When we think of American cuisine you might think of hot dogs, apple pie, or a hearty stew. To many, Native American cuisine is considered to be the original American cuisine. What makes Native American cuisine so hard to pin down is the regionality. The Native Americans would use whatever they had growing near them, making southwest Native American cuisine completely different from mid-west Native American cuisine.
This stew celebrates that tradition using regional ingredients, like juniper berries and globe tomatoes but blends that with a more modern European style stew. This treat delivers on taste and tradition. Try it out at home!
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1/3 cup Vegetable Oil
3 lbs Pork Shoulder, Cut Into Large Chunks
1 1/2 cup Yellow Onion, Chopped
3 each Garlic Cloves, Minced
4 each Dried Juniper Berries, crushed
1/2 tsp. Ground Coriander
2 Tbsp Ground New Mexican Chile Powder
1 each Bay leaf
4 each Globe Tomatoes, Chopped
1 1/4 cup Water
2/3 cup Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup Honey
1 each Cinnamon Stick
2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 oz Grated Unsweetened Dark Chocolate
Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan
Sear pork heavily until brown on all sides.
Remove pork from the pan and add onions.
Cook onions, stirring, about 6-8 minutes, or until well caramelized.
Add garlic, juniper, coriander, and chili powder. Cook, stirring, for about 90 seconds or until very fragrant.
Add the pork back into the pan along with the remaining ingredients.
Bring liquids to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and allow to cook for 90 minutes, or until the pork is very tender.