Southwestern Ragú with Tomatillos and Nopales

Here at The Bite Me Kitchen, I'm affectionately known as the Boss Lady.

It's not that I strive to be pushy, it's just my nature. Organizer. List-maker. Mise en place-er. The only time Adam gets to cook without me butting in like an over-protective mother hen is when I'm sick, or not at home. I admit, this is probably not my most endearing attribute, but at least I'm honest.

So when he regaled me with his vague notion of a southwestern ragù, somewhere between ragù and salsa verde, with a touch of mole, he lost me completely. I like clean, clear, pronounced flavors, like an artist's broad brushstroke. Adam is a cross between Dr. Jekyll and Jackson Pollock, splattering food and ingredients all over his culinary canvas, but somehow his food always works. It's vibrant, unique, complex, and brilliant. I've learned that letting him loose is a good idea.










After a brief consult with The Flavor Bible and a quick explanation of the skeletal structure of ragù, he was off to the cutting board. The next thing I knew there was a Tuscan Nonna dancing with a dashing Caballero in our kitchen. The counters were strewn with cactus paddles, blackened tomatillos, knives, spices, and tequila! Danger!

The result was fantastically unlike anything I've ever eaten. Nopales are highly nutritious and have a squidgy texture with a slightly citrus flavor. We had the gnocchi on-hand from a previous night, but polenta "gnocchi" would make a great substitute. (We think an improvement!)










Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large nopales (cactus leaves), "eyes" shaved off with vegetable peeler, cut into 1/2" squares
• 1 cup tequila
• 2 serrano peppers
• 12 tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 lb ground pork
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground chili
• 32-oz container vegetable broth
• 1/4 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cocoa
• 1/2 tsp orange zest
• crumbled cotija, for garnish
• Sweet Potato-Ricotta Gnocchi or Polenta

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large pan over high heat. Add  tomatillos and serranos and cover, roasting until lightly blackened and softened on all sides, about 6 minutes. Stir occasionally and re-cover. Once blackened, remove from pan and dice peppers and quarter tomatillos.
2. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large pot or pan over medium high heat. Add onions, garlic, carrot, celery and nopales. Saute until fragrant about 5 minutes. The nopales will turn a paler green and release some clear syrup. This is okay!
3. Remove vegetables to a bowl temporarily and add pork. Brown the pork well, allowing a crust (fond) to form on the bottom by gently turning the meat as opposed to scraping the bottom of the pan.
4. Once a nice crust has developed and the pork is browned, deglaze with 1 cup tequila and bring to a boil, scraping up the fond and reducing until the alcohol smell is gone. 
5. Stir in the vegetables, including tomatillos and serranos and add 1 cup vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium until almost all the liquid is gone. 
6. Stir in chili powder or ground chili
7. Add more liquid 1/2 cup at a time, simmering over medium-low every 15 minutes or so, until the container is gone.
8. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in gnocchi and allow to come back to a boil. Once gnocchi float to surface, wait 2-3 minutes. Then remove with slotted spoon.
9. Right before serving, stir in coriander, cinnamon, cocoa and zest. 
10. Serve, garnishing with cotija cheese.