Cooking with Rod

By Rod Cohenour

Food! Glorious food!

One of my earliest memories was following my mother and Louella around the kitchen. At first, it was strictly to get the opportunity to be the resident "taster." But then on my eighth birthday I asked Louella if she was going to make my favorite birthday cake - Chocolate Raspberry Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting. Much to my surprise, she said, "No. You are going to make your cake."

She smiled at me, set me upon her lap and said, "Ole Louella ain't gonna be around forever, child. You need to learn how to cook for yourself and we're going to start now."

That was the beginning of my lifelong love affair with food preparation.

For me the spicier, the better. Growing up in New Mexico it's easy to understand why my favorite cuisines are Nuevo Mexico, Mexican, Tex-Mex and the like. But I also adore Italian, Cajun, Thai, Chinese, and of course All American dishes such as barbecue - brisket, ribs, kabobs, grilled delights.

I have a lot of wonderful recipes that I have obtained from the wonderful cross section of people that I have been blessed to know over my lifetime. I look forward to sharing some of them with you with the hope that you will have as much enjoyment in preparing food with family and friends as I have over the years.

Bon appetit!

Rod's Stacked Puerco Adovada Enchiladas

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless pork ribs, lean part cubed (about 1/2" cubes)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 3 Tbsp ground cumin (reserve 1 Tbsp)
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp Mexican oregano, ground (reserve 1 Tbsp)
• 1 pkg. (14.5 oz.) frozen red New Mexico Chile (hot or mild, your choice)
• 14.5 oz. Water
• 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 12 fresh flour tortillas
• 2 Tbsp Chile powder

How To

Prepare cubed pork. Whisk together dry spices and Chile powder. Add to bowl of pork cubes, tossing with hands to ensure all surfaces are coated.

Heat vegetable oil in skillet. Add pork cubes and saute until browned on all sides.

In large bowl place frozen red Chile and equal amount of water. Add reserved cumin and oregano. Add flour and minced garlic. Whisk, bring to boil, lower heat and simmer about 20-30 minutes until flavors are blended and sauce is thickened. (Substitute corn starch for flour, if desired.)

Stage bowl of shredded cheese, bowl of diced onion and tortillas near stovetop. Add browned pork to thickened Chile sauce. Place stack of serving dishes within reach, must be oven-safe.

Heat oil in skillet. Flash fry tortillas one at a time, 2-3 seconds per side. Dip in Chile-pork mixture and put on plate. Top with onion and cheese. Spoon small bit of red Chile on top. Repeat 3-4 times per plate.

Keep plated stacked enchiladas hot in oven until ready to serve. Work quickly to prevent enchiladas from becoming greasy.

Serve with Spanish rice and refritos garnished with green onions, cilantro and shredded cheddar.

These puerco adovada estacada enchiladas may be served with crisp hot tostadas and guacamole, a chilled salad of tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, mixed greens with pico de gallo as the dressing, and a pitcher of iced tea or lemonade. Classic New Mexico cuisine. Or pico de gallo on the side and Chunky Salsa roja dressing drizzled over the salad, is good too.