Fresh corn tortillas filled with black beans, onions, peppers, cheddar, asiago and toasted cumin. Bathed in fire-roasted tomato sauce with crushed chile chipotle, Mexican oregano & a splash of apple cider vinegar. Topped with more cheese, then baked until sizzling hot. Topped with a dollop of thick crema Mexicana..
Black Bean Enchiladas
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.
Ah, the bounty of a Texas summer!
Heirloom Salsa
This homemade salsa combines the dark smokiness of roasted heirloom tomatoes, garlic, sweet onions and peppers with the fresh taste of raw tomatoes, cilantro and lime.
As good as this is, it is even better if allowed to ferment into a pro-biotic riot of Southwest flavor..
For 1 pint
1 large heirloom tomato, quartered
1 medium Texas 1015 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1-2 jalapeño peppers
1 mild red New Mexico pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper
1 chile chipotle (Dorado or Morita), soaked, toasted and chopped
1 small lime
2 tablespoons whey
fresh cilantro
Roast 3/4 of the tomatoes, 1/2 the onions and all of the garlic and peppers (except the chipotle) on a comal in a 500 degree oven until slightly blackened. Allow to cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, steep 1 dried chipotle in hot water until soft and pliable.
Split the re-hydrated chipotle open and discard the stem and seeds. Toast the chipotle with cumin seeds until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Eat within a day or two, or add 2 tablespoons of whey and allow to stand on the counter for 24 hours before transferring to the refrigerator for up to a few weeks.
This post is part of Food Renegade’s excellent Fight Back Fridays