Cooking Cheap

I adapted this recipe from “Feasts Of Life” by Patricia Quintana who got it from an aunt. There’s probably more to that story than is in the book. It’s a wonderful cookbook if you are an intermediate level cook. You have figure out the timing on your own and how many servings there will be.

I see from the margin notes I made this 15 years ago and raved about it. Then I probably used fresh tomatillos, dried chipotles and pork loin and slavishly followed the directions. I was learning then. I still am.

I had 2 lb of boneless pork butt in the freezer that I was going to make tasso with but the BBQ seasoned ended first. I bought a 28 oz can of Tomatillos, one of those little cans of chipotles en abobo and a quart of decent chicken broth. It’s Christmas — splurge a little, right? First, defrost the pork.

Step 1 — Make some skillet carnitas.
2 lbs pork butt cubed (any cut will work) . I cut them up in 1/2 inch pieces, more or less. Add them to a big skillet or pot or dutch oven. Add water to cover. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Add two or three cloves of garlic, roughly chopped. Simmer lightly until the water evaporates. An hour or two depending on how much water you put in and temperature. When the water is gone, if there’s not enough fat (there wasn’t with pork butt) add a couple of tablespoons of lard. Raise the heat. You want some sear or brown on the meat. Remove your carnitas to a plate. Taste one. Do not eat all them. Leave the fat in the pan.

Step 2 — Make sauce
In a food processor, dump in the 28 oz can of tomatillos, 3 cloves peeled garlic and as many chipotles as you thing you can handle. I’m not a fire breather chile fiend. In my case the chiles in the can were small. After removing the tough stem and seeds and lightly rinsing the adobo off, I used 8, half the can. It’s not that much per serving. Puree.

Get the skillet with the fat and brown bits up to sizzle (fry) temperature (I had to add some lard, a tablespoon), add the sauce and fry the sauce for a few minutes stirring often. Add the pork. Reduce heat to simmer. Add 1 cup of chicken broth. Reduce the heat to just low enough to be cooking and evaporating. Season with pepper. I think I add a pinch of oregano. Taste and re-season. Add more broth for your desired consistency (thick soup or thin gravy for me, thank you). Might take an hour. If you keep adding stock on a really low flame you can extend the cooking.

Enjoy with refritos and tortillas. Put the left overs in the fridge. You could use them for tacos or

Step 3 — Chiliquiles
Cut up tortillas into wedges or strips. Deep fry or shallow fry until very well done. Not burned but crunchy. These will be your pasta or starch. How many tortillas up to you and amount of pork and sauce left over. Do it once and you’ll know the proper amount. For two people, four tortillas is a starting point.

In a skillet, bring your left over pork and sauce to a low simmer. Add some more chicken stock to make it a thin gravy. Add the fried tortillas, simmer and stir gently. The tortillas will soften and thicken the sauce. If you cook too long, too wet, it will be mush (a tasty mush). You want some form and texture. Al-dente.

The texture is difficult to describe if you’ve never had Chiliquiles. I don’t remember seeing them on any of the US restaurants I’ve eaten at. Back in the kitchen, it’s probably a regular staff lunch. There’s a lot of variations none of them simple without leftovers.

[Later thoughts]
This is a go to dish of mine. I’ve made it with country style boneless pork ribs which are often on sale. Aside from the chiliquiles application, it makes a wonderful filling for handheld savory fried pies (empanada) which freeze better than you believe they will.