Pork In Pipian Sauce Recipes

PORK CHOPS IN PIPIAN

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Remove the stems from the chiles de árbol, and gently roll the chiles between your fingers to remove the seeds. Discard seeds. Set a bare skillet over high heat for 5 minutes, then add the chiles. Toast until they are darkened and fragrant, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Place them in a bowl, cover with 2 cups boiling or very hot water, and set aside to soak.
• Return the skillet to high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred, approximately 10 minutes. Put the vegetables on a plate, and set aside to cool, then slip the skins off the cloves of garlic.
• Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Place the pumpkin seeds, peanuts and sesame seeds in the skillet, and cook, stirring and shaking the pan continuously, until they are toasted and fragrant, approximately 2 to 4 minutes. Put the seeds and nuts in a bowl, and stir in the cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
• Put the chiles and soaking liquid in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, the nut-seed mixture and the chipotle. Purée until smooth.
• Add the oil, lard or chicken fat to a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the purée. It will sputter a lot. Lower the heat, and stir, cooking the mixture down to a thick paste. It will continue to sputter and pop. Add the broth to the paste, and stir, then season with the salt, sugar and vinegar, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until it resembles a thick, creamy soup. Lower heat to a bare simmer.
• Make the pork chops: Season the pork chops aggressively with salt and pepper, and dust them with the flour. Add the oil to the skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add the chops, and let them cook undisturbed, in batches if necessary, until crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Set them aside to rest for 5 minutes or so. Serve a chop per person on a generous amount of sauce, with tortillas to mop it up. Extra sauce can be used to braise chicken, lamb or more pork, or as a topping for enchiladas.

PEPIAN DULCE (PORK IN SWEET GUATEMALAN SAUCE)

Steps:

• Combine water, pork loin, onion, salt, and garlic in a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the pork reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), about 30 minutes.
• Transfer pork to a bowl. Strain broth into another bowl and reserve. Discard onion and garlic; keep the strainer handy.
• Toast pasilla chile peppers in a hot skillet until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tear into small pieces and place in a bowl; cover with 1 cup pork broth and let soak, about 30 minutes.
• Combine tomatoes and onion in the same skillet; cook and stir until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Toast sesame seeds, squash seeds, and cinnamon stick in the skillet until browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add to the bowl. Tear bread roll into pieces and toast it with the baguette in the skillet until browned, about 2 minutes. Add to the bowl.
• Working in small batches, blend the soaked chile peppers, the tomato and onion mixture, the squash seeds, sesame seeds, cinnamon stick, allspice, peppercorns, and the toasted breads with about half of the pork broth until smooth.
• Strain each batch of sauce through the sieve into a bowl; repeat until all sauce ingredients are pureed.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Pour in sauce; cook and stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Season with brown sugar and salt. Stir in pork, remaining broth, almonds, and prunes. Cook until flavors combine, about 10 minutes.

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN WITH PIPIAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Place pork between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Pound to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thickness. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add next 5 ingredients. Sauté until seeds are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Place 4 cups water, tomatillos, and jalapeño in small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until tomatillos are soft and olive-green color, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Transfer tomatillos, jalapeño, reserved 1/4 cup liquid, cilantro, lettuce, broth, radishes, and seed mixture to blender. Blend sauce until smooth, stopping occasionally to push down ingredients.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sauce; cook until thickened, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Divide among 4 plates. Stir sauce over medium heat until heated through. Spoon sauce over pork.
• Green tomato-like vegetables with paper-thin husks. Available at Latin American markets and some supermarkets.

POLLO EN PIPIAN (CHICKEN IN PIPIAN SAUCE)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine chicken, water, celery, bay leaf, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is cooked through and tender. Strain, reserving the broth. Skin and bone the chicken; set the meat aside.
• Toast the sesame seeds lightly in a skillet, stirring constantly, until they are fragrant. In a food processor or blender, puree the sesame seeds and almonds with1 cup of the reserved chicken broth.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add the blended sesame seed and almond mixture, and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in 1 to 2 cups reserved chicken broth and chicken bouillon. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped peppers, olives, capers, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes, and serve hot.

PORK IN PIPIAN SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Remove the stems from the chiles de árbol, and gently roll the chiles between your fingers to remove the seeds. Discard seeds. Set a bare skillet over high heat for 5 minutes, then add the chiles. Toast until they are darkened and fragrant, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Place them in a bowl, cover with 2 cups boiling or very hot water, and set aside to soak.
• Return the skillet to high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic, and cook, turning occasionally, until charred, approximately 10 minutes. Put the vegetables on a plate, and set aside to cool, then slip the skins off the cloves of garlic.
• Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Place the pumpkin seeds, peanuts and sesame seeds in the skillet, and cook, stirring and shaking the pan continuously, until they are toasted and fragrant, approximately 2 to 4 minutes. Put the seeds and nuts in a bowl, and stir in the cinnamon, cloves and allspice.
• Put the chiles and soaking liquid in a blender with the tomatoes, onion, garlic, the nut-seed mixture and the chipotle. Purée until smooth.
• Add the oil, lard or chicken fat to a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium heat until it is nearly smoking. Add the purée. It will sputter a lot. Lower the heat, and stir, cooking the mixture down to a thick paste. It will continue to sputter and pop. Add the broth to the paste, and stir, then season with the salt, sugar and vinegar, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until it resembles a thick, creamy soup. Lower heat to a bare simmer.
• Make the pork chops: Season the pork chops aggressively with salt and pepper, and dust them with the flour. Add the oil to the skillet, and heat over medium-high heat until nearly smoking. Add the chops, and let them cook undisturbed, in batches if necessary, until crisp and well browned, about 5 minutes per side. Set them aside to rest for 5 minutes or so. Serve a chop per person on a generous amount of sauce, with tortillas to mop it up. Extra sauce can be used to braise chicken, lamb or more pork, or as a topping for enchiladas.