I love Mexican food. Not “spanish” food. Not Tex-Mex food. Mexican food. As in food like people eat in their homes in Mexico. One of my favorite memories comes from when I lived in California and had the opportunity to eat some real Mexican food, particularly food from Sonora.
Carne asada tacos, arroz con pollo, chile colorado, Sonoran flour tortillas (this is a wheat growing region), and of course Sonoran hot dogs. Sonoran hot dogs and Chicago hot dogs rival each other for deliciousness. Let me say that I don’t do bacon, but a Sonoran hot dog (wrapped in bacon, grilled, and topped with beans, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, cheese, mayonnaise, and mustard) can convert even me – and I really, really do not like bacon. What’s a Chicago dog? It is all-beef dog on a poppy seed bun, topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt – no bacon.
Here is my favorite recipe for Chile Colorado.
First the chilis. Take 5 anchos, 2 pasillas and 2 guajillos or arbols (1 if you like it not so spicy, none if you want something flavorful but not hot), and remove the stems and seeds. Throw those away. Look for chiles that are soft and pliable. If they are dry and hard, they won’t taste like anything you want to eat.
Cover chiles with 2 cups of boiling water or chicken or beef stock and let them soak for about 30 minutes until they are soft. Put the chiles and all of the soaking liquid into a blender and purée until very smooth. Strain this so that no solids are left. Press down with a spoon to get all the goodness. Throw away the solids that are left.
Cut 2 pounds or so of boneless pork shoulder or beef chuck stew meat into ½” pieces, season with salt and pepper, and brown the meat in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat with some avocado oil or regular vegetable oil to keep it from sticking. Chop up about 6 garlic cloves along with 1/2 a large yellow onion (peeled and cut into chunks) two bay leaves, a tablespoon of ground cumin (or a tablespoon of toasted cumin seeds, ground to a powder), and a couple of teaspoons of chopped fresh oregano (Mexican oregano if you can get it). Cook for a minute or two on medium heat, or until it starts to smell delicious. Add in 3 cups of chicken, beef or vegetable stock and simmer uncovered for about an hour. Then, stir in the chile purée and simmer, covered, for another 45 minutes until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick and a dark red color.
I like to eat this with yellow rice, pinto or pink beans, and Sonoran tortillas. Yum. Drink a glass of horchata with it. Make your own or buy it from the grocery store.
