Tacos De Cecina (Pounded Pork Tacos) - cooking recipe
Ingredients
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2 guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded (See Note)
2 (1 lb) pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus
more extra virgin olive oil, for coating the pan
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
16 corn tortillas
1 medium white onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 limes, cut in wedges,for serving
Preparation
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Bring 1 cup of water to a boil, in a dry cast-iron skillet, toast the chilies over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant; turn them and shake the pan so they don't scorch.
Put the toasted chilies in a bowl, cover with the boiling water, and let them soak until softened and reconstituted, about 15 minutes.
Using a sharp knife, make a deep slit down the length of the tenderloins and open them up so they lay flat.
With the smooth side of a mallet, pound the pork between two pieces of plastic to a 1/4-inch thickness.
Transfer to a platter.
In a blender, combine the toasted chilies, vinegar, oregano, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and pepper, and puree to form a paste.
Rub the paste on both sides of the pork.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat grill or ridged grill pan.
Brush grill grates with a little oil to prevent meat from sticking.
Scrape off excess chili paste from pork and grill for 2 minutes per side.
Remove to cutting board and let rest for 2 minutes.
Slice into 1/4-inch pieces.
Heat a large dry skillet over a medium flame.
Warm the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side, until toasty and pliable.
To make the tacos, stack 2 warm tortillas, lay about 4 ounces of pork down the center, and sprinkle with some onion and cilantro.
Drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons of salsa on top of each taco and garnish with lime wedges.
Note: Guajillo chili is the dried form of the fresh mirasol chili.
Can be found at Latin markets.
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