Southwestern Themed Dinner!

In June of 2017, we packed up the old Prius and hit the road on an epic 30 day cross-country road trip. Our first day was Route 66 from Los Angeles to New Mexico. We took in the martian-like scenery and had amazing burgers and ice cream at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap, but the highlight was a seriously delicious dinner in Gallup, New Mexico, at Don Diego’s.

We loved everything, but our favorite dish was the carne adovada, a thick, sweet, salty, spicy, tangy stewed pork dish served with tortillas, rice, beans, and crunchy, cold lettuce. It was exactly what we needed to kick off our culinary adventure!

Cut to many months later, and our college friend Sally came from her new-ish home of Hamburg, Germany to introduce her German husband and some friends to the Southwest. They too hit the open road to take in the landscapes and blue desert skies. After their trip, we hosted a goodbye dinner before they headed back to Germany, and in honor of our mutual Southwestern adventure, we opted for a New Mexican & Tex-Mex meal, then some shots of Jagermeister (Hallo Deutschland!), and finally finished the night at our local bowling alley/karaoke dive bar.

The menu was simple, colorful, and easy for a crowd. We combined a variety of recipes for carne adovada and had it slowly simmering in a dutch oven on the stove for several hours, filling the house with its saucy scent. We also did some marinated, grilled chicken (always a good idea to have a couple of meat options, as not everyone eats pork), grilled veggies (charred corn, mixed bell peppers, red onions, and zucchini), Mexican-style rice, and low & slow cumin-lime beans.

For a menu like this, the fixings are muy importante. I like to get a big platter and pile it high with a variety of toppings; such as, pickled onions (or regular chopped onions), crunchy iceberg or romaine lettuce, thinly sliced purple cabbage (great pop of color!), shredded cheddar, jack, and/or crumbled cotija cheese, lime slices, thinly sliced radishes, chopped tomatoes–whatever you like! We also made fresh guacamole and laid out a selection of hot sauces and salsas we got on our road trip. Lastly, we lightly charred corn and flour tortillas directly on the stove top.

For some last-minute decor, we just popped a few succulents in some Cafe Bustelo cans and used our favorite fairy lights.

It was the perfect last night of American food to sustain our German-Southwestern post-dinner Karaoke adventure! Auf wiedersehen amigos!

New Mexican Carne Adovada

Adapted from the following recipes:  The Serious Eats recipe by J. Kenji López-Alt & Santa Fe School of Cooking: Celebrating the Foods of New Mexico by Susan & Nicole Curtis.

Ingredients:

• 8 dried large, dried mixed chiles (I suggest ancho, guajillo, pasilla, or others! In this recipe, árbol chiles will be too small)
• 4 cups (1 quart) chicken broth
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup orange juice (preferably fresh squeezed)
• 3 whole chipotle chiles canned in adobo
• 2 tablespoons white, red, or sherry vinegar
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks (I like to get the pre-cut pork stew meat because it’s already trimmed!)
• 2-3 tbs. Olive, vegetable, or grapeseed oil for browning
• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
• 6 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tsp dried coriander
• 1 tbs. honey
• 1 bay leave
• Kosher salt

1. Cook the dried chiles in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat until fragrant and toasted but not blackened or burnt, about five minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the broth, raisins, orange juice, chipotles, and vinegar to the dried chiles, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, or until the chiles are soft.
3. Transfer the chile mixture to blender, or use an immersion blender, to blend the mixture to a smooth sauce; set aside.
4. In the same pot/dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Brown the pork pieces, turning to make sure all sides are browned. Remove from the pot to a plate.
5. Saute the onions over medium heat in the same pot as the previously browned pork for 3 minutes, or until a bit tender. Reduce heat to medium-low, and add the oregano, cumin, coriander, and honey. Saute for 3 more minutes, or until fragrant. Finally, add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds to one minute more.
6. Return the chili sauce mixture and the pork to the pot with the onion mixture. Add the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot almost completely, and simmer 2-3 hours or until the pork shreds easily. (Alternatively, after bringing to boil, you can transfer the pot, if oven-safe, to the oven and cook for 1.5 hours at 350 degrees.)
7. Once the pork is tender, season to taste with salt and pepper and ENJOY!