PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Fabricate the aromatic vegetables for the sauce, meatballs, and rice:

• Mince the yellow onion and divide it into 3 equal portions.
• Mince the garlic and divide it into 3 equal portions.
• Stem and seed the jalapeño chile, then cut it into very small dice. (*Refer to recipe note.)

2. Roast and fabricate the tomatoes and poblanos:

• Place a cooling rack over a gas burner—or​​—light a broiler to high setting and prepare a foil-lined sheet tray.  Prepare an aluminum foil pouch large enough to hold the poblano.
• Place the tomatoes and poblano on the rack over a high flame, working in batches if necessary.  Alternatively, place them on the sheet tray under the broiler.  Turn the tomatoes and poblano often until their skins blacken all over.
• Put the hot poblano into the pouch, seal it, and wait about 15 minutes until it steams in its own heat, softens, and cools to room temperature.
• Scrape the charred skins off of the tomatoes and cut out the cores.  Cut them in half widthwise.  Use your index finger to remove most of the seeds.  Chop them fine.
• Open out the foil pouch to expose the poblano. (*Refer to recipe note.) Use a paring knife to scrape off the charred skin.  Transfer the poblano to a clean work area.  Cut away the stem end, and then slit it open lengthwise.  Remove the seed ball and interior membranes, then cut into very small dice.
• If prepping ahead, store the poblano in a container. 

3. Make the chipotle sauce:

• Mince the chipotles en adobo with their sauce.
• Heat the step 3 lard in a saucepan and add 1 portion of minced onion.  Sauté over medium heat about 1 minute until very light brown, then add 1 portion of minced garlic and the chipotles with their sauce.  Sauté a few seconds longer.  Add the tomatoes and sauté, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes until much of their moisture evaporates and the fat begins to separate out of the mixture.
• Stir in the water, chicken broth, tomato purée, and some salt.  Cook, stirring often, about 20 minutes until the sauce reduces to a light nappé consistency.  Evaluate the flavor and add salt and a pinch of sugar if needed.
• If prepping ahead, cool to room temperature and store in a container. 

4. Mix and form the meatballs:

• Mince the step 4 cilantro leaves.
• Combine the beef/pork, cilantro, bread crumbs, 1 portion of minced onion, 1 portion of minced garlic, ground chile, ketchup, oregano, egg, and salt in a bowl.  Mix and knead thoroughly with your hand until sticky and cohesive.  Pick up the meat mixture with your hand and slap it back into the bowl a few times to compress it.
• Pull off a small morsel of the meat mixture, flatten it into a patty, and cook it (poach, fry, or microwave) until just done.  Cool, taste, and evaluate the flavor.  Correct salt and other seasonings if necessary.
• Form the meat mixture into small meatballs about the size of an in-shell walnut (5 meatballs per serving).
• If prepping ahead, store the meatballs in a container.

5. Fabricate the slaw ingredients:

• Cut the cabbage into shreds.
• Cut the red onion into fine julienne.
• Peel the carrot and grate it through the large holes of a box grater.
• If prepping ahead, store the slaw vegetables together in a plastic bag.

6. If necessary, make the Apple Cider Vinaigrette.

7. Complete the remaining mise-en-place tasks.

HOLD: Refrigerate all ingredients up to 4 days.

COOK! Finish and plate your dinner:

8. Make the rice:

• Preheat an oven to 350°F.
• Mince the step 8 cilantro leaves.
• Choose a heavy, oven-proof saucepan large enough to just accommodate 4 times the volume of the raw rice you are using, and with a tight-fitting lid.  Add the step 8 lard, the remaining portion of minced onion, the remaining portion of minced garlic, and the diced jalapeño.  Sauté over medium heat about 30 seconds until soft but not browned.
• Add the rice and sauté about 30 seconds longer, until the rice grains are coated with lard and most have changed from translucent to opaque in color.  Don’t allow the rice or aromatics to brown.
• Stir in the broth, water, poblanos, and salsa verde.  Bring just under the boil and add salt.  (The broth should taste slightly salty as it will season the rice as it cooks.)  Immediately cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and simmer about 15 minutes until the liquid absorbs into the rice.
• Fold in the cilantro and re-cover the pan.
• Transfer the saucepan into the oven and bake 15 minutes longer.

9. Dress the slaw:

• Place the slaw vegetables in a bowl.  Drizzle on the vinaigrette, squeeze in a little lime juice, sprinkle on the oregano, and toss to combine.  Refrigerate until needed.  (Reserve the lime wedge for step 10.)

10. Sauté and sauce the meatballs:

• Place a sautépan over medium heat until hot.  Add the step 10 lard, then add the meatballs in one layer.  Cook, swirling and turning the meatballs often, about 1 minute until browned on all surfaces.
• Pour the sauce over the meatballs and add a little water to compensate for reduction.  Cover the pan, and simmer about 10 minutes until the meatballs are just cooked through.  Don’t overcook, or the meatballs will be dry.
• If necessary, thin the consistency of the sauce with a little more water. 
• Evaluate the seasoning and, if necessary, add a squeeze of lime juice and/or more salt.

11. Plate:

• Mound the rice slightly to the front-left of warmed plates and make wells in the center.
• Arrange 5 meatballs into each well, then spoon the sauce over top.
• Mound the slaw on the back right of the plates.
• Sprinkle the optional cheese in a diagonal line across the meatballs and rice.
• Pull apart the leaves of the step 11 cilantro and scatter them over the meatballs and rice.