Green Mole with Pork

ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless center cut pork loin in 1 piece, rolled and tied together with the ribs and backbone
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, bruised
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 9 garlic cloves
• 8 whole cloves, or 1/4 teaspoon ground
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 3 jalapeño chiles, tops removed
• 6 large tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 small onion, cut into chunks
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh marjoram
• 1 cup (1 cup) masa, either fresh or reconstituted by mixing 1/3 cup masa harina to a smooth paste with 1 cup of water (see Tips, below)
• 1 medium bunch Italian parsley
• 8 6 inch sprigs fresh epazote or 1/4 cup dried, crumbled (see Tips, below)
• 3 large or 5 medium-size fresh hoja santa leaves or 6 dried leaves (see Tips, below)
• 2 cups cooked Great Northern or other white beans

directions

Choose a deep saucepan or Dutch oven large enough to hold the meat comfortably. Place the tied pork loin and bones in it along with the peppercorns, salt, and 4 of the garlic cloves. Add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch (at least 1 3/4 quarts). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partly covered, for 1 hour, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 120 degrees. (Do not worry about the low temperature. The meat will cook more thoroughly in reheating.) Remove the meat and bones from the cooking stock and set aside. Strain the stock, you should have about 6 cups.

Grind the cloves and cumin together in an electric coffee or spice grinder, or with a mortar and pestle. Place the ground spices in a blender with the chiles, tomatillos, onion, thyme, marjoram, the remaining 5 garlic cloves, and 1/2 cup of the strained stock. Process until smoothly pureed (about 2 minutes on high).

Return the remaining strained stock to the pan, bring back to a boil, and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Add the pureed mixture to the hot stock and cook, uncovered, for 3 minutes.

Thin the masa by mixing with 1 cup water. Whisk the thinned masa into the stock mixture, whisking constantly, let the sauce return to the simmer.

Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. If lumps form, pass the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve (pushing with a spoon to force through the lumpy bits) and return to the heat. The mixture should thicken to the consistency of whipping cream, if necessary, increase the heat slightly to reduce and thicken it.

Untie the cooked pork and carve into serving pieces. Carve the bones into separate rib sections.

Place the parsely, epazote, and hoja santa in a blender or food processor. If using a blender, add a few tablespoons water to facilitate blending. Process to a smooth puree.

Add the cooked beans to the masa-thickened sauce and let return to a simmer. Return the carved meat and bones to the pot along with the pureed herbs. Taste and add more salt if desired. Cook until just heated through, 5 minutes. Give each person a piece or 2 of rib bone along with the meat and sauce. Serve immediately.

Chef Zarela Martinez shares her tips with Epicurious:

This recipe, which can also be served over chicken or fish, is an example of the sophisticated sauce-making techniques for which Oaxaca is famous. Herbs, spices, and aromatics are pureed and mixed with stock, the sauce is then reduced and thickened with masa, a ground corn dough that performs a similar function to the roux in French cooking. Freshly pureed herbs are mixed in at the last minute for a sprightly, green flavor.

Masa is a dough made from dried corn that has been treated with an alkali substance such as slaked lime and water and then ground. Fresh masa can be found at some Mexican grocery stores and at tortilla factories. For this recipe, be sure to avoid the masa preparada para tamales, which is mixed with lard and flavorings. Masa harina (dehydrated powdered masa, available at many grocery stores), is mixed with water to produce masa. Masa comes in fine and course grinds, either can be used in this recipe. Regular corn meal cannot be substituted for masa.

Hoja santa, also called hoja santa leaf or root-beer plant, has a distinctive anise- and sassafraslike flavor that's hard to duplicate. Epazote has a slightly bitter, pungent, somewhat medicinal flavor that mellows in cooking. Martinez recommends using these herbs fresh for authenticity, look in farmers' markets or buy whole plants from www.itsaboutthyme.com. Both herbs are available dried from www.kitchenmarket.com.

Either dried or canned beans can be used in this recipe. If using dried beans, boil them until they are almost cooked through but not falling apart.