the brown bits from the pot. Pour in the chili sauce. Bring to a simmer. Cover and place in a 300 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- Take off the cover and cook for another 20 minutes.
Lengua Barbacoa (Instant Pot)
Lengua Barbacoa (Instant Pot)
Lengua is my favorite protein to go into a taco. The tongue meat is unbelievably tender and melts in your mouth. Roberto’s in Las Vegas make some of the best lengua tacos that I’ve ever eaten. Los Ocampos in Saint Paul makes a damn mean one as well. While most Americans might consider tongue a delicacy, it’s not for the rest of the world, especially in Mexico. This cut is relatively inexpensive and is becoming more and more common on menus.Lengua is usually prepared in a pot of water with onions, garlic, and bay leaves. It is simmered slow for about 8 hours. A crockpot would be a great choice instead of leaving your oven on all day. I’m using my Instant Pot, taking only 50 minutes. Once the tongue is finished, let it cool. Peel off the skin and shred with 2 forks. You can also chop it up and fry it in a little bit of lard.Be open minded and give lengua a try the next time your out at a real taco joint.
Equipment
- instant pot
Ingredients
- 3 lb beef tongue
- 1/4 medium white onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tbsp salt
- water enough to cover the tongue
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
To Serve
- corn tortillas
- white onion/cilantro/green onion mix
- red and green salsa
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Wash your beef tongue.
- Add the tongue to the Instant Pot along with the onions, garlic, bay leaves, and salt. Pour in enough water to cover the tongue. Set the function to Pressure Cook on high for 50 minutes. Put the lid on. Push start.
- Save the braising liquid.
- Let the tongue rest until cooled.
- Make a slit in the tongue with a knife and peel the skin of. Trim off any excess fat from where the tongue was severed. Cut up into bite sized pieces.
- Heat cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté for 10 minutes, slowly incorporating some of the braising liquid into the meat.
Encremadas (Cream Enchiladas)
Encremadas (Cream Enchiladas)
Encremadas are enchiladas with sour cream added to the sauce. You can make either a green or red sauce. There is really no wrong. In this recipe, I made a simple tomatillo sauce. Instead of filling the corn tortillas and pouring the sauce over, each tortilla is dipped in the sauce and folded in half. Plate up 4 per person. Scoop a ladle of the sauce over the enchiladas. Top with crumbled queso fresco, avocado, white onion, and cilantro. If you wanted to make filled enchilada with cheese, chicken, pork, or beef and pour the sauce over that way, please give that a try.
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 5 medium tomatillos
- 2 serrano peppers
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 cup sour cream
- salt to taste
- 12 corn tortillas
- vegetable oil
Toppings
- queso fresco crumbled
- avocado sliced
- white onion finely chopped
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Add the tomatillos, serrano peppers, and garlic cloves to a pot of boiling water. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetables to a food processor with a 1/4 cup of the boiling water.
- Purée.
- Add in the sour cream and purée again.
- Pour the cream enchilada sauce into a sauce pan. Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat to low. Season with salt.
- Lightly brush oil on the corn tortillas and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 2-3 minutes, just enough to make them pliable but not crispy. This is a good method for cooking multiple tortillas.
- Place 1 tortilla in the sauce. Dredge on both sides. Fold in half and place on a plate. I would serve 4 per person since they are lighter and not filled enchiladas.
