Pork Stew with Chipotle and Plantains
Smokey braised pork with peppers, onions, piloncillo and plantains..
Pork Stew with Chipotle and Plantains
Trim pork shoulder, removing any heavy fat. Cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks, arrange on a foil-lined baking tray and broil, turning once, until golden brown. Some pieces will be crisp, others less so. This is a good thing.
Transfer meat to a Dutch oven and add minced fresh garlic, diced fresh peppers, red and/or yellow onions, sliced ripe plantains and 1-2 diced chipotle peppers with 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce.
Season with a little toasted cumin, a pinch of Mexican oregano and just enough shaved piloncillo (a traditional, unrefined sugar common to Central and South America) to balance the heat of the peppers.
Add enough dark beer (preferably a Munich-style beer such as Negra Modelo) to almost cover the contents of the pot. Cover tightly and braise in a 300 degree oven until fork-tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Serve with fresh tortillas.
Blueberry Bliss
One of my favorite summertime treats as a little kid was a bowl of wild blueberries with brown sugar and sour cream. So good.
Here’s a riff on that happy memory, with fresh Texas blueberries, crèma Mexicana, shaved piloncillo, toasted coconut flakes, melted raw cocoa butter and a sprig of fresh mint..
Champurrado (chocolate atole)
Champurrado is one of a family of hot drinks called atole (Mexican Spanish, from Nahuatl atolli), a thin corn masa gruel sweetened with piloncillo and flavored with anise, vanilla and soft Ceylon cinnamon. It tastes kind of like a hot chocolate chai, but earthier and thicker.
Goat milk, masa harina, Mexican chocolate sweetened with piloncillo, anise, vanilla, cinnamon and Kahlúa (optional).
Whisk masa harina into warm milk until thoroughly combined. Add chocolate and spices and simmer until tick and smooth, about 15 minutes, whiskin frequently with a molinillo.
Serve in a heavy mug (with a shot of Kahlúa, if using).
