Red Chile Pork Cutlets, Cervantes Style: Chuletas de Serdo en Chile Rojo, Estillo Cervantes

In a shallow pan, place the pork cutlets in a single layer. Pour 3/4 of the chile sauce marinade evenly over the meat, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours before grilling. For more intense chile flavor, marinate overnight.

Preheat grill on high. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F and place the marinated pork cutlets on the grill. Reserve the marinade for basting throughout the cooking process. Cook each side 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of each cutlet. Baste the pork with the marinade on each side before turning.

Remove pork cutlets from grill and set aside. Ladle about 2 ounces of the ready to serve Red Chile Sauce on each plate. Place the pork in the center of the plate and drizzle additional red chile sauce over the meat. Garnish with a sprig of cilantro and serve with your choice of calabacitas, papitas, pinto beans, or Spanish rice. The pork can also be cut into strips after grilling and wrapped in a warm flour tortilla as a burrito.

Red Chile Sauce Marinade:
1 pound sun-ripened New Mexico red chile pods, dried
1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon salt

Remove the stems, seeds and white veins of the New Mexico red chile pods. Rinse and place the cleaned pods in a large bowl or saucepan and add enough hot water to cover the red chile pods. Soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour. When the pods are completely reconstituted, they should appear bright red and plump. Remove the chile pods with tongs and place in a blender with the water they were soaking in. Leave about 1-inch space or more in the blender container. Add the oregano, garlic, and salt. Blend for 2 minutes. If sauce is too thick, add more water and blend until mixture is smooth.

Cook's Note: Be sure to use rubber gloves when handling chile pods.