Pork and Pinto Asado de Boda

This is a rich pork chili dish, that I understand is not far from that commonly served at weddings in Mexico (de Boda). I was trying to reproduce a pork-in-red-chili dish I used to have in grad school in Fort Collins, Colorado. Downtown, across the railroad tracks was a classic Mexican food dive, long gone now. I think their red chili was a bit thinner and sharper, and had no beans. Adjust according to your taste!2 lbs boneless country-style pork ribs, cut to 1-inch cubes

Asado red chili sauce:
1/2 cup whole almonds
6 dried Guajillo chili peppers, stemmed and seeded
3 cloves garlic
1 oz dark chocolate
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

2 cups water
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained

Start by browning the meat in a medium Dutch Oven or tagine dish, in three batches. Salt and pepper to taste. As the meat browns, heat a skillet to medium heat and toast the almonds dry, shaking gently, for about five or so minutes, until they just turn brown and begin to smell very fragrant. Tip almonds into a blender. Next, add the dried chilies and toast for about five minutes, shaking often, until the chilies begin to smoke and also smell fragrant. Tip into the blender.

Preheat oven to 325F. Heat water almost to a boil. Remove pork to a bowl as each batch browns. After the last batch, add the onion and jalapeño to the pot and brown for about five minutes. Tip onion mixture into blender. Add remaining sauce ingredients to the blender, along with the water. Blend to a very smooth sauce.Return pork to Dutch oven or tagine and pour sauce over pork. Stir to mix, cover and bake for an hour. Go for a bike ride, visit an art gallery, or touch base with a friend. After an hour, stir pork and add the beans and about 1/2-1 cup water, as needed for a nice sauce consistency. Cook another hour, stirring two or three times. Adjust water as necessary to form a rich sauce. Serve with warmed flour tortillas. Serves 6.