Al Pastor
Mom in one of her beautiful Taxco necklaces.
Somewhere in the early 2000s, Mom and Dad became obsessed with Taxco silver. It started with them researching the artist William Spratling, who lived in New Orleans in the 1920s and was a part of the creative group (along with William Faulkner) that Dad wrote about in Dixie Bohemia. Spratling later moved to Taxco, Mexico and spearheaded a silver movement. He started a workshop that made pieces that focused on traditional Mexican and Pre-Columbian motifs. Other artists followed suit and Taxco developed into a happening scene.
My parents’ obsession coincided perfectly with the invention of eBay. Mom and Dad discovered that they could get some amazing deals online and they set out to make a comprehensive collection of Taxco jewelry, trinkets, and silverware. Now, as eBay was new, it hadn’t quite worked out the kinks of setting your maximum bid in advance. I remember Mom and Dad visiting us in Houston and being psyched that our guest room had a dial up modem (remember those?) so that they could get up at all hours of the night to check on their items. Nothing like trying to sleep and hearing that screeching modem sound! They succeeded in putting together a fabulous collection AND THEN SOME. In fact, it got downright ridiculous! After a visit to NC, I would come back to Texas dripping with bracelets that “were just OK”. I couldn’t see any problem with them but Mom had 5 better ones. She just couldn’t resist a deal and was happy to share.
Mom and Dad got so into it that they eventually went to Taxco. They visited the current makers, many of them descendents from previous artists, and came home with even more goodies! Mom became an expert on the artist marks and could identify a “so and so” by Joe Blow (or Jose’ Blow, as it were). When the San Antonio Museum of Art hosted a Spratling Exhibition, guess who flew in for the opening like rockstars? Well, Mom and Dad of course! They busted out their finest jewelry and strutted their stuff, receiving compliments from experts in the field. Chris and I came over from Houston and looked, well, rather unadorned.
I wanted to share something Mexican for this post. Mom didn’t have a ton of Mexican recipes in her files. I think she preferred just coming to Texas and enjoying a dinner that someone else made, say, on the patio of Matt’s El Rancho. But, she did have this Al Pastor recipe and that’s always delicious. I remember eating some late night Al Pastor tacos in Zihuatanejo once and thinking I’d never had anything better. These are traditionally served on corn tortillas.
AL PASTOR
6 to 8 servings
1 large white onion, halved
1 pineapple, peeled, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup guajillo chile powder
3 garlic cloves, halved
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 2 1/2-to 3-pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Corn tortillas
Lime wedges
Smoky Salsa (recipe below) or just some store-bought if you don’t feel like dealing with it
Coarsely chop 1 onion half. Coarsely chop 2 pineapple rounds, discarding core; cover and chill remaining pineapple. Place chopped onion and chopped pineapple in blender. Add orange juice and next 7 ingredients; puree marinade until smooth. Place pork in large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and seal bag, releasing excess air. Turn to coat. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill remaining pineapple until warm and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Grill pork with some marinade still clinging until slightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer pineapple and pork to work surface; chop pineapple into 1/2-inch cubes, discarding cores. Chop pork. Transfer to platter; toss to combine.
Meanwhile, finely chop remaining onion half and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro; toss to combine. Grill tortillas until warm and slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.
Serve pork-pineapple mixture with onion-cilantro relish, Smoky Two-Chile Salsa, and lime wedges.
SMOKY SALSA
8 large dried guajillo chiles or New Mexico chiles, stemmed, seeded, coarsely torn
2 cups hot water
1/2 medium onion, halved lengthwise through core end
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 to 2 chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotles in adobo
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Coarse kosher salt
Place torn chiles in bowl. Add 2 cups hot water; soak at least 2 hours or overnight. Drain chiles, reserving soaking liquid.
Heat small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic to dry skillet; cook until browned in spots, about 6 minutes for garlic and 10 minutes for onion. Trim core from onion. Place onion and garlic in blender. Add drained chiles, 1 cup soaking liquid, 1 chipotle chile, 1 teaspoon adobo, cilantro, and lime juice; puree until smooth. Add remaining chipotle and 1 teaspoon adobo, if desired; puree. Transfer to bowl. Season to taste with coarse salt. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and chill.
AS USUAL, KEEP ME POSTED!
Email and subscription button below.