Tinga Poblana (a Oaxacan specialty)

serves 10

As many of you probably know, I participate in a cooking club once a month with some ladies from my church. This month the theme was Mexican/Latin American, and thank goodness for my dear Mexican friend Nivea who graciously passed along this authentic recipe from her region, which she assured me was “muy, muy tipico!” It has a little spice on its own, but you can serve sliced chipotles on the side for those who want to ramp it up a bit. While this is most likely for meat lovers only, I don't think it falls off the healthy bandwagon: the only real source of fat is from the chorizo, and you can drain most of the fat off. So don't feel like you're doing yourself or your unborn fetus any serious harm! I have to add that this is one of those dishes that is very tasty the day that you made it, but that reaches transcendent heights the day after. When I had some for lunch on Friday I actually marveled (and regretted, strangely) that I hadn't eaten more of it on Thursday night at the cooking club meeting.

8 oz. pork

1 lb flank steak

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp salt

1 lb chorizo

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

8 oz. tomatillos, thinly sliced

1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, peeled and chopped (I used 2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained)

1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp marjoram

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 C adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chilies

rice and/or tortillas to serve, sliced chipotle chilies and diced avocado to garnish

The original recipe said to cube the pork and beef and simmer it for one hour, then shred it; I found this to be very difficult (shredding cubes is a challenge). Instead I’m recommending that you put the pork and beef in the slow cooker with the bay leaves, crushed garlic and salt, and enough water to cover, and that you cook them for 8-10 hours. Remove meat from broth (reserve broth), shred and set aside.

In the meantime sauté the chorizo until browned, then remove from pan with a slotted spoon and set aside with the shredded beef and pork. Sauté the onion and garlic in the chorizo fat until transparent. Add the tomatillos and sauté 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spices and adobo sauce and let simmer 10 minutes, like so:

 

Finally add the chorizo, shredded meats, and 1 cup of the reserved broth, and simmer 15 minutes. If the mixture seems too thick, add more broth. Serve the tinga over rice, and/or with tortillas. Garnish with diced avocados and sliced chipotle peppers. Mmm, finished product: