Do Your Taste Buds Need a New Attitude?

I'd visited New Mexico three times before I finally tasted Carne Adovada. It must have had something to do with taste bud maturity, because in those days, I went for the green chile all the way. After I'd finally experienced this amazing dish, I nearly cried with joy. Large pieces of tender pork, succulent and cooked all day in sauce of deep, rich red chile. Immediately, I was transformed back to my grandmother's kitchen where a pot of red chile simmered on the burner all day. It's scent filled the entire house and the anticipation of dinner is still in my mind.

What had I missed all these years while traveling in New Mexico?

The first thing I had to do was figure out how to pronounce this mysterious dish (the letter D is pronounced TH). And what exactly did this strange word mean? I grew up in California where that dish was called Chile Con Carne and it was made with beef. Adovada was similar, but had a very different flavor. I learned the word Adovada or Abobada means to marinate. New Mexican's marinate the pork overnight before cooking. For me, this is way too much work and I had to figure out how to make a sauce we could bottle and get people eating fast. We did, but my New Mexican friends laugh at this because fast is not a word tied to the kitchen or to cooking.

Still, we've come up with a winner. You can try ours or if you insist on the Old World style, here is a recipe adapted from one of my friends, Toni Salas.

1/4 cup canola oil (4 lbs. Pork butt, cut in 1-2 inch pieces (Not loin))

1 cup. Chopped brown onion

4 tsp. chopped garlic

2 cups. Low salt beef broth

2 cups Low salt chicken broth

2 tsp. ground coriander seed (Not fresh cilantro)

2 tsp. ground oregano

1 cup New Mexico ground red chile

5 tsp. chile caribe

(2 tsp vinegar)

salt to taste

In a dutch oven, add canola and brown pork. Remove to cool Add onion, brown until caramelized.

Add remaining ingredients and cook for twenty minutes. Pour ingredients (except pork) into blender and puree.

When puree has reached room temperature, add pork to glass baking dish and pour mixture over top.

Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

The following day, remove cover and bake at 350 for three hours.