Pork Chops in Chipotle Sauce(Chuletas de Puerco Enchipotlada

Ingredientes

1 pound plum tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks

1 medium white onion, cut into chunks

4 medium garlic cloves, peeled

4 chipotle chilies in adobo and the sauce clinging to them, plus adobo as needed

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

4 center-cut bone-in pork chops, about 8 ounces each and about ½-inch thick, patted dry

1 tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil

¾ teaspoon dried oregano

1½ ounces cotija cheese, crumbled

Fresh cilantro, to serve

Instruções

In a blender, puree the tomatoes, onion, garlic, chilies, cumin and 1 teaspoon salt until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a paring knife, make a couple of vertical cuts in the silver skin that encircles each chop; evenly space the cuts and try to cut through the silver skin without cutting into the meat. Season the chops on both sides with salt and pepper.

In a 12-inch skillet over medium-high, heat the oil until barely smoking. Add 2 of the chops in a single layer and cook until well browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, turning the chops browned side up. Repeat with the remaining 2 chops. Let the empty skillet cool for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and oregano to the skillet. Cook over medium, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes; adjust the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Return the chops, browned side up, and any accumulated juices to the pan, nestling the chops into the sauce. Spoon the sauce over the chops to submerge. Cook, uncovered, until the meat near the bone reaches 140°F or is just barely pink when cut into, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the chops to a platter. Taste the sauce and season with salt and pepper; for added spiciness, stir in additional adobo. Spoon the sauce over and around the chops, then sprinkle with the cotija and cilantro.

Notas

Don’t forget to nick the silver skin on the pork chops. This prevents them from curling during browning. Also, be sure to let the skillet cool a bit before pouring in the tomato puree. Otherwise the puree will splatter.

Pan-fried pork chops get a savory-spicy partner in a chipotle-tomato sauce drawn from a Mexican culinary tradition. Four chipotle chilies go into the sauce for substantial, but not incendiary, heat. If you like, add more adobo sauce after simmering to increase the spiciness. To keep things tender and succulent, we browned only one side of ½-inch-thick bone-in pork chops. Simmering the chops in the sauce finished them without overcooking the meat. Slightly thicker chops also work: If using ¾- to 1-inch chops, brown on both sides (about 6 minutes total) before removing them from the pan. Partially cover the skillet during simmering and increase the simmering time to 7 to 9 minutes. Serve with warmed tortillas or roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes.