Lomo de Puerco Poblano (Pork Loin, Puebla-Style)
Ancho (Ahn-cho) Chile (Capsicum Annum) means Wide Chile Pepper. This chile ranges from 3 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. An Ancho is the dried form of a Poblano Pepper and often is mislabeled as a Pasilla or Mulato Pepper. Anchos have sweet fruity flavor with hints of cherry, prune, and fig. Anchos, combined with the Pasilla and Guajillo, form the Holy Trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces. Scoville heat units are 1,000 to 3,000.
Suggested Use:
Anchos are great in salsa, soups, enchilada and any sauce needing mild heat and chile flavor. Chopped, pureed or ground, they can be added directly to your recipes.
Ingredients:
3 ancho chiles, dried
3 mulato chiles, dried
6 large fresh mint leaves, chopped
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican oregano, but Italian works too
1/4 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf, crushed
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dry red wine
3 lbs boneless pork shoulder, or pork tenderloin, cut into 2-inch pieces
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Instructions:
Toast the chiles lightly in a dry frying pan. Tear off the stems, shake out the seeds, and tear into pieces. Put into a bowl with warm water to cover and soak for 30 minutes.
Stack with the mint, the garlic, the cilantro and the bay leaf on a cutting board and chop them all together very finely. Put in a bowl and stir in the wine, ground spices, 2 Tbsp olive oil, and salt and pepper. Marinate the pork in the mixture for 24 hours in the refrigerator, turning the pieces at least once.
Transfer the pork and the marinade into a flameproof casserole or large pan with a lid, add half the olive oil, cover, and cook over low heat until the pork is tender, about 2 hours. (I stir it about once every 1/2 hour).
Serve with white rice and tortillas and a green salad. You can substitute bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for the pork. This will cook in 90 minutes.
Serves 8.
From cdkitchen.com