A Harmony of Flavors: pulled pork recipe

A very long time ago, one of my sisters sent me a recipe for a green pork "enchilada sauce." It was supposed to be something like the green canned enchilada sauce, which was never available in the eastern states. I had eaten something with that kind of sauce, so I knew I liked it. And I really, truly, meant to make the recipe.

Somehow, as with far too many things - it just never happened.

Pork Chile Verde

Then, possibly within the last year, I found something that sparked my interest in that type of recipe. Again. Plus, soon after we moved to AZ, we ate at a little local Mexican restaurant and I ordered the pork chile verde over rice, and of course the ubiquitous refried pinto beans. It was delicious. I figured if I ever got around to making this, mine might be a big hit. I had the flavors all set in my head. They had just never yet made it into existence.

A couple of months ago, I bought two huge pork shoulder roasts. Not sure why, as I rarely buy something that big. There are only two of us in the household, after all. But I got one out and cooked it very slowly till it all fell apart and then proceeded to clean all the meat out, tossing excess fat and bones. Once I finished with all that, I chopped the meat. Half of it, I set aside to use. The other half went in the freezer for another time. That first half was used to make Pork Barbecue for sandwiches - one of my favorite things ever.

The frozen portion I got out from the freezer the other day and decided that it was finally time for some Pork Chile Verde. I had the meat all set. I had some Tomatillo Sauce already made in the fridge (it is SO good as a dip alone, as a dip mixed with guacamole, over eggs for breakfast, and multitudes of other uses). The basic necessities were all ready. To make the sauce for the meat was a snap.

In that sense, I do advise making life easier by first having the meat all prepped ahead of time. If you don't care for taking time to make your own Tomatillo Sauce, then buy your favorite brand of a Tomatillo Salsa and use that, though in general, the spicy heat factor is quite high in those.

Pork Chile Verde

Serves 8 or more

Pork Chile Verde

1 pound cooked, chopped pork shoulder roast

1 large onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced finely

1 - 1½ tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (no stems)

12 ounces canned green chilies (three 4-ounce tins)

16 ounces Tomatillo Sauce/Salsa

4 cups beef or chicken stock, unsalted

1 teaspoon dried oregano or 2 tablespoons fresh leaves, minced

½ teaspoon salt, or as needed

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

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THICKENING

1 cup water

½ cup corn tortilla flour (Maseca, Torti-ya)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Saute the onions until they are turning golden, then add in the garlic and fresh thyme leaves and continue to saute for a few more minutes, to cook out the raw garlic taste. Add in the next 8 ingredients and then the chopped/shredded pork. Stir well and bring to boil.

In a smaller bowl or large measuring cup, stir the water and tortilla flour together until there are no lumps, then whisk in the flour briskly to leave a lump-free slurry. Pour this into the pot and stir until the mixture thickens slightly. Continue cooking over lowest heat for at least 10 more minutes.

Serve with rice and refried beans, or over enchiladas, over omelets. Use your imagination. This is really wonderfully flavored.

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Well, Cinco de Mayo is now days past. If you, like me, made Carnitas with a nice big 5-pound roast, you probably have a lot of leftovers. We sure do. Yesterday I was really desirous of something other than tacos, delicious as they were. So as usual, I went to Google. There are lots of great ideas out there, and some were tempting, but I settled on a sort of Taco Casserole. I did see a recipe out there that I used as my layering idea, but that was where any copying left off.

Carnitas Taco Casserole

One of the recipes I have used for years and years is Creamy Corn Casserole. It does have some sweetness involved, in that it uses a Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix as its base. The recipe also includes a little brown sugar. As a side dish, particularly with pork, it is just fabulous and we both love it. I wanted to use this casserole for the base of this dish, so I eliminated the sugar and added a small can of green chilies.

The next step was an enchilada sauce. While red enchilada sauce is available in any grocery store, I have used a can of red enchilada sauce possibly once in my life. At age 65, I figured I would just try my hand at making one. There are oodles of red enchilada sauce recipes out there from simple to complex. Being me, mine was a little more complex than many, but it certainly had really great flavors. If you prefer, just use a commercial can of sauce. Here is what I did for mine:

Red Enchilada Sauce

Red Enchilada Sauce

Makes about 3 cups

1 dried Ancho chile
1 bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon chicken "base"
1 tablespoon green pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaf
1 - 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon agave syrup, optional
more salt, if needed

Set the Ancho chile into a small pan of boiling water and boil until it is softened, 10 to 15 minutes. Once soft, remove from the water, and reserve the water aside. Remove stems and seeds from the chile and put it into a blender container. Measure out 1½ cups of the chile cooking water, straining out any stray seeds. If there is not enough, add more water to make 1½ cups. Add the chicken bouillon cube or the chicken "base" into the hot water to dissolve. Add this liquid to the blender.

In a very hot, dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring and tossing continuously until they are just lightly browned and have begun to pop. Remove them to the blender. Add in the cumin seeds and toss quickly until fragrant; remove to the blender. Add to the blender container the oregano, chili powder, chipotle powder, smoked paprika, cocoa powder, pepper and cinnamon.

In a medium to large skillet, over medium to medium-low heat, saute the onion in the first teaspoon of olive oil until tender and golden. Add in the garlic and saute about 3 minutes more, until very fragrant. Add this mixture to the blender and leave the skillet aside. Beginning on low, puree the mixture in the blender until it is completely liquid. In the skillet, melt together the second tablespoon of olive oil with the flour, then add in the contents of the blender. Cook the mixture over medium heat, lowering to a simmer once it begins to spatter. Allow the mixture to cook, stirring often for about 15 minutes. Add in agave syrup if desired for a little sweetness. Add more salt if needed.

Carnitas Taco Casserole

Once I had the idea of how I wanted to layer this casserole, and had the enchilada sauce made, all that was left was to put it all together. The Pork Carnitas were waiting in the fridge. However, I was missing two ingredients: the sour cream needed in the Corn Casserole (and for topping the casserole when serving, of course) and the shredded cheese to top the casserole. I didn't want to have to stop and run to the store, so I called my husband who was just leaving work. He said he would be happy to stop for these two items. I said, ". . .sour cream and one of those Mexican mixes of shredded cheeses". He brought me Mexican Taco Cheese, which was chock full of taco seasonings. This was not what I had in mind. I wanted one of those blends of cheddar, jack and maybe something else. While this makes absolutely no difference in flavors except for personal taste, ultimately all those taco seasonings made the cheese all brown, when melted together. I intended to have a pretty yellow melted cheese topping. Do with this part of the recipe as you choose.

Carnitas Taco Casserole

Carnitas Taco Casserole

Makes one 9 x 13-inch casserole

1 recipe Creamy Corn Casserole
1 (4-ounce) can mild green chiles (or hot if preferred)
1 recipe Red Enchilada Sauce (above), or 2 cups commercial red enchilada sauce
2½ cups leftover pork carnitas or other pulled pork
6 ounces shredded cheese (cheddar or a blend of cheddar jack)
Sour cream, to serve
Cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (325 on Convection Bake). Prepare the corn casserole as directed, eliminating the sugar and adding in the can of green chiles. Mix all the ingredients in a 9 x 13-inch casserole and bake for 30 minutes. The casserole may be slightly soft, though it will be well set. Remove from oven and leave the oven on.

Sauce finished; Corn Casserole, holes poked in; sauce and meats layered on;
in the oven; just out of the oven

Have the enchilada sauce made (or bought) and ready, the meat measured and the shredded cheese handy. Poke holes into the corn casserole as shown in the photo above. Ladle on half of the enchilada sauce, spreading around. Top evenly with the shredded carnitas. Ladle on the remaining enchilada sauce. The sauce does not have to be completely even. Top with the shredded cheese and bake the casserole until heated through, about 15 minutes, or until the cheese is well melted and the casserole is bubbling around the edges. Serve hot with sour cream if desired. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

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