Recipe: Carne Adovada

Makes 8 servings

1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil

6 pounds of pork butt or shoulder, trimmed and cut into 3/4 inch cubes to yield a total of 3 1/2 pounds of meat, or 3 1/2 pounds, pre-cut by your butcher

2 cups diced onions

2 tablespoons minced garlic

4 cups chicken broth or water, divided

2 teaspoons ground coriander seed

2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano

2 teaspoons red chile pepper flakes

3/4 cup ground red chile powder (mild or medium, New Mexican preferred)

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet and brown pork in batches over medium-high heat, then set meat aside. Add onion to the skillet and saute until golden. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Deglaze skillet with 1 cup of chicken broth, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom of skillet. Set aside.

2. Place coriander, oregano, red pepper flakes, ground red chile powder, honey, vinegar and salt in work bowl of a food processor. Add contents of skillet and 2 more cups of broth. Process until mixture is thoroughly combined. Put mixture in a Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot. Add browned meat and remaining 1 cup of broth. Stir to combine and cover. Bake in a preheated oven 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender and the sauce slightly reduced.

From Rocky Durham, Culinary Director,

The Santa Fe School of Cooking