Pork Tinga with Potatoes

I'm still trying to catch up on posting all the recipes that Ginny and I made while she was here a few weeks back. We were on a roll with Rick Bayless and we made several of his recipes that weekend. The last one that we squeezed in before she left was Pork Tinga with Potatoes. I love tinga. If you've never had it, its Mexico's version of pulled pork (although it can really be made with any meat). It is a cut of meat slow cooked with tomatoes and various seasonings, then eaten with (in this case) tortillas and an avocado salsa. We were such slackers there at the end, that we didn't even get a decent picture of the finished dish, but you've got to take my word for it and believe me when I say this was good. REALLY good. I would never have thought to put potatoes in with the tinga, since the tinga I am used to having is shredded chicken with tortilla strips, but it really made the dish even more hearty, which was perfect for the bargain basement temperatures we were experiencing that weekend. If you are looking for a satisfying dish with a little bit of heat, this is your next meal.

Pork Tinga with Potatoes, Avocado and Fresh Cheese
Serves 4 to 6
Recipe from Season 7 Mexico One Plate at a Time

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 pound lean, boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes (I had a pork loin roast in the freezer, so we used that, and I guarantee you it was more than a pound)

4 ounces chorizo sausage, removed from its casing (again, I had a 10 ounce log, so we put the whole thing in. Waste not, want not, right?)

4 to 5 medium (about 3/4 pound total) red-skinned potatoes, quartered (there weren't any nice looking red potatoes at teh store, so we used regular baking potatoes.)

1 large white onion, sliced 1/4–inch thick

1 garlic clove, minced (one? Seriously? I don't think so, Rick...)

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, in juice (preferably fire-roasted)

2 to 3 canned chipotle chiles, en adobo, finely chopped

4 teaspoons chipotle canning sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

Salt

About 1/2 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco or other fresh cheese like salted pressed farmers cheese

1 ripe avocado, pitted, flesh scooped from the skin and diced

Warm corn tortillas

Directions:
Heat the oil in a stovetop-rated slow cooker liner over medium-high heat. (If your slow cooker liner isn’t made from a material that can be used on a stovetop, use a very large (12-inch) non-stick skillet.) Once the oil is very hot, add the pork and chorizo in an single layer and cook, stirring until the meat has browned, about 6 to 8 minutes.Turn off the heat and if you’re using a skillet, transfer the meat and its juices into the slow cooker. Add the potatoes.In a large bowl, combine the onions, garlic, tomatoes, chipotles, adobo sauce, Worcestershire, oregano and 1/2 teaspoon salt.Pour mixture into the slow cooker and stir to mix thoroughly. Cook for 6 hours at the highest temperature.
After six hours, gently stir the tinga. If the sauce seems too thick, stir in a little water. Taste, and season with salt if you think the dish needs it. Scoop into a large bowl, sprinkle with the fresh cheese and diced avocado, and serve with warm tortillas.

Sorry, I know I worked you up with all those "in progress" pictures, and now I have no "finished' picture for you!