Tag: pork
Pueblo Posole
Pueblo Posole
The origin of posole can be traced back to the Aztecs of Tenochtitlan. It is said after a human’s heart was removed after ritual sacrifice, the rest of the body was chopped up and cooked with maize; eaten as an act of religious communion. After the Spanish conquest of Aztecs in 1521, cannibalism was banned. Pork became the protein of choice.Today, posole is a staple of indigenous Pueblo communities of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Pork shoulder gets stewed with chilies and hominy. The posole is served with fry bread and topped with a large variety of garnishes such as green onions, cilantro, chilies, radishes, avocado, just to name a few.
Equipment
- Spice grinder
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork shoulder cut into small pieces
- 4 cups water
- 4 dried chilies
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds
- 3 cups hominy
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Fry Bread
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tbsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp vegetable oil plus more for frying
- 3/4 cup warm water
Garnishes
- green onions chopped
- cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Simmer the pork, onions, and garlic with 4 cups of water in a large pot over medium heat for 90 minutes.
- Grind the dried chilies and cumin in a spice grinder.
- Add to the pork along with the hominy and the rest of the seasonings.
- Simmer for 30 more minutes.
Fry Bread
- Mix the ingredients together.
- Roll pieces out into flat discs. Poke a whole in the center with your finger.
- Heat up 1/2” deep of vegetable oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Carefully lay a disc of dough into the oil.
- Fry for 3 minutes a side.
Pork with Tomatoes, Ginger, and Lemongrass
Pork with Tomatoes, Ginger, and Lemongrass
This is a great recipe if you are pressed for time and on a budget. Ground pork simmered with tomatoes, ginger, and lemongrass comes together in under 25 minutes and is enough to feed 4 hungry people. Besides the flavor, the best part is this dish costs about $8 to make.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground pork
- 6 slices ginger
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 medium tomatoes diced
- 2 stalks lemongrass cut into 3 pieces each
- 3 Thai chilies
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup green onions chopped
- 1 cup cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Sauté the ground pork in a sauté pan for 8 minutes.
- Add in the ginger. Season with salt. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the tomatoes. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the water. Add in the lemongrass and chilies. Simmer for 10 minutes until the majority of the liquid has evaporated.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in green onions and cilantro.
Hmong-Style Slow Cooked Pork
Hmong-Style Slow Cooked Pork
Every culture that consumes pork has a slow cooked recipe. Traditionally, this Hmong slow cooked pork uses a whole pigs head and pork knuckles. For this recipe, I used pork shoulder and about 5 pork shoulder bones that I’ve saved in the freezer. You can also use a combination of shoulder and pork belly, pigs feet, knuckle bones, neck bones, and shanks. There are 2 ways that you can cook this pork. You can throw the pork and bones in a slow cooker and let it go on low for 8+ hours. The other route is to simmer the pork and bones in water for 4 hours. Either way you go, you get really tender pork. Pull the bones out of the meat and sauté the pork in its own fat. Add in ginger and mustard greens. Allow them to wilt. Give it a stir and you have some of the most flavorful pork you’ll ever eat.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork shoulder cut into large cubes
- 5 lbs meaty pork bones
- 1 bunch mustard greens washed and chopped
- 1/2 cup ginger peeled and julienned
- salt to taste
- mushroom seasoning to taste
Instructions
- Add the pork and bones to a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 4 hours.
- Strain the meat. Allow the pork to cool for an hour. Pick out the bones and any cartilage. Save the pork stock you just made for future recipes.
- Add the pork into a large sauté pan over medium heat. Allow the pork to cook in its own fat for 30 minutes until browned.
- Season the pork with salt and mushroom seasoning to your liking. Stir in the ginger.
- Add the mustard greens to the top of the pork. Cover and allow the greens to wilt for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the wilted greens. Turn off the heat.
