serves
4
prep
35 minutes
cook
30 minutes
difficulty
Easy
serves
4
people
preparation
35
minutes
cooking
30
minutes
difficulty
Easy
level
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2¼ lb) pork steak, sliced very thin
- 2 cups (500 ml) annatto or ancho chilli marinade (see below)
- corn oil, if frying
- sea salt
- 6–12 x 7–11 cm (2¾ –4⅓ in) corn tortillas
- roasted pineapple chunks (see below), chopped onion, lime wedges, fried green onions, guacamole, and chipotle or Mexican salsa, to garnish
- warm tortillas, to serve
Ancho chilli marinade
- 6 large dried ancho chillies
- 2 dried guajillo chilli
- 2 dried pasilla chilli
- 2 cup (500 ml) fresh orange juice
- 2 medium tomato
- 1 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 6 bay leaves
- 2 pinch ground anise
- 2 whole clove
- 1 tsp fresh marjoram
- 2 pinch ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp corn or vegetable oil
- sea salt and apple cider vinegar
Roasted pineapple chunks
- 1 small pineapple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- sugar
- sea salt
- corn oil, if frying
Marinating time 3 hours
Instructions
Place the meat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Meanwhile to make the ancho chilli marinade, roast or fry the chilies without letting them turn bitter. Remove the seeds.
Transfer the chilies to a pot and add the orange juice, tomato, onion, garlic, cumin, bay leaves, anise, clove, marjoram, and cinnamon. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes.
Let the liquid cool slightly, then transfer to the blender and grind to a smooth mixture.
Strain the mixture of any residual solids and then add it to a clean skillet with a little oil. Heat the sauce with salt, a few drops of vinegar, and water as need cooking for 5 minutes over a medium heat until it thickens.
To make the roasted pineapple, dust both sides of the fruit slices with a little sugar and salt.
Roast the slices on a hot grill or griddle, or else fry in a skillet with a little oil, on each side for about half a minute, or until golden.
Cut the slices into small chunks and set aside.
Roast the meat on the grill or a griddle, for a little more than 1 minute, or until golden brown. (If not working with a grill, sauté the meat in a skillet with a little oil. The steaks should be cooked individually for the best results.)
On a cutting board, slice the meat into strips, season, and keep warm.
Serve on the warm tortillas, with roasted pineapple and a selection of garnishes.
Recipe from Tacopedia, by Deborah Holtz and Juan Carlos Mena, with photography by Isaís Quijano (Phaidon Press, pbk, $39.95).
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
