Braised Lamb Tiwa Tacos with Ancho Chile Jam

Bobby Flay says: I learned to make the fry bread for these tacos while visiting a Native American pueblo on New Mexico. Tiwa tacos are an integral part of southwestern Native American cuisine; tiwa refers to both the language and the people of that region. My addition to this traditional recipe is the ancho chile jam; its rich and fruity flavor goes really well with the lamb.

I say: Lamb is hard to find and really pricey in our neck of the woods, so I used antelope. But I think you could use pork, beef or chicken just as well.

And these were GOOD! I know there are a lot of steps, but they are worth it! The nice thing is that you can cook and shred the meat the day before. And the Ancho Chile Jam is the star of this production. I wanted to eat dozens of these!

Braised Lamb Tiwa Tacos with Ancho Chile Jam
3 tbs. canola oil
1 (3 lb.) boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat (this will be slow cooked – see below)
3 tbs. ancho chile powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 large Spanish onion, diced
4 c. chicken stock
Fry Bread Tacquitos (recipe follows)
4 oz. watercress
Ancho Chile Jam (recipe follows)
1 c. crema, crème fraiche or sour cream
½ c. grated cotija cheese (2 oz.)
½ c. thinly sliced green onion, white and green parts

Heat the 3 tbs. oil in a pan. Season the lamb, antelope, whatever with ancho powder and salt and pepper. Brown on all sides. Add, or place everything in a slow cooker, the carrot, celery, onion, and chicken stock.

Cover and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 2 hours, or in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours.

Remove meat to a platter and shred with a fork.

Strain the cooking liquid into a medium saucepan and boil over high heat until reduced to a sauce consistency, 15-20 minutes. Add the lamb to the sauce to heat through.

This can be made up to 1 day in advance, stored in the sauce in the refrigerator, and reheated before serving.

Fry Bread Tacquitos
1 ½ c. flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
1 tbs. dry milk powder
Kosher salt
¼ c. cold shortening or lard or butter (I used butter)
2 c. canola oil

Combine flour, baking powder, milk powder, and 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl.

Cut in shortening or butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly.

Add ¾ c. cold water, mix until the dough comes together.

Place on lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Heat oil in large skillet or kettle until it reaches 360 degrees.

Divide dough into 8 pieces ( I made half the recipe)

Roll out each piece into a 4” circle about 1/8” thick.

Fry one at a time until golden brown on both sides – 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt.

The fry bread can be made up to 8 hours in advance and stored in an airtight container. Warm in a low oven before serving.

Ancho Chile Jam
6 ancho chiles, soaked (place in a bowl, pour on boiling water and let sit 30 minutes)
2 tbs. canola oil
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 minced clove garlic
2 tbs. brown sugar
1 tbs. molasses
Kosher salt

Remove 2 of the ancho chiles from their soaking liquid.

Stem and seed them and place in a blender with a little of the soaking liquid; blend until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a medium bowl. Stem, seed and finely chop the remaining chiles and set aside.

Heat the oil in a small sauce pan over high heat, add onion, and cook until soft; 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 1 minute.

Add the ancho chile puree, ¼ c. of water, the brown sugar, and molasses;

bring to a boil and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and fold in the chopped ancho chiles. Season with salt. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature.

This can be made up to 1 day in advance and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before serving.

To assemble:Place the tacos on 8 large dinner plates. Put watercress (okay - I couldn't find watercress so I used baby spinach leaves - worked great!) on each taco,

top with meat,

ancho chile jam, crema,

cotija cheese and green onions.

Let me know if you make these, and I'll come eat some more! And I will definitely make these again!