Pork filled enchiladas with orange red mole

For the potluck at IHCC's this week, I made something I've had marked to make for a long time. These pork filled enchiladas with orange red mole were worth the effort, and really tasty. I'm in love with the coloradito sauce, it's divine.

I couldn't find Plantains of course, here in the bush of Alaska.... it's not something you can just pop to the store and buy. I had a nice zucchini in the fridge so I added it to my filling for an extra something, but I think with the plantain this dish would be perfect, I think it would suit this dish very well.

Pork filled enchiladas with orange red mole

from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless

For the meat

12 ounces lean boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp mixed dried herbs, such as marjoram and thyme

1 thick slice onion, roughly chopped

For the coloradito sauce

7 medium dried chilies anchos, stemmed, seeded, and deveined

5 cloves garlic, unpeeled

2 slices firm white bread

1 ripe large tomato, roasted

1 small onion roughly chopped

1 generous tsp dried oregano

pinch ground cloves

pinch ground pepper

pinch cinnamon

1 1/2 Tbs vegetable oil

1 Tbs sugar

For finishing the filling

1 small boiling potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice

3 Tbs vegetable oil

1 medium onion

1/2 ripe plantain, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice

1 ripe medium tomato, roasted, peeled and cored

salt and pepper to taste

For finishing the enchiladas

12 corn tortillas

1 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or cheese such as farmers or feta

optional

1/4 cup diced onion

diced avocado

For the meat, Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the pork, then skim off the foam that rises during the first few minutes of simmering. Add the salt, herbs and onion. Partially cover and simmer over medium heat until the meat is tender, about 45 minutes. When the meat is done, remove it, then strain the broth and reserve it.

For the sauce, cover the seeded chilies with boiling water, weigh with a plate to keep them submerged and let reconstitute for 30 minutes. Place the unpeeled garlic cloves in a small skillet over medium heat and roast for about 15 minutes, turning frequently until blackened in spots and soft to the touch. Cool, then slide off the papery skins and place cloves in blender jar.

Darkly toast the bread and tear into small pieces. Add to the blender along with the tomato, onion, oregano, and spices. Drain the soaked chilies, set aside 1 to use in the filling and add the remainder to the blender along with 1/2 cup of the reserved broth. Blend until smooth, then strain through a medium mesh sieve.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan set over medium high heat. When it is hot enough to make a drop of the puree sizzle fiercely, add all the puree and stir for several minutes as the mixture fries and concentrates. Stir in 2 1/2 cups of the pork broth, partially cover and simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes. When the sauce is ready, season with salt and pepper.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the filling. Boil the potato in salted water until tender, about 5 minutes and drain. When the pork is cool enough to handle, shred with your fingers. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shredded pork, potato, onion and plantain. Stir often scraping the bottom of the skillet to dislodge any sticky bits, until the mixture is a rich golden brown, about 8 minutes.

When the meat is frying, combine the remaining tomato and single reserved chilie in the blender and process until smooth. Add the puree to the browned mixture and stir constantly for several minutes as the filling thickens. Remove from the fire, season liberally with salt and pepper, cover and keep warm in a low oven.

Warm your tortillas. Just before serving, remove the hot filling from the oven and raise the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Two or three at a time, lay the steaming tortillas in front of you, spoon a heaping tablespoon of the filling down the center of each one, roll up and lay in a warm baking dish, seam side down. When all have been filled and rolled, spoon the coloradito sauce over them and warm in the oven for 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle the warm enchiladas with cheese, some extra onion, and some fresh avocado.

Oh and please mind the paper plates, since the only water we have here at our property in Alaska is water we carry... we are conserving! I have an unreal amount of dishes just from basic cooking, so plates are a luxury not worth having. I'll use the water for my pots and pans ;)

I've been trying to work on this post all day, it's been a crazy one here. I'm also prepping for a dinner party tomorrow night. Pulled pork, potato salad, baked beans, homemade BBQ sauce, ricotta stuffed roasted tomatoes, cherry pies, and Mexican hot chocolate brownies.

I'm cooking up a storm. And trying to conserve dish water. I'm learning a lot about how much water I use to do every day things that I never stop to think about. In the end, I think it's a good thing to learn to be more aware of.

I can't wait to get home and fill my tub to the top with hot water full of bubbles though. But I'll be extra grateful when I'm able to do it!