Carne Adovada

Name: Carne Adovada
Yield: makes 8 tacos
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 1 (16-ounce) jar Bueno Foods New Mexico Red Chile Sauce (also available frozen in supermarkets in the Southwest), or 2 cups Red Chile Sauce (page 133); 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves; 1/4 teaspoon cumin seed, toasted and ground (page 164); 1/4 teaspoon ground canela (or pinch of ground cinnamon), page 151; 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice; 8 (5 1/2-inch) soft yellow corn tortillas (page 13), for serving; Garnish: Toasted pine nuts (page 162), strips of roasted red chiles

January 26, 2012

In the meat section of Mexican markets are large trays of pork or beef sitting in a thick red chile sauce that acts as both tenderizer and flavoring. This is carne adovada. At home, the mixture is slow-cooked into a stew along with additions like posole and vegetables. The chile sauce is a link back to the days before refrigeration, when chiles were used at the market as a preservative. Bueno Foods makes a delicious sauce using New Mexican red chiles that is perfect for this recipe (see Sources, page 167).

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