MEAT BALLS IN CHIPOTLE SALSA. THEY ARE AMAZING

OK amigos. Here is another recipe that is close to my heart and one of my favorites.
eating these succulent meatballs always bring back fond memories of home

Ingredients
For meatballs
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon dry marjoram
2 tablespoons coriander, roughly chopped
1 Mexican bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon cumin, crushed
8 black peppercorns, crushed
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons bread crumbs
12 ounces ground beef
12 ounces ground pork

The sauce

Ingredients
6 chipotle chiles dried
4 tablespoons pork lard
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, broiled
1/2 cup thinly sliced white onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
2 1/2 cups meat broth


Method
place the herbs, spices, salt, milk, raw egg, and garlic into the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Soak the bread crumbs in this mixture until it is soft, then add it all to the ground meats, and work well with your hands;form the meatballs and set them aside while you prepare the sauce.
Heat a cast iron pan and heat the chiles, turning them from time to time until they become soft and flexible. slit the chiles open and remove the seeds. Heat the lard in a heavy pan and fry the chiles, flattening them with a wooden spoon in the lard, until they are very dark brown, be careful not to burn the chiles or they will become very bitter. Remove from the pan, keep the lard, and put into the jar of a blender with the broiled tomatoes, unskinned. Blend until smooth.
Reheat the lard in the pan and fry the onions until soft but not colored. Crush the garlic, cumin, and salt together in a molcajete or mortar. Add two tablespoons of water to clean the mortar out and add the mixture to the onion in the pan, fry, stirring and scraping, over a high heat until almost dry, then add the blended ingredients and fry over high heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan constantly, until the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Add the broth and meatballs, the sauce should just cover them, cover the pan, and cook over gentle heat, turning the meatballs occasionally, until they are cooked thoroughly and spongy.

Well-fried beans as opposed to re-fried beans

Okay amigos. here is my recipe for the best well-fried beans ever!!

I use the term well-fried beans instead of re-fried beans because as the name suggests you actually have to spend some time frying them in pork lard for them to acquire that amazing taste that is characteristic of this dish.

This is a two step recipe. First you need to boil the beans.

Ingredients.

1 lb black beans

11/2 to 2 quarts, hot water

1/2 cup white onion, roughly chopped

2 tbsp pork lard

salt to taste

2 sprigs of fresh epazote

Method

Place beans on a flat tray and pick any stones or visible debri. Rinse the beans in cold water to make sure any dirt is removed. Place beans into a pot and cover with the hot water. Add the onion and lard and bring to a boil, lower the heat and let them simmer covered, until they are soft about 3 hours. add salt and let simmer for another half hour until the beans are very soft. add the epazote sprigs before the end of the cooking time, as the epazote as well as any other fresh herb, tends to lose flavor if cooked too long.

WELL-FRIED BEANS

6 tbsp pork lard

2 tbsp finely chopped white onion

1/2 lb black beans cooked

Method

In a heavy-bottomed hot skillet, heat the pork lard and fry the onions, until soft, without browning. Start adding one cup of the beans with their liquid and mash them well as you cook them, over high heat (becareful because they splatter). add the rest of the beans one small batch at the time and keep mashing until you have a rough paste. when the puree sizzles at the edges, the beans are ready to use. incorporate them to your favourite recipes or eat them on their own with fresh tortillas.

If the puree becomes to dry, add a little more of the cooking liquid and incorporate well