Braised Pork Loin in Tomatillo-Chipotle Sauce

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One thing leads to another.

Always.

This beautiful braised pork loin in a tomatillo chipotle sauce led to a black bean and pork stew over twice cooked new potatoes topped with a cool salad of mixed greens, campari tomatoes finished with fresh avocado, a squeeze of lime, a splat of sour cream and fresh cilantro.

Two entirely different approaches to one main dish.

Too good.

Braised Pork Loin in Tomatillo Chipotle Sauce
Adapted from Rick Bayless Mexico One Plate at a Time

2 pounds pork loin roast
10 tomatillos, husked and rinsed
5 plum tomatoes, rinsed
1 chipotle en adobo sauce
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Big spoonful garlic confit
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1 large sweet yellow onion, sliced thin
5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, washed and halved

Do a good swirl extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven large enough to hold the pork roast. Heat medium high. Add the pork roast…brown about five minutes on both sides. Season with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper. Remove from the Dutch oven and set aside.
Add the sliced onion to the Dutch oven and cook til caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic confit and smush into the onions.

Preheat broiler and roast tomatoes and tomatillos til blackened in oven, whirl in a blender and add with 1-1.2 cups chicken broth to caramelized onion and garlic. Add the fresh cilantro. Lower oven to 325 degrees put the pork in onion tomatillo sauce, cover it and put in the oven for 30 minutes.

Boil the Yukon gold potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes. When the pork has cooked for 30 minutes add the potatoes to the pork. Let cook 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for five minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with a bit of fresh cilantro before serving.

Serves 4 generously.

Click here for a printable recipe!

Black Bean and Braised Pork Stew on Twice Cooked Potatoes

I had leftover sauce, potatoes and pork.
Slice the leftover pork. Put in a sauce pan.
Add one can black beans, drained and set over medium heat.

Slice the leftover cooked potatoes.
Heat a medium skillet add a bit of olive oil and put sliced potatoes in the skillet.
Cook, pressing down til hot and then turning several times til golden brown.

Add 1/3 cup chopped cilantro to stew.

Serve potato with stew over. Top with fresh mixed greens, sliced avocado, quartered tomatoes, a splat of sour cream and a squeeze of fresh lime and cilantro.

Serves 3 generously.


One Year Ago on Feeding Groom

Braised Pork Loin in Tomatillo-Chipotle Sauce

Chile Seasoned Pot Roasted Pork

When Groom wants Mexican food, I can usually fix a Haystack or a quesadilla and he’s happy. This morning he started thinking out loud about having Mexican food for dinner. The old Haystack wasn’t in the cards tonight. No vegetarian Mexican food for him this time.

What’s a girl to do?

Find a great recipe and delegate. I found the recipe and I delegated. I had about 3 lbs of Boston Butt in the freezer and I decided to do Rick Bayless’ recipe for Pot Roasted Pork from his fabulous Mexican Kitchen.

Having been put in charge of the pork, Groom rose to the occasion and I’ve got to tell you, he rocked this recipe.

This is so good and so easy. You can cook this in a slow cooker or in the oven for several hours. You make a spice paste with dried ancho and guajillo peppers, spices and herbs and cook it in a bit of olive oil. Then you add the pork, making sure that all the good spice gets all over the pork, add a bit of water and several hours later, you have the makings of an incredible dinner.

A great way to kick off the week!!!

Chile Seasoned Pot Roasted Pork
Adapted from Rick Bayless’ Mexican Kitchen

2 medium dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
4 medium dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 bay leaves, smashed into thousands of little pieces. .mortar and pestle works best for this
2 tbsp cider vinegar
½ large yellow onion, chopped
4 fat garlic cloves, peeled
2 tsp mixed dried herbs (we use marjoram, thyme, epazote and Mexican oregano)
½ tsp allspice
Good pinch of ground cloves
1 tbsp olive oil
3 pounds lean boneless pork shoulder or Boston Butt
Romaine lettuce
Radishes
Chopped tomatoes
Sliced Avocado
Corn tortillas

Put the chiles in small bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit for 30 minutes.
Drain and reserve 2/3 cup of the liquid.
Put the chiles and reserved liquid in food processor. Add all the herbs and spices and bay leaves, vinegar, onion and garlic cloves. Process to smooth puree, adding a little water if it gets too dry.

Put large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add oil and heat til shimmers. Add the herb paste all at once.
Stir for about five minutes until it turns dark and becomes a paste. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Preheat oven to 325.

Cut the pork into slabs about three inches thick. Put in pot with the chile paste and then flip it over to cover with the chile, rubbing it with spoon to get it even.
Add ½ cup water around it, cover and put in the oven. Baste often. Cook about 2.5 hours.

If you need to add more water, do it a little at a time. You want just enough liquid to be able to baste the meat.

This works great in the crock pot on low for 4 hours. So good.

Serve with refried black beans, chopped romaine lettuce, thinly sliced radishes, chopped avocadoes, fresh cilantro, Mexican crumbling cheese and salsa with corn tortillas. It works wonderfully with taco shells, too, in a pinch.
Serves 4.

Refried Black Beans

2-14 ounce cans black beans
Good swirl extra virgin olive oil
1-½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chile powder

Heat oil in 10 inch skillet. Sprinkle chile powder and cumin in oil and stir well. Open both cans of black beans and put them and their liquid in the skillet. Mash with spatula and stir until the beans are mashing together and the majority of the liquid is gone. You want these to still have a bit of liquid in them.
Serves 4.

Chile Seasoned Pot Roasted Pork