Slow-Cooked Carne Adovada with Hominy

By FoodPornDirector

From LA Times. Adapted from the book, heart of the Artichoke

Ingredients

• 6 ounces dried New Mexico red chiles
• 2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• Salt and pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, left whole or cut into large chunks
• Prepared hominy

Details

Cooking time 150mins
Adapted from latimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Rinse and dry the chiles, then toast them in a dry cast-iron pan over medium heat until they puff a bit and become fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. This probably will need to be done in batches. Cut the chiles lengthwise in half and remove the stems and seeds.

2. Put the chiles in a small pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer the chiles until softened, about 5 minutes, then set them aside in the liquid to cool. Puree the chiles with a cup of their cooking liquid in a blender until smooth.

3. Heat the lard or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, season with one-fourth teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper, and cook for about 5 minutes. There should be no color and no browning. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin and bay leaf, then add the chile puree and one-fourth teaspoon salt and simmer for another 5 minutes. Cool the mixture. (You can do this well ahead if you wish.)

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the pork in a low roasting pan or a heavy-bottomed ovenproof pot and season generously with 1½ teaspoons salt and one-half teaspoon pepper. Pour the chile sauce over the pork and mix well to coat. Cover tightly with a lid or foil.

5. Bake the pork until the meat is quite tender and falling apart, about 1½ to 2 hours. (This dish can be made a day or many hours ahead and reheated.)

6. Serve the carne adovada in shallow soup bowls with a big spoonful of the steaming-hot hominy.