The Mexican Slow Cooker: Recipes for Mole, Enchiladas, Carnitas, Chile Verde Pork, and More Favorites (10 page)

Salsa chile verde
takes its name from three types of green chiles, which are combined with green tomatillos to make an olive-green sauce with a gently tart and spicy edge. Never overpowering, it’s a perfect match for the richness of the pork. You can control the level of heat by adding more jalapeños, substituting spicier serrano chiles, or leaving out the hot chiles altogether. For frying the pork, I like to use flavorful fresh (liquid) lard, called
asiento
, which I buy at my local Latin grocery. (I also save the fat from
Carnitas
, for the same purpose.) All the ingredients go into the slow cooker hot, so the dish cooks in about 2 hours. This recipe is excellent with made with
chuletas
(pork chops) instead of diced pork. Serve with rice, beans, and warm corn tortillas.

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin, clove, and peppercorns until fragrant, stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Let cool completely and grind in a spice grinder.

Place the tomatillos and jalapeños in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes, or until barely soft. Drain immediately and place in a food processor along with the Anaheim chiles, garlic, and salt. Pulse until smooth.

Heat the lard in a large skillet over medium-high heat and, working in batches, brown the pork on one side without stirring the meat, then turn and brown on the other side. Return all the pork to the skillet and add the poblanos and onion and cook, stirring, until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the ground spices and cook, stirring, for an additional 2 minutes, until the spices are fragrant. Transfer the pork mixture to a 5-quart slow cooker.

Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Add the contents of the food processor to the pan and cook, stirring, until the salsa is thick and begins to stick to the pan. Add the water and bay leaf to the pan and simmer, stirring once or twice, for 5 minutes. Stir into the pork in the slow cooker, cover, and cook on low 2 hours, or until the pork is tender.

Serve hot with a bowl of
crema
alongside.

The vibrant red color and distinctive flavor of this recipe come from the
achiote recado,
a spice paste made with annatto, the seed of a tree native to Central America. Long, slow cooking in banana leaves brings a taste of tropical Mexico to your slow cooker while replicating the traditional pit-cooking method that gives the recipe its name. Keep it simple and authentic by serving it with black beans, corn tortillas, and white rice, as well as fiery Mayan
xni pec,
a citrusy salsa laced with onion and habanero chiles.
Fried plantains
are an excellent accompaniment as well. Boneless chicken may be used instead of the pork shoulder.

In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the cumin until fragrant, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Let cool completely and grind in a spice grinder.

Combine the ground cumin with the achiote paste, garlic, serranos, onion, salt, vinegar, and orange juice in a food processor and process until very smooth. Coat the pork evenly with half of the spice mixture.

Line the bottom of a slow cooker with one piece of banana leaf. Top with the pork and the remaining spice mixture. Add the water and place the second banana leaf over the pork. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with chopped cilantro and the salsa.

Makes ¾ cup

Habanero chiles are extremely
picante.
It takes time for the full impact of the heat to travel through the salsa, so it’s wise to start with a small amount then taste again before adding more.

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes, then adjust seasoning with salt and more habanero, if necessary.

Albondigas
(meatballs) are easy to make and festive enough for a buffet or party. The
chipotle salsa is as simple as can be, and the whole thing simmers away until you are ready to serve it. Serve the
albondigas
in big bowls, garnished with creamy diced avocado and a sprinkling of crunchy
chicharrón
. Rice is the classic accompaniment.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the pork, beef, and eggs with your hands. In a food processor, combine the bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, and parsley and pulse until combined. Add to the meat mixture and stir to combine. Divide the meat mixture into 12 or 24 equal portions, roll into balls, and chill for 30 minutes while you make the salsa.

To make the salsa, line a heavy skillet with aluminum foil and set over high heat. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and char on all sides, turning as little as possible, until blackened and soft. Place the tomatoes in a blender with the garlic, cumin, chipotles, oregano, and water. Puree until completely smooth, about 1 minute. For a smoother texture, you can pass the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill, if you like.

In a saucepan, heat the lard over medium heat. Add the salsa and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

Place the meatballs in the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour the salsa over, cover, and cook for 3½ hours on low.

Divide the meatballs among 6 large bowls. Thin the sauce, if necessary, with a little broth and spoon over the meatballs. Garnish with the diced avocado and crumble a few pieces of
chicharrón
over each bowl.

A different take on meat and potatoes, this easy, spicy
guisado
is made with chorizo, tender beef, potatoes, plenty of garlic, and spicy chiles de árbol. Be sure to buy
Mexican
chorizo, which is a soft uncured sausage flavored with chiles, garlic, cumin, and marjoram. Beef chorizo tastes the same as the pork version, and both are available at Latin markets. Serve the
guisado
with rice and flour tortillas, or use it as a filling for burritos or
sopes
. To reduce the heat, cut back on the chiles de árbol.