| Bacon-wrapped Pork Roast Recipe | | | | 6 Tbsp of lard or the fat from the broth |
| An easy way to dress up a simple pork | | | | 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped |
| roast is to wrap it in bacon. The bacon | | | | 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely |
| fat brings extra juiciness and flavor to | | | | chopped |
| the roast. | | | | The cooked meat (about 3 cups - note if |
| 1 pork loin (1 1/2 pounds) | | | | you use more than 3 cups, you will need |
| Salt and pepper | | | | to increase the amounts of the other |
| 1 Tbsp olive oil | | | | ingredients) |
| 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary | | | | A molcajete (mortar and pestle) |
| 1/4 lb bacon, thinly sliced | | | | 8 peppercorns |
| 1 cup white wine | | | | 5 whole cloves |
| 1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Season | | | | 1/2 inch stick cinnamon |
| pork wil salt and pepper. Heat oil in a | | | | 3 heaping Tbsp of raisins |
| large cast-iron skillet over medium | | | | 2 Tbsp blanched and slivered almonds |
| heat. Sear pork on all sides until | | | | 2 heaping Tbsp acitron or candied fruit, |
| browned, about 10 minutes total. Remove | | | | chopped |
| from heat. | | | | 2 tsp salt, or to taste |
| 2 Rub pork with chopped rosemary; wrap | | | | 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and |
| with bacon, overlapping strips slightly. | | | | seeded |
| Tie pork roast wih kitchen twine. Roast | | | | 1 pear, cored, peeled and chopped |
| in oven, basting occasionally with | | | | 1 peach, pitted, peeled and chopped |
| cooking juices, until internal | | | | Melt the lard and cook the onion and |
| temperature is 145°F on a meat | | | | garlic, without browning, until they are |
| thermometer, 35 o 40 minutes. Remove | | | | soft. |
| from oven. Transfer pork to a serving | | | | Add the meat and let it cook until it |
| dish. | | | | begins to brown. |
| 3 Make pan sauce. Place the roasting | | | | Crush the spices roughly in the |
| skillet on the stove top over low heat. | | | | molcajete and add them, with the rest of |
| Add the wine and deglaze the pan, | | | | the ingredients to the meat mixture. (If |
| stirring with a wooden spoon to scrap up | | | | you don't have a molcajete, you can use |
| any browned bits from the pan bottom. | | | | the blunt end of a pestle to crush the |
| Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a | | | | spices in a bowl.) Cook the mixture a |
| small saucepan. Skim off the fat. Reheat | | | | few moments longer. |
| to serving temperature if necessary. | | | | Add chopped peach and pear to the |
| Chiles en Nogada (Chilies in Walnut | | | | mixture. |
| Sauce) Recipe | | | | The Chilies: |
| Guaymas Restaurant in Tiburon is my | | | | Put 6 chiles poblanos (and you MUST use |
| favorite Mexican restaurant in Northern | | | | this type of chili) straight into a |
| California and their Chile Poblano is | | | | fairly high flame or under a broiler and |
| the best item on the menu. It is a green | | | | let the skin blister and burn. Turn the |
| poblano chili stuffed with a picadillo | | | | chilies from time to time so they do not |
| and covered in a walnut creme sauce and | | | | get overcooked or burn right through. |
| sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. I have | | | | Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or |
| loved this dish for years and and | | | | plastic bag and leave them for about 20 |
| finally found the recipe in Diana | | | | minutes. The burned skin will then flake |
| Kennedy's The Cuisines of Mexico. | | | | off very easily and the flesh will |
| Guyamas' version uses a ground chicken | | | | become a little more cooked in the |
| picadillo, while Diana Kennedy's version | | | | steam. Make a slit in the side of each |
| uses a pork picadillo. "Chiles en | | | | chili and carefully remove the seeds and |
| Nogada" (chilies in walnut sauce) is | | | | veins. Be careful to leave the top of |
| traditionally made with pork and is a | | | | the chili, the part around the base of |
| specialty of Puebla. According to Ms. | | | | the stem, intact. (If the chilies are |
| Kennedy, | | | | too hot - picante, let them soak in a |
| The recipe is said to have been | | | | mild vinegar and water solution for |
| concocted by the grateful people of | | | | about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chilies and |
| Puebla, who were giving a banquet in | | | | pat them dry. |
| honor of Don Agustin de Iturbide's | | | | Stuff the chilies with the picadillo |
| saint's day, August 28 in 1821. He and | | | | until they are well filled out. Set them |
| his followers had led the final revolt | | | | aside on paper towels. |
| against Spanish domination; as | | | | The Nogada (walnut sauce) |
| self-proclaimed emperor he had just | | | | The day before: |
| signed the Treaty of Cordoba. All the | | | | 20 to 25 fresh walnuts, shelled |
| dishes at the banquest were concocted of | | | | cold milk |
| ingredients of the color of the Mexican | | | | Remove the thin papery skin from the |
| flag; in this dish were the green | | | | nuts. (Note, these are Diana Kennedy's |
| chilies, the white sauce, and the red | | | | instructions. I have found it virtually |
| pomegranate seeds. | | | | impossible to remove the skins from the |
| You must start this dish one day ahead | | | | fresh walnuts that come from our walnut |
| by soaking the walnuts for the nogada | | | | tree. The above photo shows the sauce |
| sauce overnight. This dish is a bit | | | | which includes the skins. I think it |
| involved, but the effort is worth it. It | | | | would be creamier without the skins, but |
| really is an extraordinary blend of | | | | what can you do? We found that blanching |
| flavors. And if you ever get to Guyamas | | | | the walnuts did not help get the skin |
| Restaurant in Tiburon, Mill Valley | | | | off.) |
| California, by all means order it! You | | | | Completely cover the walnuts with cold |
| won't be disappointed. | | | | milk and leave them to soak overnight. |
| The Picadillo: | | | | On serving day: |
| 2 lbs of boneless pork | | | | The soaked and drained nuts |
| 1/2 onion, sliced | | | | 1 small piece white bread without crust |
| 2 cloves garlic, peeled | | | | 1/4 lb queso fresco |
| 1 Tbsp salt, or to taste | | | | 1 1/2 cups thick sour creme (or creme |
| Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them | | | | fraiche) |
| into the pan with the onion, garlic, and | | | | 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar |
| salt and cover with cold water. Bring | | | | Large pinch of cinnamon |
| the meat to a boil, lower the flame and | | | | Blend all of the ingredients in a |
| let it simmer until just tender - about | | | | blender until they are smooth. |
| 40-45 minutes. Do not over cook. Leave | | | | To Serve |
| the meat to cool off in the broth. | | | | To assemble the dish, cover the chilies |
| Strain the meat, reserving the broth, | | | | in the nogada sauce and sprinkle with |
| then shred or chop it finely and set it | | | | fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate |
| aside. Let the broth get completely cold | | | | seeds. |
| and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat. | | | | |