Mondongo is usually a thick, spicy stew made with beef tripe and lots of locally grown vegetables, probably Spanish in origin. You can find many versions of it throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. The one I am most familiar with was prepared by our wonderful Mexican chef Daniel Alvarez, who cooked at the Coyote Cantina for over twenty years. His version used pork butt instead of tripe, lots of green chiles, sometimes posole or corn, and other green vegetables. He made this dish often for the staff meal and sometimes as a special at the Cantina. It always sold out quickly.

　　

Ingredients

makes 8 tacos

　　1 poblano chile, oil-roasted, peeled, cored, and seeded (page 154)

　　3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for refrying

　　1/2 white onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice

　　1 1/4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes

　　4 cups water

　　2 serrano chiles, dry-roasted (page 154), stemmed, and seeded

　　1 garlic clove, dry-roasted (page 158)

　　Leaves from 1 bunch cilantro

　　Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　8 (5 1/2-inch) soft white corn tortillas (page 13), for serving

　　Garnish: Avocado cubes or strips of roasted poblano or jalapeño chiles

　　

Step 1

Cut the prepared poblano chiles into 1/4-inch-thick strips (rajas); set aside.

　　

Step 2

In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the onion until it begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes; set aside.

　　

Step 3

In a large, heavy nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat and sauté the pork cubes until browned, about 15 minutes. Decrease heat to medium-low, add 1 cup of the water, and simmer until tender, about 1 hour, adding 1 cup of the water every 15 minutes after the last cup of water has cooked off so the pan doesn’t dry out, until tender, about 1 hour (or more).

　　

Step 4

Meanwhile, in the jar of a blender, add the reserved chile strips, sautéed onion, garlic, and cilantro and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

　　

Step 5

When the pork is tender and all the water in the skillet has dried up, add enough oil to fill the pan bottom about 1/8 inch and heat over high heat until almost smoking. Add the chile puree sauce to the pan with the pork, remove from the heat, and stir to blend. Serve immediately or remove from the heat, cover, and keep warm at room temperature up to 3 to 4 hours. Reheat gently when ready to serve.

　　

Step 6

To serve, lay the tortillas side by side, open face and overlapping on a platter. Divide the filling equally between the tortillas and top with salsa. Grab, fold, and eat right away. Or build your own taco: lay a tortilla, open face, in one hand. Spoon on some filling, top with salsa, and eat right away.

　　Tacos by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Copyright © 2009 by Mark Miller with Benjamin Hargett and Jane Horn. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.Mark Miller is the acclaimed chef-founder of Coyote Cafe in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He has started and owned thirteen different restaurants on three continents from 1979 to 2008. He is the author of ten books with nearly 1 million copies in print, including Tacos, The Great Chile Book, The Great Salsa Book, and Coyote Cafe. Mark currently works in International Culinary Consulting and lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.Benjamin Hargett is a travel-loving chef who has cooked in Europe, the Carribean, Mexico, and the United States, where he worked with Mark Miller at the Coyote Café for many years.