‘This is our bestselling dish at Wahaca and one of my favourite recipes from Mexico. It comes from the Yucatán and uses two local products: achiote, a spicy paste made from the ground red berries of the annatto tree, which turns the marinade brick red; and the habañero chilli, which gives it a lovely touch of fire,’ says Thomasina Miers
Serves 10-12
- Neck of pork 3kg, cut into a few large pieces
- Habañero or Scotch bonnet chilli 1, de-seeded and finely chopped
- Butter 50g
For the marinade:
- Allspice berries 1 tsp
- Freshly ground cumin seeds 2 tsp
- Cloves ½ tsp
- Peppercorns 1 tsp
- Achiote paste 100g
- Cider vinegar 3 tbsp
- Medium onion 1, coarsely chopped
- Garlic cloves 3, coarsely chopped
- Large bunch of fresh oregano or dried oregano 1 tsp
- Fresh bay leaves 3
- Sea salt 2 tbsp
- Olive oil 3 tbsp
- Juice of 6 oranges (about 450ml)
- First make the marinade. Warm the spices in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then grind to a fine powder. Place in a blender with the achiote, vinegar, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and olive oil and pulse to start breaking up the achiote.
- Slowly pour in the orange juice with the motor running to get a smooth paste. Pour about two-thirds of the marinade over the pork, ensuring that it is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate overnight.
- Freeze your remaining marinade or keep it fresh for a week in the fridge (and try it with something else, like barbecued chicken).
- Preheat the oven to 130°c/gas 1. Transfer the pork and its marinade to a large casserole dish and add the chopped chilli and butter. Bring to simmering point, cover with foil and a tight-fitting lid and cook as slowly as possible for 3–4 hours, until the pork is soft and falling apart.
- Serve chunks of pork in deep bowls with rice or steamed potatoes, lots of sauce and piles of the pink pickled onions on top.
Recipes taken from Wahaca – Mexican Food at Home by Thomasina Miers, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20.
You will need
- Neck of pork 3kg, cut into a few large pieces
- Habañero or Scotch bonnet chilli 1, de-seeded and finely chopped
- Butter 50g
For the marinade:
- Allspice berries 1 tsp
- Freshly ground cumin seeds 2 tsp
- Cloves ½ tsp
- Peppercorns 1 tsp
- Achiote paste 100g
- Cider vinegar 3 tbsp
- Medium onion 1, coarsely chopped
- Garlic cloves 3, coarsely chopped
- Large bunch of fresh oregano or dried oregano 1 tsp
- Fresh bay leaves 3
- Sea salt 2 tbsp
- Olive oil 3 tbsp
- Juice of 6 oranges (about 450ml)
Method
- First make the marinade. Warm the spices in a dry frying pan for a few minutes, then grind to a fine powder. Place in a blender with the achiote, vinegar, onion, garlic, herbs, salt and olive oil and pulse to start breaking up the achiote.
- Slowly pour in the orange juice with the motor running to get a smooth paste. Pour about two-thirds of the marinade over the pork, ensuring that it is thoroughly coated. Refrigerate overnight.
- Freeze your remaining marinade or keep it fresh for a week in the fridge (and try it with something else, like barbecued chicken).
- Preheat the oven to 130°c/gas 1. Transfer the pork and its marinade to a large casserole dish and add the chopped chilli and butter. Bring to simmering point, cover with foil and a tight-fitting lid and cook as slowly as possible for 3–4 hours, until the pork is soft and falling apart.
- Serve chunks of pork in deep bowls with rice or steamed potatoes, lots of sauce and piles of the pink pickled onions on top.
Recipes taken from Wahaca – Mexican Food at Home by Thomasina Miers, published by Hodder & Stoughton, £20.
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