Ancho-and Chipotle Rubbed Pork Loin

Serve this pork with fresh corn tortillas, and chipotle salsa.

3 dried ancho chilies
2 dried chipotle chilies (or 2 chipotles canned in adobo)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lard (you may substitute vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Pinch of ground cloves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 boneless loin of pork (about 1 1/2 2 pounds)
1 medium white onion, very thinly sliced


Toast the dried chilies by putting them in a preheated 200 degree F oven for 3 minutes; you should smell them toasting when you open the oven door. (If using canned chipotles, toast only the ancho) Remove the toasted chilies from the oven and open them up. Remove and discard the seeds and stems. Place the chilies in a bowl and cover with hot water.

When chilies are soft (after about 15 minutes), remove them from the water and place them (or the ancho and the canned chipotle) in the work bowl of a food processor, along with the garlic , lard, cumin, cloves, salt, and pepper. Pulse to make a rough paste. Rub the paste all over the pork loin with your fingers. Cover the rubbed pork and refrigerate for 8 hours. Remove it from the refrigerator 1 hour before you're ready to put it in the oven.

Make a bed of half the sliced onion in the clay pot. Lay the marinated pork loin over it. Cover the pork with the remaining onion.

Most clay pots call for soaking the lid and then placing the entire pot, with food inside, in a cold oven before turning on the heat. Follow the instructions for your pot. In any case, the oven should be set to 300 degrees F. Once the oven is hot, cook the roast for 1 hour. Do not open the pot. After an hour, remove the roast from the oven. let it sit in its broth for 10 minutes. Slice the roast thinly and serve.

Apricot-Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

1 cup onions, peeled,washed and chopped
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup chopped apricots or dried fruit
1/2 cup herb seasoned stuffing mix
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 (1 1/4 lb) pork tenderloins


In a saucepan, saute onions in hot and melted margarine or butter until they
are tender.

Stir in apricots, stuffing mix, 1/2 cup water and pecans.

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Trim fat from meat. Make a cut down lengthwise down the tenderloins, cutting to within 1/2 inch of opposite side. Spread open and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Pound with the flat side of a meat mallet to 1/2 inch thickness. Spoon half the fruit mixture over each tenderloin. Working from a long side, roll up tenderloins to cover the
stuffing. Tuck in ends. Tie at 1 inch intervals with a cotton kitchen
twine.

Place tenderloins on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Rub with thyme and
pepper.

Roast foor 30-35 minutes or until the meat and stuffing reach 160°F. Remove twine, slice and serve.

Pork with Sauerkraut

3 lbs. pork roast - loin, boneless
6 large carrot
6 medium red potatoes
1 large onion
32 ounces sauerkraut
1/8 cup caraway seed
pepper

Drain sauerkraut and mix in caraway seeds. Place pork roast in a roasting pan. Lightly pepper top of roast. Place sauerkraut around the roast. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Peel and halve the carrots. Peel and quarter the onion. Place the potatoes, carrots and onions around and on top of the pork roast. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and roast for 30 minutes plus an additional 30 minutes per pound.

Dill Gravy
Serves 6.

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup milk
1/4 cup dill weed
pepper

Melt butter in a heavy bottom pan over low heat. Stir in flour and increase heat until mixture begins to bubble. Cook for 5 minutes. Take care to not allow mixture to brown. Slowly stir in 2/3rds of the chicken broth. Add dill weed. Slowly stir in 2/3rds of the milk. Cook over medium heat until gravy reaches the desired thickness. Add remaining chicken broth and/or milk as necessary to maintain the desired thickness. Add pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Pork Fajita Salad

1-1/2 pounds boneless pork loin chops (about 6)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 8-ounce package shredded cheddar cheese, divided
guacamole (recipe below)
1 8-ounce jar salsa (mild, medium or hot)
16 ounces (2 cups) sour cream
3 cups cooked white rice
1 2 1/4-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Corn tortilla chips