Carnitas

Source: http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=13064

Notes: This is a yummy recipe and makes it seem like it was a lot more complicated than it actually is. It does take some time, roughly 3-4 hours from start of prep to plate.

Serves: a lot

Ingredients:

• Pork 1 (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless pork butt , fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 small onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp juice from 1 lime
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium orange, halved

Program:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
2. Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heatsafe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
3. Using 2 forks, pull each piece of pork in half. Fold in reduced liquid; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread pork in even layer on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet or on broiler pan (meat should cover almost entire surface of rack or broiler pan). Place baking sheet on lower-middle rack and broil until top of meat is well browned (but not charred) and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Using wide metal spatula, flip pieces of meat and continue to broil until top is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes longer. Serve immediately with warm tortillas and garnishes.

Variations:

• None

Log:

• First Made: don’t remember
• Last Made: don’t remember

Tags:

• Meal: Dinner, 
• Special: Bulk, Easy
• Sidebar: 
• Source: Cooks

Version: Version 1.3

"Homemade" Tortilla Chip

They aren't really homemade because I start with store bought corn tortillas. It isn't really necessary to make from scratch I find.

This is adapted from the food network kitchen recipe:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/baked-tortilla-chips-recipe/index.html

Heat oven to 350.

Brush both sides of tortillas with vegetable oil, stacking as you go. After you have about 10 cut with a sharp knife into desired shapes (I like strips for dipping - I get 8 per tortilla).

Put on a baking sheet in a single layer. Season with coarse salt. Bake, rotating the baking sheets if you have more than one, for 12-15 minutes.

Eat warm or let cool and store at room tempature in a zip top bag. They make a great, nut free, snack for the kids at lunch.

Fish Tacos

I tried a simplified variation on Alton's Fish Taco recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/fish-taco-recipe/index.html

I also only made it for two, although we could've eaten more!

The marinade consists of about a tablespoon of dried cilantro, a little chicken stock, a couple tablespoons of tequila, zest from one lime, and salt and pepper. Combine them and put them on two tilapia filets for about 20 mins.

I heated up six corn tortillas and kept warm.

I diced one jalapeno and thinly sliced about 2-3 romaine leaves.

I made a "mock" crema by combining about 1/3 cup yogurt with hot sauce and salt.

Lastly I made an avocado "salsa" consisting of one ripe avocado diced large. Half a small onion diced simarly, and one roma tomato also diced the same size. A little salt and dried cilantro along with juice from half of a lime. Mixed well but not mashing the avocado (I wasn't looking for guacamole!).

Cooked the fish about 3 mins per side on a griddle lightly brushed with olive oil.

Break the fish up and serve with the other fixins.