It’s been a tad chilly around the neighborhood lately.
FireGirl Jess said Pinedale recently dipped to -31 with a windchill of -59; Joe Moore of Big Sky Anglers in West Yellowstone snapped a pic of a -46 morning and admitted he was thinking about summer too.
Here in the South Sound we’ve even seen temps in the mid to low 20’s; we have a neighbor who dresses himself like an arctic explorer just to get out and check the mail those days.
Beat back the crush of winter’s hand and looming cabin fever with this Puerco Guisada, a south Texas / Mexico inspired take on the spicy ‘meat in gravy’ stew (carne guisada) gracing every worthy taco stand from Austin to the southern border in Texas.
One might argue this is traditionally made with beef (carne guisada) – and you can certainly do that by exchanging the pork with a cut of chuck or bottom round – though the pork version seems a tad lighter and sweeter to us.
Another one of those recipes that are so simple they’re child’s play, there are a couple of caveats to note. Flavors are dramatically improved by actually browning the meat in the oil up front; if you overcrowd the meat it steams and doesn’t brown. Browning in two or three batches works wonders and leaves a hoard of those tasty browned ‘pan crispins’ behind to scrape up and flavor the stew.
The other heads-up pertains to the peppers; jalapenos can very dramatically in their heat level. Cut off a small chip of the pepper and touch it to your tongue to get an idea about the heat; the last two I picked out of the bin were searingly hot, so we left out the serranos on that batch (even though they add a slightly different heat and flavor pattern).
This Puerco Guisada makes for a killer bowl of spicy goodness standing alone (except you’ll need a plate of hot, home-made corn tortillas along side). Add some grated cheese, avocado slices and a dollop of sour cream and you’re in heaven. Makes a mouth-watering taco or burrito too.
Before the flu whacked me a couple of days ago, we were having Puerco Guisada Huevos Rancheros for breakfast – a crisped corn tortilla slathered with the Puerco Guisada, topped with a soft-yolked fried or poached egg and nestled in a pool of rancheros sauce.
As kick-ass as that sounds it tasted even better.
3.5 to 4 pounds of pork shoulder or loin, trimmed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
1-2 serrano peppers, seeded and diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
14-oz can diced tomatoes with liquid or 3 fresh tomatoes with seeds and core, diced
2 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. mexican oregano
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 bay leaves
2 cups of water
1 bottle cerveza (Corona or Negro Modelo for the spirit of things)
1 tbsp. masa if needed for thickening
Brown the meat. In a large pot or your trusty dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat and brown the meat in the oil. Will need to do in two or three batches pending your pot size; crowding the meat makes it steam instead of browning. Remove the beef from the pot.
Sauté time. Add a bit more oil to the pot and sauté the onions and peppers (see note above) until soft; add the garlic and cooking, stirring, for another minute or two.
Make a guisada. Now add the pork, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, oregano, bay leaves, water and beer. Stir until well combined, turn up the heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
Now turn down to low and simmer for five hours or so, stirring at least once an hour. The meat cubes will begin to break down thickening the ‘gravy’; add the masa at the end if you’d like to thicken the gravy more. Pull the bay leaves.
Serve. Traditionally this would be served steaming hot in a bowl, sprinkled with a few chopped peppers and cilantro, with a big stack of fresh corn tortilla on the side. As noted above, the possibilities are endless.
Enjoy.
