Adovada is an ancient way of preserving meat with chilies. I found some that I’d made a while ago and then frozen after we’d eaten on it for a few days. It was made with pork, but I decided to cook venison in it instead. This was a fantastic decision: the spicy broth is an excellent companion to big game. I cooked it in the pressure cooker, ensuring great tenderness.
It’s a simple recipe. About two-three fistfuls of New Mexican red chilies, garlic (as much as you like), oregano and two diced onions. Add black pepper or hotter chilies as well if you want, or alternatively just increase the concentration of New Mexico peppers to make it stronger. Boil together and purée. If you’re not using a pressure cooker, that’s fine; pour the chili sauce over two or three pounds of the meat and let it marinate overnight in the fridge. Then chop up any additional vegetables you want— potatoes are traditional, yellow squash works well — and braise in the chili sauce (plus additional water/stock/beer if needed to cover the meat -- I used chicken stock this time) for two hours. After that, salt to taste.
It's good eaten as a stew if you break up the meat, or pulled out for tacos or burritos.
3 comments:
Interesting! My pork recipe (northern NM) calls for marinating the meat for 3-4 days before cooking. I wonder if it is because my adovado recipe is drier than yours seems to be. You blend the spices and just enough liquid to make a thick paste (thicker than salsa) and soak the meat in that, turning it several times.
LittleRed1
Yes, I’ve heard of that too. That version is not braised — not enough liquid — but instead baked in a covered casserole dish to keep it from drying out too much. I’m sure it’s also good.
No, it’s not braised. I simmer it in broth along with some of the adovado sauce, usually on low for at least an hour, since the pork cut called for is … let us say, less than tender.
LittleRed1
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