When I was a kid I was terrified of pork chile. My Ito Marcello would eat plate after plate of this stuff all while constantly wiping sweat from his brow from the heat of the chiles. More often than not there was multiple super hot salsas on the table that he, my Dad and my Tios would spoon over everything. I was terrified of pork chile.
My Great Ita made a pork chile that could stop the world on it's axis. I do not claim to stop anything w mine, but I stop everything to make it.
There is not too much about my recipe that is like her's but the end result is reminiscent enough that it feeds me from my roots up. She used to spend hours over a hot stove to make the pork chile, beans, and rice. I do not have hours to spend, not that she did either, she was just better at managing her time. I also only cook for 2 people. She cooked for hundreds. Yes, that's right, hundreds. There was almost no end to the people that would come and go through her house on any given Sunday. It was usually a standing room only or cop a squat on the floor in a corner type of soiree. The elders got the chairs, the women mostly served everyone else and us kids got yelled at for running in and out of the house, "Hey! Stay in or out!!! And don't slam the door!"
I don't know who I would be without my memories. Hmm. That would actually be true, but I meant it metaphorically. My memories are my lifeline on so many levels. I have had to live my life through my memories. What I mean to say is that I remember things... lots of things. Almost everything. And it is those things that I try to share w Chris and now w you. It is those things that help define me. I remember lots of things.
I started making pork chile for the exacts same reason I made anything from my Great Ita's table: I missed her. I wanted my house to smell like her's did on a Sunday. By then I was an accomplished pork chile eater. I too would wipe the sweat from my brow. So what if it took me until my 20's to try it. At least I did and now I can't live without it. This is the super quick version of my quick version of pork chile. I used leftover pork so that cut the whole thing is half right there. I know that I take lots of liberties w my interpretation of pork chile w beans and rice but I triple dog dare you to try it ~ it's fresh, it's lightened up and it's super yummy.
I like to use a variety of fresh chiles. My G store had these beautiful Anaheim (Very mild. I like to use these instead of green bell peppers in some dishes. I can't stand green bell peppers! But these are a super tasty substitute!), jalapeños, and Serranos. The heat of a chile pepper lives in the ribs and seeds. I find the seeds to be a nuisance mostly, so I chuck them from the Anaheim and the jalapeños, but the Serrano were so small that I only cut them in half and then sliced them. I finely chopped the rest of the chiles and a medium white onion.
I used my garlic press to crush the garlic really fine, sending it through twice. I don't have a mortar and pestle. :/
I don't mean to sound like a broken record but I love pork.
I roughly chopped up the leftover pork.
I add it to a hot pan w oil in it.
This is a very important flavor step. How much oil you use is up to you, that's the beauty of doing it yourself. I stir it around and reheat it thoroughly letting it get nice and crispy.
In go all the goodies: the chiles, the onion and the garlic.
I bet you have been wondering when I was gonna season this bad boy. That would be now. You have very good timing my friend. Salt, pepper, cumin, and Adobo. I also sprinkled some garlic powder and onion powder over it. I freaked out when I found that I was out of Mexican oregano but used the regular (Greek) dried oregano instead and I barely noticed a thing. OK, I didn't notice it at all but Great Ita used Mexican oregano so that is what I use. But at least now I know I can substitute one for the other in a pinch.
And yet another use for the handy dandy can of diced tomatoes & green chilies. I actually used both the can you see below and my favorite one w the lime and cilantro. I used some of the latter in the rice of course and the rest of it in the pork chile.
I strained the can and reserved the juices. I added the "original" style can of toms & chiles in to the pork and veggie mix. I stirred them around while letting them cook up for a minute.
I usually use a mix of chicken broth and beef broth, but I was out of beef broth so just chicken this time. I add enough of the broth to cover the pork and veggies by about half. I make sure the heat is turned to high and get to simmering.
Remember this? Well, I use it here too. Just a spoonful does the trick, right Great Ita? ;)
I didn't have any tomato paste or puree so I improvised: I reserved enough of the tomatoes & chilies w lime and cilantro for the rice and then put the rest in a small saucepan. I seasoned them w salt and pepper and brought them to a boil, then simmered them over med-low heat until they were soft.
Then I pureed them in my blender until smooth. It was just the amount I needed to help give the pork chile some body.
After mixing in the tomato puree I put a lid on it and turn the heat to medium, letting it simmer and really letting all the flavors come together in a very happy harmony.
As I mentioned earlier, I do everything in a fast forward motion. I can't stand to stand still. I can't sit for more than a few minutes before my body gets so restless that I usually have to find something else to do. I'm afraid that I have taken a fast forward approach to my cooking as well. I don't like to wait for anything. If a restaurant has more than a 10 minute wait, we will go some where else, or more than likely back home so I can just cook the damn meal anyway. He hates when I do that. :)) Well, I don't wait for beans either...
In a small saucepan I heat some oil over high heat and add some of the diced onion, chiles and garlic. I saute them until they are soft and super fragrant. I season them w salt and pepper and turn the heat down to medium.
This part may actually make my Great Ita roll over in her grave or at least roll her eyes. But I am not scared to tell you that I short cut this part of the meal almost every time I make it and I am never sorry that I do. Nothing compares to the slow cooked dry beans w salty ham bones and onions that Great Ita used to make, but as I said fast forward... I had to come up w something I could do after work. So I did. I use canned beans. I drain and rinse them first, of course. And no, I don't re-fry them. Ever. "Lo siento abuela, pero éstas son bastante sabrosa." I am sorry Grandma, but these are pretty tasty.
I add the drained and rinsed beans right into the saucepan.
I add enough chicken or beef or both broth to just cover the beans. I season them w the Adobo, salt and pepper, garlic and onion powder and some cumin. I cover it w a lid and turn the heat down to med-low and let them simmer until the liquid has reduced by about half.
We are nearing the end of this culinary journey. The final flourishes are ready to be added in: lime zest and the juice of course. And chopped fresh cilantro. Cilantro is one of those herbs you either Love or Hate. There is very little gray area here. I Love cilantro and luckily, so does my husband. {Lucky for him ;)}
All of a lime's essential oils live in the skin so by zesting it adding it to the mix it really kicks up the freshness factor.
I made rice just like I did for the Poor Man's Tacos , except this time I did have the freshly diced chiles to throw in w the onion and garlic. To finish the rice, I add a small handful of cilantro and small pinch of the zest. I squeeze just a little of the lime juice in too. I use a wooden fork to fluff it up and to taste it.
The beans thickened up beautifully and tasted almost like they'd been cooking all day.
Stop. Throw in the remaining chopped cilantro, lime zest and the juice into the pork chile. Stir and get your mouth ready for a party.
Do you know what this is? This is an immersion blender. It's a blender you stick into things instead of a blender you stick things into. Get it? It's awesome. I use it for a million and one things. I use it to puree my beans! No re-frying, just pureeing.
I am very careful to not over puree them. I love having about half of them still whole. And I don't want them too soupy. If you find they are too thick add some more chicken broth and bring back up to heat.
This is not the best picture, but you can see the whole beans and the creaminess of the puree. I totally ate that bite. Oh yes I did :)
Here's a tip on how to keep your fresh herbs looking fresh!
Lay the fresh herbs (I like to keep the rubber band on) on a damp paper towel and roll it up like a cigar.
Then you can use a baggie, or the bag you picked it up in at the grocery store like I did, to wrap the whole thing up. It will keep for about a week in your refrigerator's crisper. Plus if you forget about it and it goes rancid, you can just throw the whole shabang away w no mess.
Rice. Arroz. Sopa, as my family calls it.
Beans. Frijoles. Either way they are better w cheese. :D
Pork Chile. Delicious in every conceivable way.
Stop everything and eat. Serve w some warm tortillas. Homemade if you are lucky enough to have them.
I find it easiest to load it all up and eat it like a taco. My Ito used to tear his tortillas into wedges and used them as a scoop to get as the perfect bite. Nobody eats this w a fork. It's just there to get it into the tortillas. Just make sure you get some rice, some beans, and some pork chile in each bite.
Stop what you are doing right now and go COOK something new for dinner!!!!!
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