Milk Street Digital Class: Craving Cultura with Andrea Pons

About this Pre-Recorded Class:

Braised pork served with cake? Yes. In central Mexico, deeply savory braised pork is often served up with a slab of torta de elote, a cousin of North American cornbread made with white corn. Watch this pre-recorded Zoom class with guest chef Andrea Pons, author of “Mamacita,” to get a peek into the kitchens of her hometown of Guanajuato. You’ll learn why you should be blistering your tomatoes and charring your fresh chilies to deepen their flavor and soften their texture. Then, you’ll season pork with a simple mixture of garlic salt and black pepper, sear it and simmer it in that chili-and-tomato sauce until tender. This dish is really a template for countless future meals, no written recipe required. And vegetarians, rejoice: Andrea’s braised pork in spicy tomato & poblano sauce works just as well with winter vegetables, like acorn squash and carrots. Finally, you’ll learn all about torta de elote, which might literally translate as “cornbread” but is a completely different creation than North America’s yellow version. Mexico’s corn cake is only subtly sweet, meaning that it’s as good with coffee in the morning as it is paired with your braised pork and spicy sauce. Plus, Andrea’s torta de elote comes together entirely in the blender, meaning that in under 10 minutes, you can have a cake in the oven.

What's On the Menu: Carne de Puerco con Rajas en Salsa de

Tomate (Pork Chops in Spicy Tomato and Poblano Sauce)

Torta de Elote (Corn Cake)