Pork Braised in Guajillo Chile Sauce
The Guajillo (wha-hee-oh) chile is the most common dried chile in Mexico after the Ancho. The flavor of the Guajillo is distinct, slightly fruity with a strong piney, berry under taste. Guajillo flavors dished easily so a little goes a long way. This chile is between a 2-4 on the heat scale of 1-10. Guajillo, combined with the Passilla and Ancho, form the holy trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces.
Suggested Use:
A mildly hot chile. Use in sauces, salsa, soups and your favorite chile. A little goes a long way.
Ingredients:
4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2″ cubes
2 Tbsp. sea salt or kosher salt
1 bay leaf
10 guajillo chilies (dried)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large Spanish onion, peeled and cut in half through the middle
3 fresh plum tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise through the core
1/4 cup canola oil or lard
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Put the pork in a heavy Dutch oven large enough to fit the pork comfortably. Pour in enough cold water to cover the meat by about 2 inches. Add 2 Tbsp. of salt and a bay leaf and bring to a boil. Boil for one hour, skimming the foam off surface as necessary.
Cut the stems off the guajillo chiles and tap out the seeds.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add half the chiles and toast them in the skillet, turning with tongs, until they crisp up a bit and change color, about 4 minutes. Lift out chiles and repeat with remaining chiles. Pour enough of the boiling water over the toasted chiles to cover them. Soak until completely softened, about 20 minutes, then drain well.
Wipe out the skillet with paper towels and put the onion and tomatoes cut sides down into the skillet. Cook, turning the veggies as often as necessary, until the tomatoes are blackened on all sides and the onions are blackened on both flat sides. After the pork cooks for one hour, ladle off 2 cups of the cooking liquid and pour into blender. Add the onions and puree until smooth. Add the chiles and tomatoes and blend until smooth. Ladle off another 2 cups of the cooking liquid and set it aside. Drain the pork and discard any remaining liquid, then wipe out the pot.
Set the pot over medium-low heat and add the oil or lard. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, about 3-4 minutes. Pour the chili sauce into the pot slowly and stir well.
Return the pork to a simmer and cover the pot. Cook until tender, about 1 hour. While it cooks, there should be enough sauce to moisten the pork. If not, add some of the reserved pork cooking liquid as needed.
Serve hot over white rice or with flour tortillas.
Recipe from www.recipezaar.com.