You may also like
Categories:
lentils white onion salt stewing pork salt chiles anchos tomatoes garlic oregano cinnamon lard plantain pineapple
Viewed: 55 - Published at: 6 years agoIngredients
- 8 ounces (225 g; 1 heaped cup [300 ml]) lentils, brown if available (see note above)
- 1/2 small white onion
- Sea salt to taste
- 1 pound (450 g) boneless stewing pork, cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- Sea salt to taste
- 5 small chiles anchos, cleaned of veins and seeds and lightly toasted (see Notes)
- 4 ounces (115 g) tomatoes, broiled (see Notes)
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
- 1 whole clove, crushed
- 1 1/2-inch (3.75 cm) cinnamon stick, crushed
- 1 tablespoon melted lard or safflower oil
- 1 ripe plantain (225 g; about 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch(6.25 mm) slices
- 2 thick pineapple slices, peeled, cored, and cut into small triangular wedges
Method
- Run the lentils through your hands to make sure there are no stones or other foreign bodies in them.
- Rinse them in two changes of water and put into a pan.
- Add onion, salt to taste, and enough water to come about 2 inches (5 cm) above the surface of the lentils.
- Set over medium heat and bring to a fast simmer.
- Continue simmering until the lentils are quite soft-about 1 1/2 hours, depending on their age.
- Keep a pan of near-boiling water on the side, ready to add if necessary.
- Put the pork pieces into a pan; add salt to taste and water to cover.
- Bring to a fast simmer and continue simmering until the pork is tender but not soft-about 25 minutes.
- Strain, reserving the broth, and set broth and meat aside.
- Cover the dried chiles with hot water and leave to soak for about 15 minutes, until the chiles have softened and become fleshy.
- Drain and put into a blender jar with 1 cup (250 ml) of the reserved pork broth, the broiled tomatoes, garlic, oregano, clove, and cinnamon; blend until smooth, adding more broth only if needed to release the blades of the blender.
- Heat the lard in a small frying pan, add the blended ingredients, and fry over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan, until reduced and well seasoned--about 4 minutes.
- Add to the lentils and add the pork, remaining broth, plantain, and pineapple; simmer together for about 30 minutes.
- Adjust salt and add water if necessary.
- The mixture should be like a thick soup.
