Wild Pork Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream and Tomato Salsa

If we’re not all in lockdown by now and pumping out the sourdoughs already, and you don’t feel like making the flat bread, then you can just buy a packet of tortilla wraps. It just won’t be as cool on Instagram!

For the mince I used pork shoulder and minced it myself using a commercial mincer. If you’re getting your butcher to process your wild game - great, if not, and you’re using a hand mincer, then it’s good to remove the worst of the sinew and silver skin as I have found this clogs up your mincer.

If you want to extend your pork a bit further you can always add a can of chilli beans to the mince at the end and heat it through. Feel free to add more chipotle to your desired level of heat or you can always drizzle some on top when you put your tacos together.

For the salsa you can also add your own flair to it by using it as a base and adding other ingredients to it such as pineapple or jalapenos as well as herbs like mint and coriander.

Makes 4 portions.

INGREDIENTS:

Pork filling:

400g Wild pork mince

1 Small carrot

1/2 Red onion

1 Small knob ginger (15g)

1 Tsp turmeric

1 Tsp ground cumin

1 Tsp ground coriander

1 Cup spinach

1/2 Cup stock (chicken or beef)

Salt

Flat breads:

(Makes 12 x 15cm flat breads)

80g Wholemeal flour

200g Plain flour

180ml Water

2 Tbs Olive oil

1/2 Tsp salt

Chipotle sour cream:

20g Canned chipotle in adobo sauce

250g Sour cream

Salt

Tomato salsa:

1/2 Red onion

1/2 Cucumber

3 Medium tomatoes (250-300g)

5 Tbs olive oil

1 Tbs lime juice

Salt

To serve:

2 Limes

1/2 Bunch fresh coriander

100g Crispy shallots

Grated cheese (optional)

METHOD:

For the pork mince: Peel and finely dice the onion, garlic and ginger. Grate the carrot. In a pot with a little oil brown off the mince, onion, garlic, ginger and carrot.

Add the spices and cook out for 1 min, then add the stock and simmer over a moderate heat until the stock has almost completely reduced, about 20 mins. Add the spinach and then stir and take off the heat, season to taste.

For the flat breads: Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl until they’ve formed a dough. On a floured surface knead for about 5 mins until everything is well incorporated. Divide the dough into 12 even pieces and roll into balls. Using some flour and a rolling pin, roll the balls out until they are very thin like a tortilla.

Using a fry pan over a moderate heat (dry, no oil in the pan) place the flat breads one at a time and cook on one side until they have changed colour from raw looking to more white with some brown spots. Flip over and do the same on the other side. Keep warm in a tea towel.

For the salsa: Dice the cucumber and tomatoes into a small to medium dice and finely dice the onion. Chop the parsley and mix everything together in a bowl along with the olive oil and lime juice and season with some salt to taste.

For the sour cream: Mix the two ingredients together. You may need to blend up the chipotles if they are whole or chunky so that you have a smooth sauce. This will give you a medium heat which may be a bit hot by itself but don’t worry, it will be nice once everything is combined together in the taco.

To Serve:

Pile up the fillings on your taco and top with coriander, crispy shallots, a bit of grated cheese if you like and then give it a squeeze of lime juice.

Fold it over, tuck in and be careful of drips!

About MacLean

“I am a professional chef and amateur hunter. I have spent time hunting in most of the North Island ranges but do most of my hunting in the Tararua’s.

Working as a chef has sent me to several locations in the world and I have worked in New Zealand, Malaysia, Cook Islands and the Maldives.

I first started out hunting rabbits and possums with my old man when I was a kid before moving on to goats and deer as I grew older. As a chef I like to use the best produce available. Hunters when killing humanely and taking only what they need can end up cooking with not only the most ethically harvested meat but when dealt with properly, the best quality also.

I think it’s really important to know where your food comes from and how best not to waste it, and that’s why I think hunting and cooking marry so well together and that’s what I hope to promote and achieve through sharing the recipes and techniques we use to cook wild game professionally.”

MacLean Fraser,

Executive Chef,

Artisan Dining House,

Bolton Hotel,

Wellington

www.boltonhotel.co.nz/dining