El Gallito in Tama

200 West 3rd
Tama, IA 52339

Whenever I drive north on US 63 to Cedar Falls or Waterloo, I try to stop at El Gallito in Tama, Iowa–a Mexican store that recently expanded to include a small restaurant. I tried it out this weekend, and the food is really good: clean, fresh flavors, nice portions, good salsas, with a set menu written on a small white board. I ordered a tortas with carne asada, with rice and beans on the side (pictured). It was served quickly, the bread was fresh, and the fixings were great. I would order it again, if I didn’t want to try other things on the menu. They’ll also make chile rellenos, if you call ahead, which is the sign of a good kitchen, in my book.

The store is spacious, and has the staples of most Mexican stores: tortillas, Mexican dairy products, dried beans, a nice selection of produce, and some great cooking implements. Not to mention some great pinatas. It’s a small town, so the volume isn’t as high as in urban stores, but what they do have is fresh, and the prices for most things are cheaper than mainstream supermarkets (tomatillos, for example, were 98 cents a pound, compared with $2.49 at a store in my town). Their meat counter is small, but has some good cuts of beef and pork, and nice chicharróns, which are like pork candy. They also have a nice wall of dried peppers, in varying quantities, and an assortment of spices. I’ve been experimenting with recipes involving different kinds of dried peppers, and I bought a bag of pasilla peppers, which I used with some costilla de puerco (pork ribs) I bought from the butcher (recipe below). El Gallito is a great resource in central Iowa, and if you’re ever passing through, or just want to take a drive, I highly recommend stopping in.

Costilla de puerco con chile pasilla

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds of baby back pork ribs or pork shoulder steaks
salt
pepper
cayenne
paprika
olive oil

Eight dried pasilla chile pods
8 plum tomatoes, peeled, or 1 24 oz jar whole tomatoes
1-2 small onions, minced
2 small jalapeños, minced
2 shallots, minced
5-6 cloves garlic
1 qt chicken stock
3-4 tablespoons tomato paste
salt
sugar
pepper
Mexican oregano
olive oil
1 stick of butter

Recipe:

Liberally season pork ribs or shoulder steaks with salt, pepper, and paprika. Dust with cayenne to taste. Heat olive oil in sauté pan, and sear ribs on high heat until well browned. Place in dutch oven or covered casserole, and set aside.

While pork is cooking, cut off stems of peppers with scissors, and slit sides and empty of seeds. Heat peppers in hot, dry pan for 90 seconds or until smoking. Place in blender, and cover with boiling water. Once peppers are completely soft, add tomatoes, and blend until smooth.

Drain pan of oil, wipe out any burnt bits, and return to stove top on medium heat. Add two tablespoons oil, and butter, and add onions and peppers, and sauté until translucent, and add garlic, and turn to low, and continue sautéing. Strain the pepper and tomato mixer through coarse sieve into onion and pepper mixture. Add chicken stock, tomato paste, and bring to low simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning, add 1 generous tablespoon of sugar, and cook for a few more minutes. Add this mixture into the browned pork ribs, cover, and cook for 3-4 hours at 300 degrees, until the pork is falling off the bone. Let cool, and pour off liquid into glass measuring cup, and refrigerate until the rendered fat congeals, separate fat from sauce, discard fat, and add sauce back to casserole. If desired, remove bones and cartilage before serving. I usually serve this dish with rice, as part of a Mexican dinner.