Carne nekhbet

The recipe - below - is a novel hybrid of Carne Adovada and Texas chili. It serves as an excellent source for burrito filling - too.

Method

De-seed the chiles. Heat a bowl, containing 1 1/2 cups water in the microwave to boiling. Submerge the chiles in the hot water until well saturated - about 1 hour. With a hand blender, puree the chile/water mixture to a smooth consistency. Strain the thin paste through a fine-mesh strainer. While using a wooden spoon, scrape the sauce from the skins into a bowl.

Slice the pork into 1/2 inch cubes. Chop the onion and the garlic finely.

Blot the pork cubes with paper towels to remove the excess moisture. Heat-up a Dutch oven over a medium flame. Brown the pork in bacon grease. Degrease the pan. Throw in the onions, chile sauce, wine, Mexican oregano, cumin, garlic and salt to taste. Adjust the liquid level with water to barely cover the meat/sauce mixture. Braise over a low flame for 2 hours, stirring periodically. Place heaping dollups of the meat/sauce mixture into pre-warmed flour tortillas. Top with grated, Longhorn cheese and roll up in burrito fashion. Finish off with sour cream and salsa - if desired.

notes

The pork butt can be coarsely ground - instead of cubed. If necessary, thicken the carne with a slurry, consisting of Masa Harina dissolved in water (1 part to 2) - about 5 minutes before serving.

Experiment with a variety of dry, mild and hot chiles to achieve the perfect blend of color and heat. (From bland to hot peppers - Ancho, Mulatto, California, New Mexican, Guajillo, cascabel, chile de arbol and chiltepin.)