Recipe: Slow-cooked carne adovada with hominy

Slow-cooked carne adovada with hominy

Total time: 2 ½ hours

Servings: 4 to 6

Note: Adapted from “Heart of the Artichoke and Other Kitchen Journeys� by David Tanis.

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6 ounces dried New Mexico red chiles

2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely diced

Salt and pepper

6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground

1 bay leaf

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, left whole or cut into large chunks

Prepared hominy

1. Rinse and dry the chiles, then toast them in a dry cast-iron pan over medium heat until they puff a bit and become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. This probably will need to be done in batches. Cut the chiles lengthwise in half and remove the stems and seeds.

2. Put the chiles in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer the chiles until softened, about 5 minutes, then set them aside in the liquid to cool. Puree the chiles with a cup of their cooking liquid in a blender until smooth.

3. Heat the lard or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes. There should be no color and no browning. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin and bay leaf, then add the chile puree and one-fourth teaspoon salt and simmer for another 5 minutes. Cool the mixture. (You can do this well ahead if you wish.)

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the pork in a low roasting pan or a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot and season generously with 1½ teaspoons salt and one-half teaspoon pepper. Pour the chile sauce over the pork and mix well to coat. Cover tightly with a lid or foil.

5. Bake the pork until the meat is quite tender and falling apart, about 1½ to 2 hours. (This dish can be made a day or many hours ahead and reheated.)

6. Serve the carne adovada in shallow soup bowls with a big spoonful of the steaming-hot hominy.

Each of 6 servings: 472 calories; 41 grams protein; 18 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 136 mg cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 803 mg sodium.