Weave a Thousand Flavors

Smokin' NOT Hot 'POZOLE' ~ A Rich & Smoky Mexican Pork Stew with Chiles & Hominy Corn

To welcome the joy of a thick, rich steaming bowl of Pozole (pronounced po-zo-lay) in your life you'd have to get rid of one important presumption that,

Chiles are hot

In most of Asia this holds true. If a chilli ain't hot, why bother!

It's only when you've been accquainted with the Southwestern and Mexican chiles like Guajillo, Anjo, Chipotle & Casabel that the opposite holds true - these chiles are smoky, rich and complex not hot.

At the heart of a great Pozole is a dried chile paste which gives it a thick texture, vibrant color and unforgettable earthy aroma. Here I've used dried Guajillo peppers that have been soaked in boiling water, turned into a fine paste and added into the simmering stewed pork. To this add the incredibly flavorful kernels of Hominy corn and you have an exquisite Pozole.

Guajillo chiles (pronounced Gwaa-hillo) are the backbone of Mexican-style cooking lending their classic smoky, rich and complex flavors to any dish. Especially fantastic with pork, these chiles have a 'heat reading' of 6000 scoville units.

Hominy corn is dried maize kernels that are treated and are available in cans in Latino or Mexican grocery stores.

Where to buy dried Chiles?

I buy all my chiles at Penzeys Spices and can vouch for their quality but feel free to shop at your neigbourhood Mexican/Latino stores.

Thank goodness for my years in the Southwestern USA where I learned so much about Mexican and southwestern cuisines I hope you'll find comfort from a cold blustery evening in the welcoming bowl of Pozole.

Happy Thanksgiving & Dangerously Good Carnitas

National defrost day in the US was over the weekend. I refer to the turkeys that are defrosting in millions of refrigerators around the US in anticipation of being roasted on Thursday Thanksgiving Day. Now here's a celebration that is one of the biggest holiday's in the US larger somewhat than even Christmas!

Most of us are anticipating the arrival of family in friends and with most of the grocery shopping out of the way, it's time to clean house, fluff pillow, polish the silver and wash the crystal to sparkling clarity.

Needless to say I will be MIA this week! My kitchen however will be seeing more action than it's seen all year! With guests arriving before the D-day, it's great to have easy to put together, blow them away meals that will basically cook themselves while you're getting laundry done and running around with last minute errands.

So when Ananda at Pinch of Love asked me to do a guest post I was thrilled to prepare my Cantina Carnitas, Mexican pork with soft tacos and Pico de Gallo. A staple around here and my go-to, save-me dinner of choice, please head over to Ananda's corner and read the post, here.

Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'all!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let's be the people who have a blast and make the most of the holidays with love & gratefulness in our hearts!

xoxo, Devaki

 

Dangerously Good ~ Cantina Carnitas, Soft Tacos & Pico De Gallo

When it comes to some eats I suffer from a predilection of culinary snobbery. For those of us who lived or have for any length of time lived it those states of the US that abut the Mexican border, we've had the opportunity to taste some seriously good Mexican grub.

Not the kind that is regularly dished out to the unsuspecting folk in other parts of the world but the kind available in little cantinas, barrios and little abuela-owned hole-in-the-wall places. You know the kind that is just an ordinary eatery in places like Nogales from where you can see Mexican sprawl in your line of sight.

So you will forgive me when I don't jump up and down in glee when you suggest we go for 'Mexican' in let's say - Maine. I mean no offense but I wouldn't dream of getting lobster rolls in Arizona - so there, we're even!

Now before I offer you the recipe for some of the very best Carintas you will ever chow down, let me explain something. There is no true and blue recipe for Carnitas - it's a recipe that has evolved naturally with each family adding their own special twist. I know families who marinate theirs in orange juice, many in beer, some loaded with hot serrano chiles and some who barely spice theirs at all.

But one thing remains the same in all these recipes is the method of cooking the pork that renders it so tender and then finished to a beautiful mahogany brown. I have known many families to cook their pork and then fry it up in lard which is actually  the traditional way.

My Carnitas has evolved over our time spent in the Southwest. And I won't tweak it, change it or mess with it for all the Dos Equis in the world. The pork is spiced, marinated in beer overnight and then slow cooked for about 6 hours. Once shredded, I add no additional fat and saute it in its own juices till the meat is a rich mahogany brown.

The meat is served over griddle warmed corn tortillas with a touch of ghee  (oh yes! clarified butter has been used traditonally for a very long time) - double layers of corn tortillas to soak up the juices of course!

Finally topped with Pico De Gallo - what makes mine dangerously good? In additon to the usual ingredients of tomatoes, onions, cilantro and jalapenos, the trio of -lime, beer, & sugar work their magic and takes this Pico De Gallo to a whole other level. 

Pork butt is the meat of choice which by the way has nothing to do with piggy bottom. It's rather the upper portion of the shoulder.

Enough talk - it's time to put the Carnitas where the mouth is!

Mediterranean Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Apricots, Sweet Potatoes & Polish Sausage

 

I sometimes keep secrets from my husband.

Not the kind that involves stupidity like going out for lunch with a high school crush and not telling him because that would tantamount to taking a very long walk on a very short pier!

But the kind where I don't always tell him what I am fixing for dinner even when he asks especially when it is something special I have been planning for sometime. Well, so much for secrets because sometimes even the most well intentioned ones can come back to bite you in the ass.

Look at my day for instance, we decided to take the boys to see Gulliver Travels which was a lot of Jack Black, fun. Little did I know that between the three of them they were going to get two mega bucket refills on the popcorn.

So what do you think happened? Come dinner time, here I am fixing what I think is a lovely dinner and I end up with my little one pushing food around his plate, my older barely finishing what's on his and Mr. Hubby not asking for seconds! You hear me, no seconds!

Niether was dinner accompanied by the usual flattery, ovation and flourish!

See what I mean? Bite me in the ass!

Well, boys with full bellies aside, this is a lovely dish with beautiful flavors and shouldn't be missed. Unless you too have a belly full of popcorn ofcourse!

 

Vinda-Who? It's Vindaloo! A Christmas Tradition Of Slow Cooked, Spiced Pork from the Shores of Goa, India

 
 
Goan food is a celebration of hot, tangy and spicy flavors.

And Vindaloo is a quintessential Goan specialty and especially popular during the holidays. In fact, Christmas would hardly be Christmas if it were not for the highly anticipated Sorpotel and Vindaloo in Goan homes. It was a much sort after meal for all of us who spent Christmas at the homes of our Goan Catholic school friends, growing up.

Here are 3 things you probably did not know about Vindaloo but ought to if you're going to serve it at your next Book club/dinner party or else risk end up being a proper Vindaloo-bumpkin!

1. Just because the term Vindaloo consists of the word 'aloo' which in Hindi means potatoes, there is no room for potatoes in a traditional Vindaloo.

2. The term vindaloo derives from the Portughese dish "Carne de Vinha d' Alhos", which is a dish consisting of meat, usually pork, with wine and garlic. The dish evolved into the Vindaloo when the Goans made it their own by adding plenty of spices and the subsitituting wine for their signature ingredient - Vinegar.

3. Why the Portughese influence in Goa? Because the Portughese landed on Goa's shores in the early 16th century as merchants, and conquered it soon thereafter. The Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961.

It's best to use a cheap cut of meat like pork-butt for such a recipe and it is essential to allow the meat to marinate overnight to season and infuse with flavor. I also use a slow cooker to cook the meat instead of cooking the Vindaloo stove top as it is not only convenient on a busy weeknight but also renders an incredibly flavorful and moist result.

Can Vindaloo be made with prawns or chicken? Sure, but forgo the overnight marination if using seafood and it is best to use boneless, skinless, chicken thighs if you end up using chicken. Also, seafood will cook very quickly right on the stove top with no slow-cooking required.

As with all Goan food, chilli rules so though the recipe is authentic it is no means a traditional, fiery hot rendition and I have subsituted the usually called for 15 red chillies for a meek 2! But if you can happily ingest the called for 15, I say go for it!

 

Southwestern Chili - A Spicy Stew with a variety of Meats, Chiles, Beer & Black Beans

 
I had never tasted Chili till I landed on the shores of the United States. My first introduction to this dish was on an episode of the 'Bill Cosby Show' where he makes Chili in this humongous stockpot and forbids anyone from opening the lid or sniffing into the pot. On this episode Bill Cosby states that secret to making great Chili is hours of cooking. Not knowing any better I believed him. I have since added a bit of a twist  of my own - that, coming up later.

Once I joined 'corporate America', it was impossible to dodge the annual Chili Cook-Offs and I began pottering around with this recipe & that. And though for many years I made a decent Chili by no means would I call it a great Chili and we'd often devour bowls of it on many a snowy cold nights with an equally mediocre corn bread.

Then inspiration struck out of the blue and quite unexpectedly as it often does. I was reading an article about Mark Miller - for those of you have been following the blog, you know that he is a source of great inspiration to me when it comes to Mexican & Southwestern cuisines & I admire the man immensely for his many contributions. Well, there was a mention of how he created a signature Chili at the Coyote Cafe using venison meat . And that fueled in me a desire to make a Chili using a variety of meats  &  Chiles.

Having taken an interest in southwestern cooking, I have been reading more and more about Chiles and if there is one thing I am learning is that unlike Indian cooking where chillies are used for heat, Mexican and New Mexico Chiles are used not only for heat but for there incredible smoky flavors & scents that is characteristic in good southwestern cooking.

I must thank the state of Virginia & 'Pesky Pete' for the use of beer in my recipe. I used to work with this guy and if you know Virginians then you know that most of the men here take great pride in their meat, their beer & their chili. Now let me tell you, I like 'Pesky Pete'- he was and I'm sure is still a nice guy. Except that he often spoke with great conviction about things he knew very little about.

For example one day, he started arguing with me about Gandhi - now most people would probably stop a second & think - wait a minute this girl's an Indian so maybe she does know a wee bit more about Gandhi than I do - not 'Pesky Pete' he began arguing with me that Gandhi's first name is 'Mahatma' - Between laughter, exasperation & anger I tried to convince him that 'Mahatma' was the title given to Gandhi which mean 'Great Soul - entomology of the word - Maha - Great, atma - soul hence 'Great soul' but his real name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

The guy wasn't buying it! Which is why I call him 'Pesky Pete'. Now 'Pesky Pete' may not know his Gandhi but he sure knows his Chili and it was he who told me to start cooking my Chili in beer & beef stock. So for that, I will always be eternally grateful to him. Also the addition of black beans instead of pinto or kidney gives this Chili that unique southwestern flair.

With such great inspirations, I must confess that I now make a darn good Chili and won an award at a Chili Cook-Off at my husband's firm...yea!!!! (please picture me gleefully  clapping my hands together like a little girl in pig tails)

So here goes - Southwestern Chili : Warning -  Not for those souls who define 'spicy' as a dash of pepper! Now, I don't consider this Chili hot but lets just say - it has a spine!

 

Spices & Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin with Parsnips, Carrots & Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce

I am on some kind of a roll with pork tenderloin - I can't seem to get enough of it!

It has been this way ever since I fixed the Brazilian style Pork tenderloin, Marinated in Feijoada Spices & Roasted with an Orange-Serrano Chile Glaze . It is as though I have just discovered something that was in front of me this whole time. How fun!

I guess I should have listened more closely to all those ads in Sydney that kept playing over and over again on the tele - Australian pork - the New White Meat! It's a bit scary that I can still remember the jingle after all this time. Half the time I can barely connect the name to a face but when it comes to a pork tune, stuck in there like glue! Wow!

Anyway, I have been dying to fix parsnips - Like with most root vegetables what better way to cook them than roasting? I also wanted to do a tenderloin recipe that did not require a lot of marinating - just a few hours and still have a wonderful infused flavor. Now, I've always been a dry rub kind of girl - OK I did not mean for that to come off as kinky so just to be straight, we're talking food ya'all!

I love dry roasting spices, dry grinding them, adding a little bit of olive oil & marinating the meat in it and I do this just about any kind of meat always with excellent results. However, this is the first time I'm going pork tenderloin this way and I don't really have a recipe in mind, just a rough sketch so I'm going to work this I go along.

I also have an idea to use the 'vaghaar' technique in Indian cooking i.e. temper or season the hot oil with spices and then toss the vegetables in it - with the vegetables. I think its going to be wonderful with it. I thought of using turnips and rutabagas with the parsnips and carrots but  I think their bulbs will not be aesthetic with the linear forms of the other two vegetables - what can I say, you can't teach an old dog new tricks - once a designer, always a designer!

 

Roast Pork Tenderloin Blinis with Chipotle Mayonnaise & Pear salsa

 

I made some of that fabulous Pork tenderloin, marinated in feijioda inspired spices, roasted with an orange-serrano chile glaze once again & I was left with the task of what to possibly do with the leftovers. And pork tacos are well, just so common.

The next day, Mr. Hubby asked, "What's for dinner?" to which I responded, "How about Blinis?" & he said "Who's that?" After a good laugh, I realized he'd actually hit on an excellent point. These fabulous savory pancakes which are traditionally served with caviar or smoked fish, seem to have almost become obsolete if not disappeared from our daily culinary vocabulary. So of course a reincarnation is in order!

Brazilian style Pork tenderloin, Marinated in Feijoada Spices & Roasted with an Orange-Serrano Chile Glaze

 
My first introduction to  anything or anyone Brazilian, was at the age of 12 when I met an acquaintance of my parents -  a fellow student at the Yoga Institute.

She was indeed an unforgettable woman - a woman with an amazing stature, beautiful, flawless olive  toned skin & strikingly stunning features. What was even more memorable was the passion with which she described her country, her people, their festivals & their food.

It was through her talks that I first heard of Churrasco, a cooking style, which translates roughly from the Portuguese language to barbecue. It owes its origins  to the fireside roasts of the gauchos of southern Brazil & is one of the most commonly known styles of Brazilian cooking (though there are many styles & varies with region)

Years later when I received my first cookbook by Mark Miller Coyote Cafe, I was thrilled to see that he was so heavily influenced by South American & Mexican cuisines & with time, his books proved invaluable in strengthening  my understanding of the South American & Mexican cuisines. The recipe that follows is adapted from one of his & inspired by the National dish of Brazil - Feijoada, a thick stew of black beans and pieces of pork and other meats .

    

The pork tenderloin should be marinated for 3 days (72 hours)  -

I have started the recipe at noon on Friday  & I am going to marinate the tenderloin in the herb bath & then record its 'journey' as it marinates over the next 3 days, to be finally cooked  for Monday evening's dinner. Join me won't you?

 

 

The marinade is a combination of brown sugar, dried thyme leaves, Mexican oregano leaves, red cayenne pepper, crushed dried bay leaves,  salt, black pepper cloves & cinnamon.

Mix with dry, clean fingers & set aside. 

 

 

 I would have preferred to marinate the meat in a zip lock bag so it does not take up so much room in the refrigerator. But it is not to be - the tenderloin is too long so I am going to have to use a large (non metallic) dish.

Place the marinade rub in a dish (large enough for the tenderloin to fit) & add the water. Soak the tenderloin in this marinade bath. Cover with plastic wrap or a tight lid  & refrigerate & for the next 3 days (72 hours).

  

With each passing day there is a darkening of the marinade bath.  This is what it looks like on day 3 - 72 hours later. Remove from refrigerator and allow to reach room temperature.

For the glaze - Gather the ingredients - freshly squeezed orange juice, roughly cut ginger, Serrano chiles, brown sugar and cloves.

 Preheat oven to 350 deg F

  

In a mini chopper, add 1/2 cup orange juice with the cloves and ginger. Pulverize to a fine paste. In a small sauce pan, add the pulp from the chopper to the rest of the orange juice and the Serrano chiles slit down the middle.

 

Bring the glaze to boil on high flame. Reduce to medium flame and continue to boil for approx 15-20 minutes or until it is the consistency of maple syrup.

  

Sieve the glaze and press down into the pulp so you get most of the glaze out of it. Discard the pulp.

   

Place the pork tenderloin into a baking dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Discard the marinade.

Turn the pork tenderloin over to its fatty side first and apply the glaze with a pastry brush. Turn over to the top side. Repeat process with the pastry brush. Insert a meat thermometer through its thickest portion (almost horizontally)

Place in preheated oven and reapply glaze every 15 minutes. Cook for approx 1 hour - 10 minutes or until the meat thermometer shows a temperature of 145 deg F.

Rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/4" thick slices at a slight angle. Spoon the glaze from the baking dish over the tenderloin with an upcoming recipe for Mark Miller's Authentic Black Beans 

If you are going to make one pork tenderloin recipe in your life - this should be the one! A tall order you say?

 

Wait till you bite into it - the pork tenderloin is infused  throughout with  the rich smoky flavors of the herbs and spices and the glaze provides a balance of sweet, tart, a touch of heat and richness - nothing shouts out, yet all the elements remain identifiable.

What to do with leftover pork tenderloin?

You are not going to believe what I have planned  - it is  going to be truly fabulous - Roast Pork Tenderloin on Blinis with Chipotle Mayonnaise & Pear salsa!

 

Recipe for

PORK TENDERLOIN MARINATED IN FEIJIODA INSPIRED SPICES, ROASTED WITH AN ORANGE-SERRANO GLAZE

Shopping list - 

Pork Marinade in Feijioda spices-

1/2 cup brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbs dried thyme

4-5 crushed dried bay leaves

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp Mexican oregano leaves

2 tsp cayenne pepper

6 cloves

1 stick cinnamon

6 cups of water

For glaze -

1/2 cup brown sugar

freshly squeezed juice of 3 oranges

1/2 cup roughly chopped ginger

2 tsp whole cloves

2 serrano chiles, slit down the middle

Preparation

The marinade - Mix all the dry ingredients in a zip lock bag or  dish (non-metallic) large enough to hold the pork tenderloin and water. Mix the rub ingredients till well blended. Add water to the herbs and spices. Place tenderloin in the marinade bath for 3 days or 72 hours in refrigerator. Remove pork tenderloin from the refrigerator and set aside to reach room temperature.

The glaze - In a mini chopper, add 1/2 cup orange juice with the cloves and ginger. Pulverize to a fine paste.

In a small sauce pan, add the pulp from the chopper to the rest of the orange juice and the serrano chiles. Bring the glaze to boil on high flame. Reduce to medium flame and continue to boil for approx 15-20 minutes or until it is the consistency of maple syrup.

Sieve the glaze and press down into the pulp so you get most of the glaze out of it into a bowl, under the sieve.  Discard the pulp.

Preheat oven to 350 deg F

Cooking method -

Place the pork tenderloin into a baking dish, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Discard the marinade.

Turn the pork tenderloin over to its fatty side first and apply the glaze with a pastry brush. Turn over to the top side. Repeat process with the pastry brush. Insert a meat thermometer through its thickest portion (almost horizontally)

Place in preheated oven and reapply glaze every 15 minutes. Cook for approx 1 hour -10 minutes or until the meat thermometer shows a temperature of 145 deg F.

Rest for 10 minutes. Cut into 1/4" thick slices at a slight angle. Spoon the glaze from the baking dish over the tenderloin and serve with Mark Miller's Black Beans.

Enjoy!