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.

This easy, delicious recipe comes from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless. Pork tenderloin is cooked in a sauce of roasted poblano peppers, tomatoes, onions, and garlic. The entire house smelled amazing with it on the stove.

Lisa says:

YUM! It smells so good in here.

Chris says:

Just wait until you eat it!

Lisa says:

This sauce rules — I heart those roasted poblanos.

Chris says:

…and the pork is cooked just the way I like it… with just a bit-o-pink in the middle.

Lisa says:

Yeah that tenderloin is so… tender!

Chris says:

In the spirit of “you are what you eat”, I freely admit to being a pig!

Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana

2 large fresh poblanos
1 1/4 lb. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium white onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, crushed
28-oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup beef broth
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

Roast the poblanos either over an open flame or under a broiler, turning regularly until the skin is blistered and blackened all over. Place the peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool.
While the peppers are cooling, pat the meat dry and salt well. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the pork in a single layer and brown on all sides, turning regularly, for about 4 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, keeping as much of the oil in the pan as possible. Set the skillet aside.
Remove the skin from the peppers, then remove the stems and seeds. Rinse, then cut into 1/4-inch strips and set aside.
Return the skillet to medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, until crisp-tender. Add the garlic and peppers and stir for a minute or so. Pour in the stock and tomatoes, bring to a boil, and let cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the pork and cilantro to the pan, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer until the pork is just cooked through, about 5 more minutes.
Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve with white rice.

4 Servings

This is a recipe that I’ve really been looking forward to making from Healthy Latin Cooking. We usually don’t make pork (Lisa’s not sure if she likes it) unless it’s in a stew, but after tonight’s meal I think we’ll be making it more often. The pork marinates in a delicious combination of chipotle peppers, citrus juices, garlic, and onions.

Lisa says:

Wahoo! Pomegranate seeds!

Chris says:

I love how they explode in your mouth. Hey, this dish looks Christmas-y. This Other White Meat(tm) has so much flavor! Guess that’s what 24 hours of marinating gets you.

Lisa says:

Dammit, you have to stop making such delicious meals — I just eat and eat and eat!

Chris says:

Isn’t that the point?

Chile-Marinated Pork with Black Bean Salsa
——————————————
1-1/4 lb pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat
3 canned chipotle peppers, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 small red onion, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
3 tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp allspice
salt and ground black pepper
Black Bean Salsa (recipe follows)
1 pomegranate, broken into seeds

Place the pork in a shallow glass or ceramic baking dish.
In a blender, combine the chipotles, garlic, onion, orange and lime juice, vinegar, oregano, and allspice; puree until smooth. Sppon the marinade over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. Turn 2 or 3 times while marinating.
Preheat a grill or broiler to medium-high. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Grill or broil the pork for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 160F. Let the pork sit for 3 minutes before slicing on the diagonal.
Mound a portion of salsa on each of 4 dinner plates. Divide the pork among the plates; dollop sour cream over the pork. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

4 servings

Black Bean Salsa
—————-
2 cups cooked black beans
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
3 tbsp lime juice
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate.

Hmmmm, first time using pomegranate seeds in a dish, I guess I should submit this to this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging!

Yes, yet another pozole recipe… I swear, we should just rename the site to “We [heart] Pozole”. This one, unlike the others we’ve made, is closer to “traditional” pozole in that it doesn’t have a thick, tomato base, but rather a clear, flavorful broth. The red color comes from guajillo peppers that have been pureed and stirred in; they added a nice subtle pepper flavor without a lot of spice. This recipe is from Healthy Latin Cooking.

Pozole (Pork and Hominy Stew)
—————————–
2 dried guajillo peppers, stems removed and seeded
1 tbsp canola oil
8 ounces lean pork, cut into 1″ cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 bay leaf
6 cups water
2 14.5-oz cans hominy, drained and rinsed
salt, pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Soak the peppers in hot water for 20 to 30 minutes until soften, then transfer to a blender with 1/4 cup of the soaking water and puree until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook for 3 minutes. Add the onion and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf and cook an additional minute or two, until the pork and vegetables begin to brown. Add the water and hominy and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and remove the bay leaf. Stir in the pureed peppers and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and season again with salt and pepper.

Top with chopped green onions and cilantro.

4 servings

This is a nice summery salad featuring lots of crisp vegetables, ground pork, and cellophane noodles (also called glass noodles or bean thread noodles). It’s also the first recipe we’ve tried from the new cookbook that Lisa’s mom gave us over the weekend. All of the recipes in the book look delicious; I’m sure we’ll be featuring more in upcoming weeks!

We cut the oil a bit from the recipe below, otherwise we made it as listed.*

Cellophane Noodle Salad
————————
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 lemongrass stalk
1 green jalapeno chili
1/4 lb ground pork
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground white pepper
3 oz cellophane noodles, soaked in warm water for 30 minutes
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp water
3 tbsp canola oil
1 cup peeled, seeded and julienned cucumber
1/2 cup seeded and julienned red bell pepper
3 shallots, thinly sliced
8 red-leaf lettuce leaves
2 tbsp minced unsalted peanuts, toasted
1 tbsp shredded fresh mint
1 tbsp shredded fresh cilantro

Directions

Soak the mushrooms in warm water to cover for 30 minutes. Drain, remove and discard the stems and cut the caps into fine julienne. Using only the pale bottom part of the lemongrass stalk, peel away the tough outer layer, smash the stalk with the side of a chefs knife and thinly slice on the diagonal. Seed the chili, then thinly slice into rings. Set the vegetables aside.

Season the pork with the salt and white pepper. In a saute pan over high heat, saute the pork until it turns opaque and is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the pork to a sieve and let drain, then place in a large bowl. Drain the noodles and add to the bowl with the pork.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and water. Heat until the sugar has dissolved, pour the mixture into a bowl and gradually whisk in the canola oil.

Add the cucumber, bell pepper, shallots, mushrooms, lemongrass and chili to the pork and noodles and toss to mix. Add the lime-juice mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Line a platter with the lettuce leaves. Top with the pork and noodles, garnish with the peanuts, mint and cilantro and serve. Serves 4.

* Make sure your butcher gives you ground pork and not ground lamb (!!)