Local Pork Butt to Puerco Pibil

Back in the triple-digit heat bath that was July, a friend on Facebook posted this recipe for Robert Rodriguez's Puerco Pibil (made famous in Once Upon a Time in Mexico).  I made a mental note (and a comment on her Facebook) to make this recipe come the cooler days of Fall when having the oven on for four hours is no hardship and might even bring welcome heat. 

The highs are in the 70s, the lows in the 50s, and it is time, since I am cooking for 8 this evening, including two people with gluten sensitivities.  Dinner will be a potluck: I am providing the main dish with homemade corn tortillas (using Bob's Red Mill's masa harina and recipe) and chocolate sorbet (my farewell to summer), my roommate is providing Italian Cornmeal Cake, and the guests are bringing the rest.  Since one of my guests cannot eat hot peppers, I threw in two poblanos from the garden rather than habañeros to make the marinade, and I'm making pico de gallo as a topping for those of us who want more kick.

Who knew I had to move to York, PA, to start cooking Tex-Mex? 

Puerco Pibil á la Robert Rodriguez

Makes 15 servings

Thanks to my local butcher from Three Sons, I now know that pork butt and pork shoulder are the same thing.  I also learned that it can come with bone, so I carved off the meat and stuck the bones in a freezer bag for future use, most likely to help flavor a winter bean soup.  I was left with about 4 pounds of meat.

The only ingredient not readily available where I live is the annatto seeds; you can order them through Penzey's.

5 Tablespoons annatto (achiote) seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 Tablespoon peppercorns

8 allspice berries

½ tsp. whole cloves

2 habanero chiles

½ cup orange juice

½ cup white vinegar

2 Tbsps. salt

8 cloves of garlic

Juice of 5 lemons

Splash of tequila x 2

5 pounds pork butt (or shoulder)

Banana leaves or heavy-duty aluminum foil

White or Spanish rice or taco shells for serving

1.  Place the annatto, cumin, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves in a spice grinder and process to a fine powder.

2.  Carefully remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and chop coarsely. (Habaneros are very hot; even breathing the fumes may make you cough. Removing the veins and seeds ensures the dish is fiery but not painfully hot. You can also substitute a milder chile.)

3.  Process the orange juice, vinegar, chiles, salt, and garlic in a blender or food processor until liquefied. Add the lemon juice and tequila.  Combine with spice blend in a large, self-sealing plastic bag.

4.  Cut the pork into 2-inch chunks. Place in a large, self-sealing plastic bag with the marinade. Seal bag and turn to evenly coat the meat. Refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.  (Overnight = better.)

5.  Heat oven to 325 degrees. Remove the meat from the marinade and wrap tightly in banana leaves or foil so no steam can escape. Place packet in roasting pan and roast four hours. Open packet carefully; the meat should shred easily with a fork. Serve with rice or shred with two forks and use as taco filling.

Per serving: 240 calories (35 percent from fat), 9.3 g fat (2.9 g saturated, 3.8 g monounsaturated), 92.2 mg cholesterol, 33.1 g protein, 5.2 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g fiber, 1,037 mg sodium.

Chicken Tortilla (Free) Soup: Healthy Tex-Mex

I often miss the Tex-Mex I enjoyed as a grad student in Texas. Since I am on a diet (and constantly seeking recipes that hit the trifecta of easy-healthy-yummy), I had to find a healthy option--my fellow queso lovers know just how heartbreaking that search can be!

A baker at heart, I normally cook recipes as is or tweak them slightly. This recipe, on the other hand, is really my own. The pico de gallo recipe comes courtesy of Cindy Haenel's Knife Skills cooking class at Central Market, and the soup is a fresher take on Allrecipes' Chicken Tortilla Soup V.

The tortilla chips are optional in the recipe, and the soup is excellent with or without them. Needless to say, cut the salt if you add the chips. 

Chicken Tortilla (Free) Soup with Homemade Pico De Gallo
Serves 3
Per serving (without tortilla chips):  247 calories, 37 g protein, 12.7 g carbs, 6.6 g fat

For the Pico De Gallo:
4 ripe tomatoes (in winter sub 8 heavy-for-size ripe Romas), cored and diced ¼”
1 cup finely diced onion (sweet yellow onion if possible)
1 or 2 large jalapenos, stemmed, seeded, and finely diced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup lime juice (2-3 limes)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)

1. Combine tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice in a non-reactive bowl (glass or stainless steel) and mix gently.

2. Add 1 teaspoon salt, mix and taste. If mixture is sour, add more salt till flavor is balanced.

3. Serve or store covered and chilled up to 2 days (best made fresh, however). 

For the soup:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (can sub leftover cooked meat)
4 cups chicken stock (homemade = best)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels (use fresh-picked corn if available)
4 cups tortilla chips (NOT fritos), crushed (optional)

1. Poach chicken breasts in chicken broth in medium-sized saucepan. Pull out breasts and set aside till cool enough to handle, and then shred by hand. Keep broth lidded in the meantime.

2. Heat olive oil in skillet. Add onion, then garlic and cumin, and sauté till tender. Add to broth.

3. Add corn and chicken to broth and bring to a boil (faster if lidded). Lower heat and simmer 20 to 30 minutes.


To Assemble:
In a deep soup bowl, place a generous amount of pico and 1 cup of the chips, if you're using them. Ladle a generous amount of soup on top.