Pork in red chile with nopales (tacos de guisado)

Tear the tops off the guajillo chilies, open them and remove the seeds; tear into flat pieces.

Cut the pork into small cubes (freezing it 30 to 45 minutes first makes cutting easier) and brown in batches in lard or oil, keeping a coating of fat in the pan.

Clean the nopales: holding each paddle with tongs, cut off the edge all round and the end where it joined the plant; scrape off the nodes with the knife perpendicular to the paddle.

Cut the nopales into pieces slightly smaller than half an inch (or strips).

Put the nopales in a pan with a little oil and no liquid, cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes until they exude their sticky liquid.

In the pork pan over medium heat, toast the guajillo pieces in the hot oil for seconds until they lighten in colour, without burning; then the arbol chilies a couple of seconds. Collect in a small bowl.

Cook the peeled garlic cloves in the pan over lower heat until browned and cooked through; transfer to the blender jar.

Cover the chilies with hot water, weight with a plate to keep them submerged, and soak about 20 minutes to rehydrate.

Uncover the nopales and cook another five or seven, eight minutes until the sticky liquid has evaporated.

Add the rehydrated chilies to the blender with the garlic, about a teaspoon of black pepper, about half a teaspoon of freshly ground cumin, and Mexican oregano crushed between the palms; add a little soaking liquid and blend to a smooth puree.

Unless using a high-speed blender, press the puree through a medium mesh strainer into the hot pan; discard the skins.

Cook the puree over medium-high heat, stirring, until reduced to the consistency of tomato paste and darkened, five or seven minutes.

Stir in about two cups of water to dissolve the paste, add the pork, and simmer over medium-low partially covered until the meat is tender, 45 minutes to an hour.

Stir in the nopales; the filling should be just saucy enough to coat. Season with about a teaspoon of salt and taste; a pinch of sugar is optional.

Spoon the filling over warm tortillas and top with a little queso fresco.