Wow. Just, wow. I’ve been meaning to make carnitas tacos for at least a year now, and can’t believe how wonderfully they turned out. I started with a recipe from Elise’s site and made some modifications based on some of the comments, and changed the toppings to suit our tastes. Moist, spicy, fall-apart pork, crisped up in the oven and placed in a tortilla with homemade pico de gallo, crunchy cabbage, and sweet-tangy pickled red onions. This might be my favorite dish we’ve made this year.

Chris says:

Wow; do you smell that kitchen?

Lisa says:

The kitchen? Try the whole house! I’ve been drooling for the last three hours!

Chris says:

This is awesome — and amazingly simple for the results. It’s somewhat time-consuming, but most of it is unattended. The most complicated part was carving up the pork and trimming off most of the fat!

Lisa says:

Seriously? That rules — I think this is one of the best meals we’ve had in a while. Home-cooked or at a restaurant.

Chris says:

Everything works so well together: the savory pork, the freshness of the pico, and the tartness of the onions… I love it.

Lisa says:

You go ahead and keep talking about how good it is — I’m going to shut up and eat.

Chris says:

Actually, I think I’ll join you.

Tacos de Carnitas
4 lbs boneless pork butt (shoulder), cut into large cubes (remove as much fat as possible)
1 quart beef broth
2 cups chunky salsa, medium-hot

corn tortillas
pico de gallo (diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, jalapeño, and lime juice)
pickled red onions (recipe below)
cabbage, shredded
creme fraiche (or sour cream)

In a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine pork, broth, and salsa. Add water to completely cover the meat, if needed. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 3 to 4 hours, until meat pulls apart easily.
Remove the meat from the liquid in the pot, set aside, and shred. (I use “shred” lightly, the pork will be so tender that just pressing it with the back of a fork will make it fall apart.) Pour the liquid through a colander to filter out solids, then return a third of the liquid to the saucepan. Heat over high heat for 12-15 minutes until it reduces to a gravy-like consistency. Add the reduced liquid to the pork and mix thoroughly.
Turn on the broiler in your oven. Place the shredded pork in a shallow layer in a roasting pan, or a wire rack over a cookie sheet, on the bottom rack of the oven. Broil for 5-7 minutes, until pork starts to crisp up. Use a spatula to flip the pork, and broil for an additional 5-7 minutes until crisp.
Serve the carnitas in warm corn tortillas with homemade pico de gallo, marinated red onions, and shredded cabbage. Drizzle with a little creme fraiche.

6-8 Servings

Pickled Red Onions
1 red onion, cut into 1-4″ half-rings
rice wine vinegar (about 1 cup)
1/2 tsp sugar
orange juice
oregano
peppercorns
coriander seeds

Blanch the red onions in boiling water for 15 seconds, then drain, rinse, and pat dry. Dissolve the sugar into the rice wine vinegar. Place onions in a shallow dish, then add rice wine vinegar to just about cover the onions. Add about 1/4 cup of orange juice (enough to totally cover), the oregano, a few peppercorns, and a few coriander seeds. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. These will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Lisa wanted to make dinner tonight, and we had a ton of vegetables to use up from our CSA box, so we came up with these vegetarian enchiladas, filled with summer squash, spinach, and mushrooms, and topped with a green chile enchilada sauce.  Photogenic?  Not so much.  Healthy, full of veggies, and quick?  Absolutely!

Lisa says:

How come all the food I make is ugly?

Chris says:

Hey! All the food you make isn’t ugly; and I think the biggest reason this one isn’t exactly photogenic is because of the blue tortillas.

Lisa says:

Hmm… maybe… I love that enchilada sauce, it’s got a really nice flavor.

Chris says:

I like the creaminess from the creme fraiche.

Lisa says:

The filling is awesome — I don’t miss not having meat in there.

Chris says:

Totally — and I like using up all our CSA veggies from the fridge.

Lisa says:

I can’t wait to have ugly but delicious leftovers tomorrow.

UBD Summer Squash Veggie Enchiladas

1 14-oz can green chile enchilada sauce
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 tbsp creme fraiche
1 1/2 cups mixed summer squash, cubed
8 oz mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 red salad onions, bulbs and stems thinly sliced OR 1 large red onion, sliced
10 oz spinach
10 corn tortillas
pepper-jack cheese for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the summer squash and mushrooms; cook for a couple of minutes until the mushrooms start to brown.  Add the garlic, about three quarters of the red onion and continue cooking until the onions turn translucent and the squash is crisp-tender.  Add the spinach and red salad onion stems, stirring constantly, until the spinach is wilted.  Season with a teaspoon of salt, and cover to keep warm.
Lay out the tortillas on a baking sheet and spray on both sides with cooking oil, then stack in twos. Bake for 3 minutes or until soft and pliable. Remove and stack in a single pile; cover with a kitchen towel to keep warm.
In a small pot, heat the enchilada sauce to boiling, then lower the heat.  Stir in cilantro and the creme fraiche into the sauce.  Taste and season with salt, if desired.  Hold a tortilla by one edge and dip into the sauce.  Fill the center with 2 heaping tablespoons of the filling, then roll and lay seam side down in a 9×13 baking dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and remaining red onion, and bake for 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted. Garnish with additional salad onions.

Makes 10 enchiladas.

We’re always looking for new ways to use up the last of our veggies from the CSA box; this recipe from Quick from Scratch Herbs and Spices was easily adaptable to what we had left: broccoli and leeks! It comes from the “Spices” half of the book, and features Turmeric, which we’ve never really had as the main spice/focus of a dish: usually it’s used simply to add color. Not that it didn’t do the same here!

Chris says:

I’ll say it again — the recipes in this book are quick indeed.

Lisa says:

What are those little discs?

Chris says:

Those are the broccoli stems — you cut ‘em like coins… good, eh?

Lisa says:

I like the crunch.

Chris says:

Me too. I like the leeks in this; I’d almost make that a permanent alteration.

Lisa says:

Well we certainly seem to get them often enough in the CSA box…

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s kind of comforting… secure. Wait, ha! It’s a –

Lisa says:

Please don’t say, “Security Leek”

Chris says:

I’ll just go back to eating now.

Broccoli with Turmeric and Tomatoes
2 tbsp canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 large leek, thinly sliced
1 1/2 lbs broccoli (about 2 large stalks), stems peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4 slices, tops cut into florets
1 cup drained canned fire-roasted diced tomatoes (yield from 1 15-oz can)
1/3 cup water
3/4 tsp salt

In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and leeks and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and leeks are very soft, about 5 minutes longer.
Stir in the turmeric to coat the onions. Stir in the broccoli, tomatoes, water, and salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.

4 Side Servings

I bookmarked this white chili recipe featured on Blue Kitchen (GREAT photos) back in November and finally got to making it this weekend. It’s definitely not the usual “ground beef and kidney beans” fare… this spices in this chili include bay leaf, oregano, and… ginger! Unusual, but subtle. We loved it.

Chris says:

Usually I seed the jalapeños when I make chili, but since there wasn’t anything else really “hot” in the recipe, like chili powder, I left most of the seeds in.

Lisa says:

Really? I was all prepared to say “Spicy!” after my first bite, but it’s not that hot. It has a really good flavor, though.

Chris says:

Doesn’t it? I was wondering how it was going to taste with that ginger, but it’s very subtle. It doesn’t overpower the taste at all.

Lisa says:

The toppings make it a really colorful dish. Yay cilantro!

Chris says:

I think we’re going to have to change the name of this blog to We [Heart] Cilantro and Onions — I think we use them in 75% of the meals we make.

Lisa says:

Speaking of cilantro, what’s with these people?

Chris says:

Hey, that just means there’s more for us…

White Chili
———–
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/4 inch thick piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized chunks
5-6 white mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 15 oz cans white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, more for garnish]
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon each, salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small tomato, chopped
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Heat a large sauce pan over a medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onions and jalapeño pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, another minute or so. Add chicken and mushrooms. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to cook chicken on all sides.

Sprinkle in flour and stir to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add broth, beans, 1/4 cup cilantro, bay leaf, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Cover, reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes.

Discard bay leaf and adjust seasonings. Spoon chili into bowls and garnish with tomato, cilantro and green onion.

4 Servings

Tonight I made Chicken Machaca — a stir-fry with southwestern flavors — and Mexican Red Rice. Both of these recipes come from The Border Cookbook, which focuses on home cooked meals from the American Southwest and Northern Mexico. This is another one of those books where we’ve yet to find a dud.

Chris says:

I love the consistency of this rice. It’s really moist without being goopy. Much better than those “just add water” pre-mix ones you can buy.

Lisa says:

Yum, I really like it. What was all that grinding going on in here?

Chris says:

I used the coffee grinder for the cumin in the chicken and to grind New Mexico chiles for the rice.

Lisa says:

I’m glad we’re getting some use out of that thing, we don’t make coffee at home!

Chris says:

Yeah it works perfectly! And the freshly ground spices seem to be more intense than those jars that have been sitting in the cabinet for months.

Lisa says:

I [heart] fajitas, and this chicken is almost like fajitas.

Chris says:

Yeah it’s really close… but what it’s stir-fried with has a much different flavor than you usually find with fajitas. There’s soy sauce in there.

Lisa says:

Well I [heart] them just the same!

Chicken Machaca
—————
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 jalapeño, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
cilantro, for garnish

Pound the chicken breasts to 1/2-inch thickness, then cut in long 1/2-inch wide strips. In a large skillet over high heat, warm the oil. Swirl the oil around the pan to coat completely, and add the chicken. Cook the chicken, stirring often, until just done. Remove with a slotted spoon to another plate and set aside. Add the onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapeño and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and cumin. Cook another 2 minutes, then add the chicken back to the pan and heat through.
Garnish with cilantro.

4-6 Servings

Mexican Red Rice
—————-
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup uncooked basmati rice
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 cups chicken broth
1 tbsp ground New Mexico chile
3/4 tbsp salt

In a medium saucepan, warm the peanut oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until softened. Add the rice and tomatoes, stirring for a couple of minutes so that the rice is coated with the oil. Add the stock, chile, and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-18 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let steam, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

4-6 Servings