This recipe is derived from the Adobo Rojo de Cerdo recipe in the Elizabeth Lambert Ortiz cookbook The New Complete Book of Mexican Cooking.
Normally I brown the pork first and then cook it in the sauce, but that requires you complete preparation about 1 ½ to 2 hours before serving to allow the pork to cook to tenderness. I use the above recipe's technique of cooking the meat separately and then adding to the sauce towards the end, with the stock generated when cooking it. This allows overlapping the meat and sauce prep times, reducing overall prep time.
As usual, this is how I made it, feel free to adjust to your tastes and available ingredients and time.
| Quantity | Item |
|---|---|
| 2 lb | pork shoulder, cut into 1 ½ to 2 in. pieces |
| 2-3 | whole cloves |
| ½ t | whole black pepper corns |
| ½ t | salt |
| ¼ | large onion, cut into a few pieces |
| 1 clove | garlic, smashed |
Add the pork to a 3 qt. sauce pan, with water to cover. Bring to a boil and skim off the accumulated scum. Then turn down to a very slow simmer and add the whole spices, onion, and garlic. Adjust water to cover if necessary. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours, until the pork is tender and will shred with a fork. Remove the pork from the stock and shred into bite size pieces, set aside. Heat the stock to a low boil and reduce for 15-20 min.
| Quantity | Item |
|---|---|
| 1 14oz can | diced tomatoes |
| 2-4 cloves | garlic, see instructions |
| 1 T | corriander seed |
| 1-2 t | cumin seed |
| ½ t | black pepper corns |
| ½-1 T | chipotle chile, either canned en Adobo, or dried |
| 2 T | Ancho powder |
| 1 T | Smoked Spanish paprika |
| 1 t | dried oregano |
| 1 ½ lb | potatoes, yellow |
| 8-10 | pitted kalamata or green olives, halved |
| ¼ C | cider vinegar |
The sauce is pureed. I use a wand blender, but a food processor works too. For the corriander, cumin, and pepper corns, I start with whole spices, toast them, and then grind them in a spice grinder (repurposed coffee grinder). Mix the above spices, ancho powder, paprika, and oregano together. If using dried chipotle, add that to the above. Mince the remaining ¾ onion and smash/chop the garlic In a 4 qt. sauce pan, add some vegetable, or olive oil and fry the onion and garlic until translucent (don't brown). Add the tomatoes and continue heating for a few minutes. Then blend, in the pan with a wand blender or with a food processor (returning the sauce to the pan). Now add the spices to the sauce (including the en Adobo chipotle if using), and mix. Heat on low or turn off until the pork and potatoes are ready.
Assembly
The potatoes can be diced and then cooked in the sauce, or as I did, cooked whole in the microwave (only takes 4 min. or so) and then diced, adding towards the end. Once both the meat, potatoes, and sauce are done, heat the sauce and add the pork stock and cider vinegar. Pour into a casserole, add the meat, potatoes, and olives, and heat for 10-15 min. to get the sauce to infuse the added ingredients.