Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Costillas de Puerco en Chile Colorado Con Nopales (Mexican Pork Rib and Cactus Red Stew)

I usually lately don't post on a daily basis, but this week I may be posting daily depends, because we have so much cactus and down here in California it is very very plentiful right now, a good friend keeps giving us bags of cactus pads from her plant.

So yesterday I grilled some you can check the post "Nopales Asados", and this morning I made a simple "Nopales Con Huevos" (Cactus and Egg) by cutting the leftover grilled nopales, and heating them and oil and fried them with some minced onion and added beaten eggs with salt and pepper to make a scramble I ate with tortillas.

Today is day 2 of my Nopales lol. and I made a Mexican Pork and Cactus stew in a sauce we call "salsa de chile colorado" (red chile sauce?) this is a type of master sauce used in Mexican cookery for all sorts of dishes (enchiladas, stewing other meats, making certain soups, etc.) Today I used it to stew some pork ribs with cactus. It is a delicious marriage near and dear to me. Do not be intimidated by the long list of ingredients and cooking procedures this meal is almost a one pot meal with some corn tortillas and has your meat and veggies. I was able to make this delicious stew in less than an hour.

Main Ingredients:
-2 1/2 lbs. pork spare ribs
-salt and pepper to taste -water (enough to barely cover pork)

Ingredients for the sauce:
-8 dried Chile Californias (if you want it not spicy or for spicy use 8 dried "Chile Guajillos" or a blend of both) sliced open and de-seeded and veined
-2 dried "Chiles Pasillas"sliced open and de-seeded and veined
-2 ripe roma tomatoes cut small slits on skin downwards
-water (enough to cover dried chiles)
-1 teaspoon ground cumin
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
-1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder (optional)
-1/2 onion peeled
-2 cloves garlic peeled

Ingredients to prep. cactus:
-14 cleaned cactus pads julienned (about 2 lbs?) -water (enough to boil cactus) -1/4 onion
-2 cloves garlic

Main Ingredients Directions:
(1) Clean and wash your pork, and cut it into pieces. Now throw in a pot, season liberally with salt and pepper, add enough water to BARELY cover, and bring to a boil on high uncovered, leave it like that until all water reduces, the pork will render some fat, and start browning, lower heat to medium high. Stir occasionally.
Making the Sauce Directions:
(2) Meanwhile while pork is boiling uncovered heat 1 medium pot with some water, and 1 large one half-way with water to a boil, leave the large one alone you will use it to prep. your cactus.

(3) When small medium pot boils, add de-seeded, and viened dried chiles and 2 tomatoes, bring to a boil, then allow to rest for 10 minutes.
(4) After 10 minutes, blend in a blender with the water you soaked it in along with onion, garlic, cumin, black pepper, cloves, chicken bouillon.

(5) Strain the sauce directly into the pot where the pork ribs were boiling which by now the water should be gone and they should be browned, strain it, pushing with a spoon to get as much as you can through the strainer, add more water through the strainer to get more out of it. Be sure the pork is slightly covered by the sauce, allow to boil on medium heat and add salt to taste.

Prepping the cactus pads directions:
(6) By now you should have a medium large pot boiling with 1/4 onion and 2 garlic cloves.

(7) Now have you cactus pads cleaned with spines removed, julien them into strips. (I simply pile all of them and julienne them then cut those julienne s in half to have medium sized strips)

(8) Add the cactus and boil uncovered for 10 minutes, drain them, discard onion and garlic. set aside. DO NOT rinse them, just drain them.
Directions for putting the dish together
(9) Add the prepped drained cactus to the pot of pork boiling in the sauce, and allow to boil together an additional 5 minutes.
(10) Enjoy with corn tortillas and some refried beans if you'd like.
PLEASE NOTE:
I know it seems like a lot but you can multi-task and get everything done in under an hour and you'll have this special tasty dish :) You can buy the cactus pads already peeled, cleaned, and cut. You can just boil them, but like I said the one's I got were from a friends plant.

I wasn't able to take lots of detailed pictures since I was making this on my own.

26 comments:

Unknown said...

OMG, I want some!!! I know it's your birthday tomorrow and I have to treat you but you should treat me with some of that yum yum goodness!

Nathan said...

aaaaaaaaawwww babe :) I'll cook the green version of that dish. "Costillas de Puerco en Chile Verde Con Nopales" (Mexican Pork Rib and Cactus Green Stew?)

YayaOrchid said...

I can only imagine how wonderful the kitchen smelled with all those wonderful things cooking on your stovetop! Looks delicious!

Hope you also make the tortas de camaron with nopalitos....

Nathan said...

Hi YayaOrchid,
Thanks again for the visit :D unfortunately maybe it'll take me a looong time to post the "Tortitas de Camaron con Nopales" because my mom seldom and I mean "seldom" makes it like once a year :( and that's one of the dishes i don't know how to make. Maybe I can convince her sometime this month :D

She makes it the best she uses a combination of dry ground shrimp and fresh shrimp to make the tortitas.

It's one of those special dishes because she makes it sooo rarely.

Mamey said...

Hi Nathan...while visiting Mexico on different ocassions I've had different versions of 'frijoles charros.' Do you have any recipe for this delicious bean soup?

Nathan said...

Mamey,
I don't have a specific recipe nor have ever cooked them at my house but know how they are made :)

Just boil the beans until (pintos, flor de mayo, or peruanos) and when almost tender make a Mexican sofrito using bacon of onion, chili pepper, garlic, and fresh diced toamato cook it down. Season with salt, pepper and a little cumin and the optional teaspoon of chicken bouillon lots of Mexicans use as msg. Let boil a while with the sofrito then when ready to turn stir in fresh chopped cilantro.

You can add any combination or all of the following, Mexican chorizo, spanish chorizo, ham, hot dogs, etc. or boil the beans with some pork ribs or whatever cut of pork u like until tender like a Cuban or Spanish Potaje :) or just leave all that out and make it with a bacon and that's it. But I feel like bacon is essential in Frijoles Charros.

Stir in Cilantro when you turn it off :)

Simple.

Mamey said...

Yeah, I figured bacon is a must. Gracias mil!

Carmen said...

Llegué por el blog de Idania, y me gustó el tuyo. Deliciosos platillos mexicanos que muestras en inglés.

Estoy con antojo de un molito de estos y seguro que pronto me haré uno.
Un saludo desde México

besitosdemariposa said...

Nathan-
Came across your site and have been making a list of the dishes I'd like to make. This evening I made these "costillas"...OMG they were delicious!!! Thank you all your hard work!
Monica

Nathan said...

Monica,
I'm glad my blog was of some use :)thank you so much for trying it out and giving me feedback :)

Anonymous said...

WOW LOVE YOUR COOKING!!! MY MOM AND FAMILY AND ME COOK THE SAME!! LOVE NOPALES (CACTUS), MY SISTER IN LAW CAME FROM CALIFORNIA FOR VACTION AND SHE BROUGHT MY HUSBAND UNA PENCA DE NOPAL (CACTUS PLANT) AND HE PLANT IT IN A BIG POT OUTSIDE AND WE HAVE EATTEN NOPALITOS FROM IT 2 TIMES THERE SO GOOD. I COOK THEM ALONE WITH CHILE SAUCE I MAKE JUST LIKE YOURS, I COOK THEM WITH EGGS OR PORK MEAT AND IN A PICO DE GALLO. LOVE YOUR COOKING!!

Nathan said...

Anonymous,
I too love Nopalitos prepared the ways you describe they truly are awesome, one of my favorite vegetables and extremely versatile, glad your enjoying the blog :)

Sandra said...

Oh yum! I have always loved these but never knew how to make them! Thank you for your wonderful blog I have already bookmarked your website!

Sandra

Anonymous said...

que rico se ve eso gracias por la idea

Gina said...

Hi Nathan,
I just bought all the ingredients needed , I am about to get started!, I will let you know how it goes !! :)

Nathan said...

Hey Gina :) let me know how it turns out :D

Anonymous said...

Love your recipes, epecially the Mexican ones - just like Mami used to make the dishes. Thanks for your time and effort on this.

Cyberdead said...

Mouth is watering just by reading the recipe this is how my grandmother would do it, great job!!

Saludos desde Mexicali!

aida said...

I made it and it was amazing !! Awesome recipe!!:)

Unknown said...

THIS IS THE DISH MY MOTHER IN LAW HAS BEEN SHIELDING FROM ME!!! My husband loves it and loves me even more for making it! Thank you soooo much!HA hahaha monster in law! Monica

Unknown said...

This is the exact reciepe my mother in law has been shielding from me! My husband loves me even more for making it!!soo yummmmy!Hahahaha!monster in law! thank you so very much!! Monica

Unknown said...

This recipe sounds delicious!! Brought back memories when i used to live w/my mom. Now since im always on the go w/work & church i make quick meals but i def need to make time for my kitchen. Eventually i will master the mexican dishes w/help from the kind ppl that post recipes lol!! Thanks!

Janay Nicole said...

This is the third thing I have tried from you and it is absolutely delicious... I love you Nathan thank you for all this you need to make a recipe book.

-J

Janay Nicole said...

I have tried a few of your recipes the one that made the most impression was the el salvadorean tamales I made my mother in law is from el salvador and she said they are as good as her niece and she has been making them for years. I love you nathan you need to make a recipe book ...

love J

Anonymous said...

Btw Nathan usually by boilin the cactus(takes seems like forever) it rids them of the slimy substance they release. So if u add vinegar to d water, mayb like 1-2 tblespoons, the slimy substance will immediately disappear instead of rewashin cactus & boilin it over n over. It will take u only 30-40 min what b4 took hours to clean d cactus & lose the slime.

Sincerly,
Veronica G

Unknown said...

This is called chilallo I've been eating this since I was a wee lad!! My mom is 76 and still cooks this. I live 800 miles away and I haven't had this for almost a year but I have her recipe and I'm going to eat this tonight.