Pork Carnitas

I am never doubting a 5 ingredient recipe again. I have always run like the plague from any dish toting to be "super delicious" and yet be composed of essentially nothing. THANKFULLY, one friend first told me of the amazingness of this recipe and then another went one step further and brought them to me on the stressful day my 3 year old daughter had surgery this past fall. We were still living with my in-laws during our crazy house selling and buying and remodeling adventure and all seven mouths present that night devoured this puppies. I mean DE-voured them. I immediately asked for the recipe and was so surprised to learn the dish consisted only of five ingredients. Ok, six if you count the salt. Which none of those "5 ingredient cookbooks" ever do. How could something so simple taste so incredibly good? Holy smokes! A little fresh orange juice, a squeeze or two of lime juice, garlic and cumin - these four things are heavenly in combination with a hunk of pork shoulder. But let's be real. This recipe technically contains 7 ingredients because, where would it be without with the pork fat. That succulent, meat-crisping pork fat that takes this dish from delicious to unbelievable. But we don't have to count it as an ingredient because it comes already attached to the meat. Like getting two for the price of one.

It is rare that the entirety of my clan is pleased by what I put on the table. In fact, the other night there was so much complaining that, in a moment of total awesomeness on my part, I threatened to quit cooking for them all together. My six year old nearly lost her marbles and began wailing in her seat, right then and there. I took it as a compliment. Was it my finest moment? Not exactly. But at least somewhere down there I was affirmed that she values my contributions to the table, even if the words coming out of her mouth certainly aren't saying it. Anyway, let me assure you that I am still cooking for my children, even though it sometimes means approaching the table with an imaginary shield to deflect their "opinions" about what I've prepared. We have rules about what they are permitted to say at the table but anyone who has ever been around children knows that having rules and following them are two separate issues. :) 

But I digress....what I'm trying to say here is actually that this carnitas dish is one that we all LOVE. I most recently made it for my middle child's "Night Before School" special celebratory dinner. In theory, the idea behind these dinners is that the child gets to select their own menu. That didn't exactly happen (it was more of a "Crap, I guess tonight is the night before school and all I have left to make in the fridge is tacos" sort of thing) but I talked it up enough that I got her excited. It was so nice to sit back and eat an entire meal without complaints from the peanut gallery! Or maybe it was just the margarita that was nice. Tough call!  

This recipe is great for those days when you're stuck at home for a few hours, maybe during nap time or when you're waiting to change over the laundry. It can easily be prepared ahead of time, the day before or the morning of and I have even frozen any extra leftover meat (when there is any!) to reheat at a later date or to put atop nachos. It essentially takes no special cooking skills beyond squeezing citrus and turning on a burner. Whatever you do, be sure you don't skip the final step where you ramp up the heat, allowing the cubes of pork to sizzle in the rendered pork fat. This is certainly what makes the dish! 

Pork Carnitas

(from Smitten Kitchen)

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 to 3 limes)
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste

Corn or flour tortillas, for serving
Avocado slices, chopped cilantro, feta or grated cheddar and fixings of your choice

Place the pork cubes in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, salt and enough water to just barely cover the meat. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for two hours. Don’t touch the meat.

After two hours, increase the heat to medium-high and while occasionally stirring and turning the pieces, continue to cook for about 45 minutes, or until all of the liquid has evaporated, leaving only the rendered pork fat. Let it sizzle in this fat long enough to brown at the edges, turning pieces gently (they’ll be eager to fall apart), only as needed.

When pork has browned on both sides, it’s ready. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve on warmed tortillas with fixings.

Serves 6-8

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo-Jalapeño Salsa

Summer break has officially commenced in our household! I excitedly greeted my now-first grader yesterday morning "Happy first day of summer!!" She looked at me like I was the dumbest human to ever walk the planet and said retorted "Mom. It's not summer yet." And so I stood corrected.

Regardless of what the calendar says exactly, the weather here has be oh-so-summer like and I have been planning my weekly menus accordingly. We are in full-blown fast, fresh and grilled mode and I am loving it. I have been making it a point to incorporate seafood more often, primarily because I sort of accidentally discovered that seafood is one item that all my kids love.

Typically when I think of fish tacos, my mouth goes dry as I think about trying to swallow a mouthful of corn tortilla filled with overcooked sea life. I was determined to counter this mental presumption and make something moist and mouth-watering. Then I stumbled upon this recipe which seemed easy enough. I immediately changed the corn tortillas called for to my new-found favorite tortilla from Trader Joe's that includes a marriage of corn and wheat together in the same delectable tortilla. I knew this change would result in a moister taco right off the bat but of course, if you need the recipe to be gluten free, stick with the plain corn tortillas and you'll be good to go (the salsa provides a good amount of moisture).

I have always been a little curious about (or maybe terrified by?) tomatillos, never having cooked with them myself. Basically a green tomato wrapped in a husky, sticky skin, it seemed this recipe would break me in easy and help me conquer my hesitation. And it did! All I had to do was peel them and put them in a blender? Not too intimidating. My belated 30th birthday gift to myself had been a refurbished Vitamix blender which had spent the entirety of it's life with me up until that point in storage as we had purchased and were remodeling our new-to-us home. Tomatillo salsa seemed like the perfect maiden voyage for my beloved Vitamix. Call me naive but I really didn't know one could make salsa in a blender. Now I'm a believer and I'll preach it from the hill tops because it is SO EASY, not to mention awesome to spend so much less of ones life with knife in hand chopping. Even if you don't have a Vitamix, use whatever blender you have for this salsa. Simply pulse together your ingredients, being sure to avoid over-blending it into a puree. Voila! Fresh, easy salsa.

Once you have your salsa completed, the hard part is over (and really all you had to do was press the "pulse" button repeatedly). Now, simply toss together the lemon juice, olive oil, cilantro and garlic with the fish and season with salt. This recipe calls for halibut (which I've used) but more budget-friendly alternatives include cod, tilapia or even sole (pictured above). The fish is cooked quickly on a grill pan over moderately high heat and then flaked into bite-sized pieces for the tacos. I believe the taco fixins are just about as important as the taco itself and some of my favorites for this one include, avocado, sliced red onion and crumbled feta. An easy and frequent taco accompaniment at our house is cabbage slaw which can be served on the side or even used as a filling for the tacos. Combine shredded cabbage, carrot, chopped green onion and cilantro in a large bowl and then dress simply with olive oil, fresh-squeezed lime juice and salt and pepper. So fast, so yummy.

Ok readers, I am told that technically, for the type A personalities among us, summer is actually two days away. But I give you permission to cook like it's already here. Happy almost summer, People!

Fish Tacos with Tomatillo-Jalapeño Salsa
(enhanced from Food and Wine Magazine)

SALSA
4 medium tomatillos—husked, rinsed and quartered
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro
2 small jalapeños, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
Kosher salt

TACOS
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced cilantro
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 pound skinless halibut fillet (or other white fish such as cod or tilapia), about 3/4 inch thick
Kosher salt

FOR SERVING
Warm corn and wheat tortillas
Chopped avocado
Sliced red onion
Crumbed feta

MAKE THE SALSA In a blender, combine all of the ingredients except the salt and puree until nearly smooth. Season with salt and transfer to a small bowl.

MAKE THE TACOS Heat a grill pan. In a large baking dish, whisk the lemon juice with the olive oil, cilantro and garlic. Add the fish and turn to coat. Season the fish all over with salt and grill over moderately high heat, turning once, until white throughout, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the fish to a platter and flake into large pieces with a fork. Serve in warm corn tortillas with the salsa, avocado, red onion and cucumber.

MAKE AHEAD

The salsa can be refrigerated for 3 days.

Serves 4

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

I got to run away for the weekend. It was rough. And by rough I mean I got to stay in a 4 story beach front home WITH an elevator with four amazing girlfriends (and two adorable babies). We spent nearly the entire weekend talking. You'd think us women would eventually run out of things to say but you're wrong. I've been alive over thirty and a half years now and that still hasn't happened. There is just so much to talk about and so little time! Though we didn't manage to cover every topic on the planet, we did talk about the inevitable: meal planning and food budgets (boy, "girl talk" sure looks different for me these days!) The topic came up because we'd all left our husbands and most of our offspring at home and we knew we'd be returning to some degree of chaos which more than likely included an empty fridge. Or negative empty. If there is such a thing. 

People sometimes think that since I love food, that I must love all things food-related. That I frolic cheerfully through the grocery store pushing a cart containing three perfectly-behaved children who never whine or grab things off the shelves. It's true. Our life is just like that. My kids have never licked the floor or begun to eat something before we've paid, and no, that certainly wasn't my child that you saw just yesterday, twirling in the aisle with a mop as cleaning products spewed in every direction. Yeah, I love food so that sort of thing doesn't happen to me. NOT. 

Meal planning is the same story. I have the traditional late Sunday afternoon moment of petrified Darn-We-Are-Out-Of-Food-And-I-Need-To-Plan-A-Menu-For-The-Week-Like-NOW panic attack just like the rest of you. Unfortunately, even the lovely beach front setting I found myself in that past weekend, couldn't keep the attack at bay and I was racking my brain for inspiration so I could make an emergency grocery list as we packed up and prepared for our return trip. I was reminded of my desire to incorporate more vegetarian entrees into our diet, primarily for cost-saving measures (this of course was prompted by another riveting "girl talk" conversation in which we discussed the ghastly prices of meat - seriously, who have we become!?) Anyway, I realized that setting a specific goal of say serving one vegetarian meal a week could simplify my menu planning and make it less daunting. When I have a blank slate in front and all food's fair game, I have a hard time making a decision and picking recipes I'd like to make in the coming week. But when given a category to work with, it narrows the playing field and I do much better.

We have a few skeptics in my household so I am working to identify some vegetarian favorites that appease even the meat lovers. I stumbled upon this recipe a few years back because it received such rave reviews online. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was simple and easy AND delicious. The tacos are just as you would expect, given their name: crispy. The recipe calls for black beans that are partially mashed and seasoned with cumin. You could get fancy and add some other seasonings but it's really quite good as is. The key here, I think, is the fresh lime juice in the slaw. Shredded cabbage is tossed with a few green onions and cilantro and then dressed simply with lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. The cabbage absorbs the flavor of the lime, providing a nice tangy pop when stuffed inside the tacos to accompany with the black beans. The tacos are finished with a crumble of feta and hot sauce for us spice addicts - yum! So simple and fresh and cheap! Happy non-meat eating to us all.

Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Feta and Cabbage Slaw

(adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine)

2 (15 oz) cans black beans, drained

1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 cups shredded cabbage or undressed coleslaw mix
4 green onions, chopped
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
8 (6 inch) wheat and corn tortillas (Trader Joe's sells these)
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bottled hot sauce (I like Sriracha)

Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of tortillas to the skillet in single layer (parts of them will hang over edge of pan) . Spoon 1/8 of bean mixture onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half and flip, cooking until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, tortillas and bean mixture. Fill tacos with feta and slaw and serve with hot sauce alongside.

Serves 4-6

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Asian tacos? Who knew? The idea of putting stir fry in a taco shell sounded sort of weird to me at first but I'm all about fusion cuisine so when saw this recipe as I flipped through my cooking magazine, I decided to go for it. I don't care for the aftermath on the kitchen floor after I serve rice to the kids so maybe this was my ticket to eating Asian flavors AND a cleaner kitchen? YES! The recipe was delicious and the whole family loved it. I've served this for dinner three times already since we moved in with my in-laws, and the tacos have quickly become my father-in-law's favorite.

 

Coating the chicken pieces in cornstarch creates a crispy-tender yet healthier "crust" reminiscent of the fried version you would find at a Chinese restaurant. The recipe comes together pretty quickly, as long as you remember to toss the chicken in a bag with soy sauce earlier in the day (it's totally fine marinating for longer than 30 minutes, even overnight if you want). I love how this recipe incorporates raw celery and bell pepper with the cooked chicken for added color contrast and crunch.  I like to use Trader's Joe's Corn and Wheat "Tortillas de me Abuela" as I find the addition of wheat to the corn results in a softer tortilla that doesn't leave your mouth feeling like it's stuffed with cotton balls. I usually double the recipe so that we can have leftovers and we like our food spicy so Graham and I scoop extra sambal oelek or Sriracha sauce onto our tacos for added heat. 

 

This recipe reheats wonderfully if you are looking for something you can make ahead and then serve later. I have brought it to friends who have just had babies on numerous occasions and I almost always get asked for the recipe. Just pack up the cooked chicken tossed with the vegetables and sauce into a gallon ziplock. Deliver with the peanuts, limes and tortillas on the side. If you're looking for something new and different, give this recipe a try!

 

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

 

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks)

1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced green onions

8  (6-inch) corn and wheat tortillas
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

4 lime wedges

Place chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place 1/4 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Add chicken to cornstarch in dish, and toss chicken to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess cornstarch.
 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of coated chicken; sauté for 6 minutes or until done, turning to brown. Remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and coated chicken.
 

Combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, honey, and next 3 ingredients (through sambal oelek) in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Microwave at HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring twice. Stir in garlic. Combine soy sauce mixture, chicken, celery, bell pepper and green onion; toss to coat chicken and vegetables.
 

Warm tortillas in the microwave or under the broiler. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates; divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top each taco with chopped peanuts; serve with lime wedges and hot sauce, if desired.

 

Serves 4