El Borrego's Green Pork Pozole

Under the category of "who knew" falls green pork pozole. I've enjoyed red pozole. I've enjoyed it with chicken. But green? And with pork? That was a humbling and happy discovery I made late last fall while visiting the little City Heights eatery, El Borrego. The broth is rich and herbaceous, thickened with the mandatory hominy. The chunks of pork shoulder are tender and meld beautifully with the broth and the various condiments you can add to the soup--from chicharones and cilantro to sliced cabbage and radishes. It's a meal meant to warm your insides in cold weather--but we're in San Diego so don't wait for a chill to set in. Turn on the AC and enjoy!

I asked owner Rodnia Navarro if she'd teach me how to make the dish and she, in turn, introduced me to her mother, Rosario Sotelo, who is El Borrego's chef. Rosario agreed and we decided to wait until after the new year to get together for a cooking session. By January I felt like that woman in the old Mervyn's commercial, feverishly tapping on the window repeating, "open, open, open."

Well, the day finally arrived and as always, there were the unanticipated discoveries that I'm so excited to share. The  first is that pozole is actually quite easy to make. The greater challenge is finding the ingredients. And that leads to the other discoveries.

Green pozole gets its name from all the marvelous green ingredients it incorporates. The most prominent is pulverized pumpkin seeds. Look for them in Hispanic markets, but don't worry if you can't find them. You can buy the seeds whole and grind them in a good blender. You'll also need epazote, a weed-like herb that is usually associated with cooking black beans. It's pretty easy to find in Hispanic markets. And, you'll want Mexican Pepperleaf, or hoja santa. It's unusual tasting--to me it had a slightly bitter minty flavor. And, you'll want--get this--radish leaves. Yes, finally I've learned of a use for those beautiful leaves we tend to toss when we buy a bunch of radishes. And, Rosario, says, you can clip, wash, drain, and freeze these various leaves.

Clockwise from top left: Hominy, pork shoulder, hoja santa, ground pumpkin seeds

One thing I've heard a few people say about making pozole is that they bought the wrong hominy (which, by the way, is what pozole means). So, above is a photo of what you're looking for--oversized corn kernels, not grits.

The pozole is atypical of the dishes you'll find at El Borrego--because the family is known for their lamb dishes. In fact, it's how they got started. Originally from Acapulco in the Mexican state of Guerrero, Rosario worked as a flight dispatcher for major airlines. Rodnia, with a degree in international studies, worked at Frontera newspaper in Tijuana, where Rosario moved 25 years ago and opened a candy store. A natural cook, she also catered for a maquiladora. Rosario's sister had a convenience store in San Diego and a customer was looking for someone to make barbacoa, a method of slow cooking meat. In central Mexico, that typically means lamb. Rosario took the gig, and discovered that lamb barbacoa was not easy to find in San Diego. In other words, she saw a business opportunity.

Rosario and Rodnia launched a little weekend business in the driveway alongside the convenience store, making use of the sister's licensed kitchen. "Our first weekend we sold two tacos de barbacoa," Rodnia recalls. "Six months later we were selling 600 pounds a week in the driveway."

Customers referred to the irregular eatery as El Borrego, the lamb. "We said, 'huh?' But they told us, 'You are the borrego. You are the lamb,'" Rodnia laughs.

Rosario Sotelo and Rodnia Navarro

For family reasons, the taco stand disbanded, but customers insisted that the duo open their own restaurant. And 10 years ago they did. The first four years went well and they were making plans to expand into other neighborhoods--until the recession hit. So they stayed put and expanded their menu to include what customers off the street were asking for--burritos and quesadillas and other more typical Mexican fare--at least typical to SoCal tastes. It allowed them to survive and now business has been improving as the economy and the neighborhood have improved. But, they're still known for their lamb dishes, including the lamb barbacoa tacos; sopes; and a fabulous quesadilla with squash blossoms, huitlacoche, and lamb. You can also buy lamb barbacoa by weight for parties, with all sorts of condiments included.

The pozole, however, is a family favorite. Throughout Guerrero, including Acapulco, says Rosario, it's traditionally served on Thursdays, or what Rosario notes "Jueves Pozolero." She and her mother naturally started serving it on Thursdays, but have expanded it to include Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays--and rainy days.

El Borrego has held cooking classes in the past and Rodnia is considering launching them again. But in the meantime, she says, "My mom cooks from the heart. We're proud to share our traditions."

And that includes their recipe for green pork pozole.

Green Pork Pozole (Pozole Verde Guerrerense)
from Rosario Sotelo of El Borrego
(printable recipe)
Serves 4 to 6 people

Ingredients

1 pound pork shoulder (can also include bone)
1 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 quarts water
1 pound can of hominy, rinsed and drained

Mixture 1
2 teaspoons dried oregano
3 cloves garlic
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
3 cups chicken broth

Mixture 2
6 ounces pulverized pumpkin seeds
5 tomatillos, skin on and grilled
5 garlic cloves
3 teaspoons oregano
1 small red onion, peeled and cut into chunks
2 jalapeño chiles, seeded
1 Mexican pepperleaf (hoja santa), about the size of a corn tortilla
3 ounces epazote
2 iceberg lettuce leaves
12 radish leaves
2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1. Cut the pork into two-inch cubes. Add to a pot with water and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Add the ingredients for Mixture 1 to a blender. Blend thoroughly.

3. At the 30-minute cooking point for the pork, strain just the liquid from Mixture 1 into the pork pot and discard the solids. Twenty minutes later add the hominy. Check the meat. It should be almost cooked. Throughout the cooking process, periodically skim the scum from the top of the soup.

4. Add the ingredients to Mixture 2 to a blender. Blend thoroughly. Heat a skillet and add the vegetable oil. Add the blended Mixture 2 to the pan and saute over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

5. About 10 minutes before the meat is tender, gradually add the sauteed paste to the pork pot and cook for 10 more minutes. Taste the mixture and adjust seasonings.

6. Serve the pozole with a variety of condiments, including sliced radishes, chicharones, sliced cabbage, cilantro, chopped onions, slices of avocado, lime slices, dried red pepper flakes, dried oregano, crispy tostadas, and mini roll taquitos.

El Borrego is located at 4280 El Cajon Blvd.


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Homegrown Winter Salad

I am so grateful to have a garden. Yes, it's small but I've managed to fit in a pomegranate tree, a couple of dwarf Meyer lemon trees, a dwarf mandarin orange, a variety of herbs, and plenty of succulents. This winter I picked up a treasure trove of hard-necked garlic varieties that grow well in moderate climates, like mine in San Diego. Each clove has put out shoots but summer is a long time coming. So I also planted some greens. Tatsoi, escarole, broccoli spigarello, Swiss chard, endive, and others are going gangbusters now, especially since the rains have ceased and the sun has been out.

Now, these aren't planted in the ground. They're in a large pot on my patio where I get more sun this time of year. It's also a little insurance that my cat won't dig them up. So, in fact, this is something apartment or condo dwellers with a sunny balcony can easily do. I picked up these as seedlings from Whole Earth Acre Nursery's stand at the Hillcrest Farmers Market. They're a favorite vendor of mine because they sell healthy and hard-to-find plants. I've bought epazote and mojito mint from them, as well as French tarragon and a variety of unusual basils. 

Today was warm enough that I was in the mood for a salad and that all I had to do was just step outside my kitchen with a pair of scissors and cut some greens for lunch. I kept it simple, just adding a few sliced heirloom cherry tomatoes, pepperoncini, and feta.

 
The dressing? An easy vinaigrette using olio nuovo I buy every fall from  California Olive Ranch and sherry vinegar. Olio nuovo is the first press of the season. The olives are young and so you get a very spicy, fruity, and enjoyably bitter flavor compared to more mellow flavors from olives harvested later in the season.

Truly, there's no reason to buy bottled dressing when it take so little effort to make something delicious yourself. For a traditional vinaigrette all you need to remember is the ratio of oil (3) to vinegar (1). Add a minced clove of garlic, a bit of mustard to help emulsify the components, and a little salt and pepper to taste, and you're good to go. In fact, most of the time, I put all the ingredients in a small glass jar, screw on the lid and shake it until it comes together. You don't need any fancy kitchen tools, although I also make it using a mortar and pestle to completely grind the garlic and salt into a paste before adding the other ingredients. The result is a very smooth garlicky sauce.

Of course, there are many variations on vinaigrettes that can help change up the flavors to match your mood or meal. I've added minced preserved lemon, various herbs--basil, dill, tarragon, and oregano come to mind--chopped and powdered peppers to add punch and flavor, and fruit juices to add sweetness.

Another favorite dressing is from a recipe my dad gave me. It's odd but delicious, using anchovies and both Parmesan and feta for a creamy, salty experience. If a salad dressing or dip can be hearty, this would be it.

Hearts of Romaine Salad

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 to 8 anchovy fillets, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Fresh lemon or lime to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with a metal blade or in a blender. Process until the mixture comes together. Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Use as a salad dressing or dip for Romaine leaves.

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La Jolla Open Aire Market: Produce Lust in La Jolla

So, here I was Sunday morning, exhausted from a stressful work week and too much weekend socializing. My plan was reasonable: eat breakfast and then hang out on my patio until early afternoon with a languishing stack of New Yorkers and the wonderful novel I’m halfway through, “The Last Chinese Chef,” by Nicole Mones. I had plans to go out to eat later in the day at Romesco in Bonita with my friend Angela so a quiet morning reading would be heaven sent. But, I was torn; I really wanted to go to the La Jolla farmers market, or, as they refer to it, the Open Aire Market. Be lazy or be indulgent? Indulgence won and after returning from the dog park with Shayna and leaving her with her own breakfast, I set off to see what I could forage in La Jolla.

What a difference from the OB retro-60s parade. Of course, the La Jolla market is much more sedate and with an older and more upscale crowd of shoppers. Held at La Jolla Elementary School, it’s less street fair and more festive market with a single blues guitar providing the aural ambience. And, there’s a parking lot—especially cool since, as an early bird, I easily found a spot. So, already I was ready to roll with the luxury of time to take it all in.

But where’s the food? Only once you get past the rows and rows of crafts booths with silver jewelry and carved wood bowls, flowing gauze dresses and garden tchotchkes, as well as the obligatory kettle corn booth, does real food start to make an appearance. But, it was completely worth trekking through the kitsch. This week the produce was so sublime with so many unique offerings, I was beside myself with pleasure. Be forewarned—I took lots of photos of gorgeous food and I’m just going to shoehorn them all in here.

First up, prepared foods. Although it was barely 9 a.m., Vila’s Salsa was my first stop. Owned by Isabel Range, known as Vila, the booth has a range of salsas, from the sweet and tangy mango to a series of reds going from mild to medium then hot and finally, fiery (courtesy of roasted habaneros). All were delicious and even the fiery salsa wasn’t beyond the pale, but my favorite was her salsa verde, a smooth, rich blend of roasted tomatillo and avocado with a hint of heat. Range also sells homemade flan in several flavors, including chocolate, coffee, mocha, coconut, pumpkin and strawberry.

That was a great intro and not having had breakfast, it was hard to resist what followed—booths with crepes, Belgian waffles and Louisiana sausages. Belinda’s Cocina, with its chile relleno burrito, breakfast burritos, enchiladas and wonderful tortilla chips and salsa, smelled divine. The woman making corn tortillas on the hot comal came this close to convincing me to buy breakfast but I was on a mission to scope out the entire market so I kept going.

Finally, produce. I stopped first at Cervantes Farms from Ramona and sampled some sweet and juicy Santa Rosa plums.

Then I strolled over to the booth for Betty B’s Ranch, also based in Ramona, where owner George Schnurer had the most intriguing collection of citrus, including very tangy limequats (a cross between key limes and kumquats) and sweeter orangequats (a cross between mandarin oranges and kumquats). Like regular kumquats, they’re tiny with thin skins and you just pop them into your mouth for an unusual explosion that melds sour and sweet with a touch of bitterness from the skin.

Schnurer also invited me to taste his sweet pixie tangerines and blood oranges. Of the three varieties that can be traced to Sicily, Moro, Sanguinelli and Tarocco, he had the seedless Taroccos on display and they were lovely to look at with their flush of red skin and bold ruby fruit. They’re very sweet and juicy and make for an unusual glass of juice. If you’ve ever wondered, the distinctive color is a natural mutation due to the presence of anthocyanin (the same plant compound responsible for the color of pomegranates). Taroccos also have the highest vitamin C content of any orange variety.

Then my eye caught what was truly a sea of strawberries, organic Chandler strawberries from Peterson Specialty Produce. These are the antithesis of the hard, pinkish berries that are passed off in the supermarkets. Loaded with sugar and juice, they reminded me of my strawberry touchstone—the flats I used to buy at a stand off the Rose Ave. exit on the 101 in Oxnard on the way to or from Santa Barbara, where my sister went to college. I think I actually got drunk from eating them one after another. Well, these Chandlers were magnificent.

But, what was around the corner just made my heart sing. Boysenberries. Plump, juicy reddish purple boysenberries. Named after California grower Ralph Boysen by Walter Knott (of Knott's Berry Farm fame), boysenberries are thought to be a cross of blackberries, raspberries and loganberries. I love their tartness, but hadn’t seen them in years—just made due with blackberries from Henry’s or Trader Joe's, which are good, but don't seem to have as much flavor. So, here was a treat. For days, I’ve been enjoying them naked, in harmony with blueberries and sliced strawberries, for breakfast.

That wasn’t all I bought from Peterson Specialty Produce. I found lovely bunches of baby bok choy and a crazy quilt of yellow and green squash.

They were simply so pretty I couldn’t resist. I’ll probably bake the striped zucchini and summer squash with olive oil, bread crumbs, herbs and parmesan cheese, but I’ve already tackled the psychedelic yellow and green mottled zucchini.

I did a take off on a Patricia Wells recipe for Zucchini Carpaccio with Avocado that happened to show up in the current issue of The Week magazine. Basically, you use a mandoline (a washboard-looking adjustable slicing tool recently made popular by Oxo) or, in my case, one of those terrific Kyocera double-edged Mandoline slicers (the yellow one) and thinly slice the zucchini lengthwise after trimming it. Mix up a blend of lemon juice (about 1 tbl.) and olive oil (1/4 c.) with sea salt and pepper and fresh thyme leaves (lemon thyme is even better). Spread the zucchini slices on a platter, just overlapping and drizzle with the lemon oil mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit for an hour at room temperature. Per Wells’ recipe, alternate the zucchini and thin slices of avocado and then sprinkle with pistachio nuts. I used what I had and alternated the squash with thin slices of sweet white onion and sprinkled the dish with more thyme leaves. Wells’ version is probably exquisite. But, with a beautiful vegetable, any riff will work and mine did just fine.

Back at the market, I left Peterson Specialty Produce and discovered Rodriguez Ranch. Carlos Rodriguez, son of the owner, led me through a tour of their stunning organic produce. There were bunches of itty bitty baby red carrots next to hardy red scallions.

Nearby was a rainbow of Swiss chard, followed by beets—gold, red and a cheery candy cane.

Then came red and white striped French breakfast radishes, and, finally, torpedo onions—visually, a cross between a red onion and red scallion. These, says Carlos, are great on the grill.

I filled my French shopping basket with the red carrots and scallions and the French breakfast radishes. Then I noticed another leaf veggie that was a deep dark forest green and asked Carlos about it. This was black kale, which I learned later, is also called cavalo nero and developed in the 18^th century in Tuscany. Carlos stuck a bunch of the kale in my bag and told me to come back and let him know what I thought of it.

It wasn’t hard to figure out what to do with it. It’s got broad stiff leaves that obviously needed to be blanched first, so I cut the stem out of the bigger leaves and threw the whole bunch into a big pot of salted boiling water for a few minutes. After draining the now softened greens, which took on an even bolder color, I sliced a few of the red scallions and used my little Kyocera slicer to get very thin slices of a couple of cloves of the heirloom garlic I had bought last week in OB. In my wok, I heated some olive oil and added the garlic. Just as I could smell the aroma of the garlic I added the kale and the scallions, tossed in some salt and pepper and sautéed the mix until the kale gave a little more in texture. What I love about this vegetable is that, unlike spinach, which can be hard to control when cooking and often leaves a tinny aftertaste, the black kale retains some structure and heft and has a deep, dark flavor. And, the addition of the red scallions worked well. Raw, they’re a little tough and very pungent. Cooked, they soften, of course, and develop a sweetness that’s a nice contrast to the kale.

So, what else was at the market? My favorite plumcots from Smit Farms, which was also selling wild blueberries. And, bunches of hard-to-find fresh epazote.

This is a Mexican herb, strong and lemony, often used in cooking with beans to help alleviate the gastric problems that can arise afterward. The word epazote comes from the Aztec words 'epatl' and 'tzotl', meaning smelly animal. Others call it Mexican tea. You can use it raw but more likely you’ll find it dried in packages in markets like Northgate Gonzalez.

Sage Mountain Farm had unusual organic Armenian cucumbers, which are sweet and crunchy. If I didn’t already have a large hot house cucumber in the fridge waiting for me to eat, I would have bought one of these large striped cukes.

I also found some unusual looking watermelon radishes. They aren’t gorgeous; in fact, they're downright homely, but so odd in color and size that you have to see them.

Across from these stalls was a collection of potted herbs from Casablanca Nursery in Valley Center. They had a lovely selection of five-inch pots of lavender, chocolate mint, lemon balm, pineapple sage and tomato plants. They also had a wide selection of basils, including curly-leaf mammoth basil, which has a strong licorice flavor, and an even stronger Thai basil, great for stir fries. I bought a pot of spicy bush basil, with its tiny thyme-like leaves that are wonderful for pesto.

At Valdivia Farms’ booth were gorgeous heirloom tomatoes—I’m such a sucker for these—and half pints of little multi-colored sweet cherry tomatoes, which I love to snack on.

Their mini veggies—little yellow summer squash and vibrant green zucchini—were beautiful, as were their squash blossoms.

I bought a large bunch of their Dragon Tongue Beans. These crazy looking flat purple and cream beans are sweet and flavorful, raw or cooked—packing far more taste than their green bean cousins.

I could make a meal just munching on them raw, but I steamed them briefly in the microwave for a minute, only slightly disappointed by the loss of color that results from cooking them. Then I tossed them with the rest of the lemon mix from the zucchini and refrigerated them to let them marinate. The result was a still-crisp bean redolent of the lemon oil and full of its own sweet bean flavor.

Interspersed among the produce were booths manned by some wonderful characters. George Petrou sells olives, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and capers. With every customer who came by, he’d pull out a notebook to show his organic certification, talk about his 107-year-old mother, still living in Delphi, and boldly declare in a strong Greek accent, “Olive oil is the best medicine.” He had me convinced. I walked away with a tall bottle of cold, first-press, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil.

Next to Petruou Foods was Belen Artisan Bakers and the enthusiastic Louise of Impeccable Taste, who makes sugar and sugar-free jams, pickled beets, bread and butter pickles, sherry wine jelly, cherries brandy, chutneys and mustards.

She also sells the baked goods for Belen. I tasted her lime marmalade, truly an explosion of lime, and her lovely black cherry jam. I ended up buying one each of the gorgeous scones—cranberry orange and cranberry walnut—and a loaf of organic country garlic French bread. The scones are divine, with a great texture and perfectly balanced flavor. I enjoyed the bread, but have to admit that it was too glutinous and could have been lighter.

Then I encountered the ebullient Vinnie Abdin of Majestic Garlic, with his more restrained sister Veni. They make vegan-friendly garlic spreads in a variety of flavors, including curry, dill, smoky and cilantro. I don’t quite know how they do it, but this stuff is great and very low fat. Add to a baked potato or pasta, serve with baked pita or raw veggies as an appetizer or snack. Use it in a stir fry. It’s quite remarkable.

Finally, I ended up at Peggy’s Pasta, which I had encountered earlier at the OB Farmers Market. Here, the booth is a full 35 feet and they fill it up with nine styles of pasta, 35 styles of bread and some gorgeous pastries, including a splendid flourless chocolate cake filled with a rich chocolate ganache. Heat it in the microwave for 10 seconds and the ganache spills down like a volcano, inserting itself into every seductive bite of very light cake.

At the end of all this, I still hadn’t had breakfast, but I was sated. As I left, I ran into my friend Jan Percival and her daughter. Every weekend, the two go to breakfast together in the neighborhood and then head over here. It’s a ritual Jan says they count on and I truly understand why.

La Jolla Open Aire Market is located on Girard at La Jolla Elementary School.

Have some thoughts about the La Jolla Open Aire Market or other farmers markets in San Diego? Do you have a favorite neighborhood market or shop that carries unique or unusual foodstuff? Let me know or add to the conversation by clicking on comments below:

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