Tinga is a basically a stewed pork dish, cooked with a chipotle sauce and most commonly served on tostadas. A chipotle is a dried jalapeño with a wonderful, smokey flavor. The chipotles called for in this recipe, called chipotles adobados are canned and can be found anywhere from Michoacan to Michigan. This is a good dish to make ahead and then provide garnishes to let guests build their own tostadas. I’ve tried recipes for tinga that call for chorizo and others that don’t. It’s delicious either way, so if you’re counting fat grams, you can omit the chorizo and use the equivalent amount of boneless pork.
Ingredients:
- For the tinga:
- 1 1/2 lbs. ( 680 grams) boneless pork loin or shoulder, cut in 2″ cubes
- 1 small onion
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 lb. (170 grams) chorizo
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tomatoes, roasted or boiled to loosen the skin, then peeled
- 2 canned chipotles en adobado (that’s two chiles, not two cans!)
- 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
For tostadas:
- 1 recipe tinga poblana
- 15-18 tostadas (packaged, or crisp-fry the tortillas yourself)
Garnish: - Shredded lettuce
- Sour cream or Mexican crema
- Guacamole or sliced avocados
Preparation:
Cook the pork in water to cover with the small onion, two of the garlic cloves and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 45 minutes or until the meat is tender. Remove the meat, let it cool a bit, and shred it with two forks. Set it aside.
Remove the casing from the chorizo and fry it over meduim-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until it is browned and crumbly. Remove and drain it very well on paper towels. Pour off all but one tablespoon of the fat from the pan. (If you are not using chorizo, heat one tablespoon of vegetable oil in a pan.)
In the same pan, saute the sliced onion over medium heat until soft. Puree the tomatoes, remaining two garlic cloves, chipotles and oregano in the blender. Add this puree to the onions in the pan, and cook for about five minutes, or until a thick sauce forms.
Return the chorizo to the pan, along with the shredded pork, and mix well to combine ingredientes. Taste for salt.
To serve: Spread tostadas with a thin coat of refried beans, top with tinga and garnish.
