INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add the ancho and pasilla
chiles and press them flat with a spatula.  Toast the chiles, turning
them over, until they're fragrant and their color changes slightly,
about 30 seconds.  Remove the chiles from the skillet and put them in
a bowl. Cover with about 4 cups of boiling water.  Weight them with a
plate to keep them submerged, if necessary, and soak until tender,
about  Meanwhile, heat a small heavy skillet over medium high heat.
Add the  cumin and coriander and toast, giving the pan an occasional
shake,  until the seeds are fragrant, about 5 minutes.  Grind the seeds
with  a mortar and pestle.  In the same hot pan, toast the fresh
oregano  (don't toast dried oregano).  Remove the leaves after they've
begun  to dry out but before they lose all of their green color, about
3  minutes.  Set aside.  Reserve 1 cup of the liquid from the soaking
chiles and drain them.  Put the chiles and the reserved liquid in a
blender.  Add the  toasted, ground cumin and coriander, the toasted (or
dried) oregano,  the tomatoes, garlic and onion.  Puree until smooth.
Cut the pork into 1/2 inch cubes, pat dry, and season slightly with
coarse salt.  In a large, heavy-based skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of
the oil until  very hot.  Brown the pork in the oil in batches (adding
more oil to  the pan as needed), being careful not to overload the
skillet or the  pork will stew in its own juices and not brown.
Transfer the browned  pork to a plate lined with paper towels.  Drain
off any excess fat  from the skillet, but leave a light coating on the
bottom and don't  clean the skillet.  To the hot skillet, add the chile
puree carefully; it will splatter  while it sizzles.  Bring to a boil,
stirring constantly.  Add the  browned pork, reduce the heat to a
simmer, and cook, stirring  occasionally, untilthe meat is very tender,
about 1-1/2 hours.  Add a  little water to the pan if the sauce seems
too thick.  Season with  salt to taste and serve.  COOK"S NOTE:  I like
to serve this stew-like chili with warm  tortillas, chopped white
onion, sprigs of cilantro, slices of  avocado, and grated sharp
cheeses.  I recommend Cotija or even an  aged cheddar.  Contributor:
Fine Cooking  Posted to MM-Recipes Digest V4 #2 by Judith Vonneumann
<pooh4jvn@catlover.com> on Dec 29, 1998

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