Green Chile Adobo

By TPMay

Ingredients

• Taco Filling:
• Abodo
• 1/2 head of garlic, separated into unpeeled cloves
• 4 to 5 fresh serrano chiles, stems removed
• 1 large bunch cilantro (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped (about 2 cups loosely packed)
• 1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley (thick bottom stems cut off), roughly chopped (about 2 cups loosely packed)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 generous teaspoons salt
• 1 pound skirt steak, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin
• OR 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• OR 1 pound thin-cut (1/2 inch or little less) pork chops preferably the ones from the blade end
• OR 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon drippings or fresh-rendered pork lard
• 1 medium onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices

Preparation

Step 1

In a large 10 inch skillet over medium heat add garlic and roast, turning regularly, until soft and browned in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles and 15 for the garlic. When the chiles and garlic have cooled, slip the skins off the garlic, roughly chop everything (no need to remove the chile seeds) and scoop it into a blender or food processor. To that add cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper.
Process it all, stopping to scrape down the sides if necessary, until it's nearly smooth and looks a little like pesto. Lastly,scoop out 1/3 cup of the adobo, combine it with two tablespoons of water and set it aside. (cover the remaining adobo and keep in the refrigerator for another use.)
Before starting the final cooking, heat corn tortillas. Very lightly dampen 2 squares of paper towel (stacked on top of each other) and use them to wrap then Slide them into a heavy plastic bag. Without sealing the bag, microwave the tortillas at 100% for 1 minute. Leave them there while finishing the rest of the
Taco Filling:
Whichever meat or poultry you've chosen, pat them dry with paper towels and season with a generous sprinkling of salt.
In a very large (12-inch), heavy skillet set over medium-high, heat vegetable oil, olive oil, bacon drippings or fresh-rendered pork lard
With the first whisp of smoke, lay in the meat in a single layer and strew onto the open spots the onion
As the protein sears nestle in the onion, turning it as it browns. When the meat is richly browned on one side (about 2 to 3 minutes for shrimp, about 5 minutes for everything else), turn it over, brown the other side, then remove the protein to a plate. onions should really be caramelized, so leave them in the pan a little longer, stirring regularly for several minutes, until they're richly browned.
While the onion is cooking, cut the meat or poultry into ¼-inch slices (skirt steak must be sliced across the grain), add it back to the pan and stir in the reserved Green Chile Adobo. If the mixture looks like it needs to be saucier, add a little more water, then taste everything and season it with salt if it needs some.
After scooping the mixture into a warm serving bowl, carry it to the table, along with the warm tortillas wrapped in a towel. These tacos are perfect topped with ¼ cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or queso añejo or other fresh or aged garnishing cheese like fresh farmers cheese, dry goat cheese, Romano or Parmesan a big handful of cilantro leaves