This is a story about Mexico City and the eyeballs I ate there.
Mexico City, if you have not yet been, should be on the top of your to-do list for 2019. And if you have been, I’m sure you’re dying to go back. It’s a cheap, short flight from most places in the US, it’s cosmopolitan and beautiful and it’s filled with the tastiest food you’ve ever had. I tacked on a few days in Puebla, where we stayed in the new(ish) Rosewood, and it was truly one of the most spectacular hotel experiences I’ve ever had.
But back to the eyeballs. On my first full day in the city, I noticed that “tacos de cabeza” or “head tacos” were a big thing. I also saw a sign on the side of a sidewalk taco stand that said “ojos” (eyes) which got me thinking for the rest of the day whether or not I would eat cow eyeballs in a taco. I decided I needed to try it. When in Mexico City, as the saying goes.
The next night we had tickets to the Mexican Folkloric Ballet (I would buy a flight to Mexico City just to see this show again, for the record) and decided to have some tacos on the fly beforehand. I found a little shop selling tacos de cabeza so I put in an order for head (basically just all the meat from a roasted cow head), tripe and eyes. But alas, the eyes were sold out. We continued on our way to Puebla and I began to accept the fact that I wouldn’t get to taste them.
On the final morning of the trip, our friendly driver Aldo, who had been with us since the beginning, picked us up in Puebla to deliver us back to the Mexico City airport. About 15 minutes out from our drop-off destination, he asked if we wanted to check our bags and then grab some great tacos around the corner. Never one to turn down food of any kind, especially while in the care of a local in the know, we said yes. Then he mentioned they had great tacos de cabeza.
I don’t know how Aldo knew that I needed this. He must have read my mind. Thirty minutes later, I was at a corner table waiting with great anticipation for my eye tacos to arrive. Unfortunately, this story doesn’t have the ending I’d hoped for. I took one quite large bite, and realized that I’d found my food limit, so to speak. Turns out that eyes taste kind of like you’d expect eyes to taste. Not much flavor and a weird gelatinous texture, followed by a disconcerting crunch. I washed my bite down with Aldo’s Coke and he finished my taco for me. A true friend.
These particular tacos don’t have eyes in them. They’re the tastiest pork, with the crunch of almonds (not eyeballs), the sweetness of raisins and the fire of chipotles. They are one of my favorite taco fillings ever and perfect for a party or a series of weeknight dinners. I’ve done both. Here’s to tacos (and trying new things)!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-inch cubes
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 2 to 3 dried, stemmed chipotle chiles (or canned chipotle chiles en adobo)
- A generous lb. (2 large round or 7 to 8 plum) ripe tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, or rich-tasting lard
- Salt, about a scant 1/2 teaspoon
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 16 to 18 corn tortillas (plus a few extra, in case some break)
- Hot sauce, for serving
Instructions
- In a medium-size (2- to 3-quart) saucepan, cover meat with heavily salted water. Peel and roughly chop 2 cloves of the garlic and add along with half of the onion. Bring to a gentle boil, skim off any grayish foam that arises during the first few minutes, partially cover and simmer over medium-low until thoroughly tender, about 1 1/2 hours. If time permits, cool the meat in the broth. Shred it between your fingers or with two forks held back to back. (There will be about 4 cups of meat; you can reserve the broth for soup or sauce.)
- Next make the sauce. If you are using dried chipotle chiles, toast them on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning regularly and pressing flat, until very aromatic, about 30 seconds. In a small bowl, cover chiles with hot water and let rehydrate for 30 minutes, stirring to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water. (Canned chiles need only be removed from their canning sauce.)
- Roast the remaining 3 cloves of the unpeeled garlic on the griddle or skillet, turning occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes; cool and peel. Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes; flip and roast the other side. Cool, then peel, collecting all the juice with the tomatoes.
- In a food processor of blender, pulse the tomatoes, rehydrated or canned chiles and garlic to a medium-fine puree. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil or lard in a heavy, medium-size (2- to 3- quart) saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the puree and stir for about 5 minutes as it sears and thickens. Taste and season with salt.
- In a large (10- to 12-inch) heavy, well-seasoned or nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil or lard over medium-high. When hot, add the shredded meat and remaining half of the onion. Fry, regularly stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom, until the whole mixture is crispy and golden, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon, pepper, cloves and raisins over the meat, then pour on the tomato-chipotle sauce. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer briskly, stirring occasionally, until nearly all the liquid has evaporated, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the almonds in the oven in a small baking pan until fragrant and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes, then stir them into the picadillo. Taste and season with a little more salt if necessary.
- Set up a steamer (with this many tortillas, you'll need 2 vegetable steamers set up in saucepans or a big Chinese steamer - either choice with 1/2 inch of water until the steamer basket); heat to a boil. Wrap the tortillas in 2 stacks in heavy kitchen towels, lay in the steamer(s) and cover tightly. Boil 1 minute, turn off the heat and let stand without opening the steamer for 15 minutes.
- You can prepare the tacos in the kitchen by scooping a couple of heaping tablespoons of filling into each warm tortilla, rolling or folding them and nestling them into a cloth-lined basket. Or scoop the filling into a warm bowl and set out with a cloth-lined basket of steaming tortillas for your guests to construct their own tacos. In either case, pass the hot sauce separately if you have it.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2019/04/16/smoky-shredded-pork-tacos-tacos-de-picadillo-oaxaqueno/
