Pork Tinga Tacos

Once upon a time, I made crockpot meals.  I'd put things in at noon, do kid driving/practices and end up with a tasty dinner when we all made it home.  These days, that is just a fairy tale-at least when I need make ahead meals most.  I've had challenges getting things in the crock pot before school (partly because I am too exhausted the night before) and 7 am to 4 pm is too long to leave most anything in the crockpot (at least my crockpot who's low temp works more like a high temp).

This summer though, I've made an amazing discovery.  Getting a meat dish in the crock pot in the mornings before we go to swim meets means when we return, our house is fragrant and I have supper ready.  I usually let the meal cool a bit, then put it in the fridge until supper time (reheating it right before eating).  Perfection.

It's been the summer of the taco.  We're eating tacos about once a week, mostly because they're easy, I found mixta (a mixture of corn and flour) tortillas we love, and everyone loves tacos.  It's a fix your own meal kinda meal so if I am wanting more veggies, I load more cabbage salad on mine.  The boys can skip the cabbage salad entirely and just have meat and cheese.  

This serves 6 - 8

Pork Tinga Tacos 

adapted from Everyday Mexican by Rick Bayless

1 lb potatoes (red or yellow--not Russet baking potatoes), cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 lbs boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1-inch cubes

1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 -2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, seeded and thinly sliced

1 T chipotle canning sauce

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 t died oregano

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, sliced 1/4-inch thick

tortillas (corn, mixta, flour--your preference, but corn is best)

queso fresco, crumbled

avocados, flesh cut into 1/2-inch pieces (avoid pit and skin)

salsa

guacamole (unnecessary if you're using avocados)

Spread the potatoes over the bottom of the slow cooker.  Cover with pork.  In a large bowl (or if you're lazy, just dump everything straight into the slow cooker), combine tomatoes, chipotles and chipotle sauce, Worcestershire, oregano, garlic, onion and 1 1/2 t salt.  Pour the mixture evenly over the meat and potatoes.  Cover and slow-cook on low for 6 hours (Know they slow cooker!  The original recipe said cook on high, but I know high for 6 hours would ruin my meat).  Taste and add more salt if necessary.

To serve, put a spoonful of pork and potatoes in the center of a heated tortilla.  Top with queso fresco, avocado chunks, salsa, guacamole or whatever else you desire.

Caramelized Vietnamese Pork

After a self-imposed cookbook moratorium for a while, I got a couple new cookbooks this spring.  I have been so thankful I did.  The first one was Ruth Riechl's My Kitchen Year.  Seriously folks, we have loved almost every recipe I've made from here (and I've made a few).

Last night, the recipe was a caramelized pork.  A brief disclaimer.  I ignored the advice Reichl gave at the bottom of the recipe which was to not double the recipe.  However, I had to.  The recipe served two and I have five hearty eaters.  My end product may not have turned out exactly like hers did, but we all still loved it.  At the end of the meal, I had multiple people telling me to make this again.

Serves 4 - 6.

Caramelized Vietnamese Pork
adapted slightly from My Kitchen Year by Ruth Reichl

2 T rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1 medium to large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, halved and cut into half moons
1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 - 2 lbs pork tenderloin, thinly sliced (easiest done if pork is at least partially frozen)
2 small onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, smashed
2 T sugar
1/4 c fish sauce
fresh mint, coarsely chopped (about 2-3 sprigs)
fresh basil, coarsely chopped (about 2 -3 sprigs)
chili garlic sauce or sriracha
crushed peanuts (optional)
lime wedges

cooked rice to serve 4 - 6

Pour rice vinegar in a bowl and add 1 t sugar and a pinch of salt.  Gently stir in cucumber and ginger  Allow to soak while you make the meat.

Heat a wok over medium-high to high heat.  A water droplet should dance on the surface of the wok and then disappear.  Add some grapeseed, peanut or similar oil and toss in onion and garlic.  As soon as the onion and garlic are nice and fragrant, add the pork and 2 T sugar.  Stir-fry, tossing every few minutes for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the pork has crisped into little bits (I never achieved this due to an overfull wok.  After the pork had cooked for a bit, I poured the extra juice off the bottom of the wok to give the pork a chance to brown.  I simply cooked the pork until it began to brown.  We were hungry, I was out of patience, and didn't want to burn the meat).

Take the wok off the heat and stir in fish sauce until it is absorbed.  Season with black pepper.  Remove the ginger slices from the cucumber.  Add the cucumber slices and the marinade to the pork. Stir.

Serve with rice.  Top with mint and basil (necessary for a more Vietnamese taste), chili garlic sauce if desired, lime wedges, and crushed peanuts, if desired.

Shortcut Choucroute

There's about to be an onslaught of new recipes.  I'm cleaning out my cookbooks (7 cookbooks will be leaving my house in the next couple of weeks).  Thus, in the next couple of weeks I need to copy down the handful of recipes from each cookbook that I actually make.

First up, a hearty, winter, one-pot meal. This is not a meal I typically make because of the massive amount of meat it calls for.  However, for serving a crowd of meat eaters easily, this one is great.

This serves 8 - 10, depending on how much meat people eat.  To make it serve more, just add more potatoes.

Shortcut Choucroute
adapted from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson

2 T olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
4 crisp, green apples, cored and chopped
4 thin slices prosciutto
10 whole cloves
4 bay leaves
2 lbs sauerkraut, drained
1 - 2 c dry white wine (If using less wine, increase chicken stock)
1 qt chicken stock
1 lb bratwurst, cut diagonally into 8 pieces
2 lbs smoked pork chops or ham (I used ham), cut into 8 pieces
1 lb kielbasa, cut into 8 pieces
8 - 12 small red (new) potatoes, halved

Heat oil in a large heavy roasting pan set over two burners on medium high heat.  Add onions, apples, and prosciutto and cook until tender and golden brown 5 - 10 minutes (If you don't want your roasting pan on the burners, do this in a large skillet).  Add cloves, bay leaves, and sauerkraut, and cook for a few minutes to blend flavors and heat sauerkraut.  Add wine, chicken broth (if doing this in a skillet first, bring to a boil at this point, then transfer to a roasting pan and add meat), and meat.  Bring to a boil, cover tightly with foil, and transfer to a preheated 350 degrees oven.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover carefully, add potatoes, and cook an additional 45 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

Serve.

Green Chorizo, Kale and Potato Tacos

The combination of a CSA box and the need for fast or make ahead meals causes me to branch out to recipes I may not normally try.  This is one of those.  Tacos with kale?  What the what?  We loved this recipe!

I varied greatly from the original recipe, mostly because I was supposed to let the homemade chorizo sit over night for flavors to combine.  I kinda missed reading that part and marking it appropriately on my weekly menu.  When I was prepping my supper ingredients before swim practice, I looked over the recipe and read refrigerate over night.  Oops.  For a variety of reasons, I combined the first four steps which would have taken substantial time into one short, much quicker step.

We still loved the recipe!

I'm contemplating doing a Taco night when it's my night to cook at our extended family's beach week (unless someone else wants to cook--then I'm completely fine with giving up my taco night plans!).  This would be on the menu, it's that good.  It comes together rather quickly when you skip and combine steps like I did.  Or, you could actually refrigerate the chorizo over night and have a much more intensely flavored sausage.

Serves 4 - 6

Green Chorizo, Kale, and Potato Tacos
adapted from Food and Wine magazine

1/8 t whole black peppercorns
1/8 t whole coriander seeds
1/8 t dried oregano
1 bay leaf, crushed
1 clove
2 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 small poblano chile (optional)
1 c lightly packed parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 T red wine vinegar
3/4 lb ground pork

1 lb small potatoes, sliced crosswise and cut into 1/2" rounds
1/4 c olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 lb kale, stems discarded and leaves removed
12 warm corn tortillas
crumbled queso fresco
sour cream
salsa

To make the chorizo:  in a small skillet toast the peppercorns, coriander seeds, oregano, bay leaf, and clove over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to spice grinder and finely grind them.  In the same skillet, roast the garlic cloves over high heat, turning until tender and charred in spots, about 10 minutes.  Cook, then peel.  Finely grind the garlic in the spice grinder (if your spice grinder will handle such things).  If you are using the poblano (we didn't because the kids don't like spice), char all over, either using a gas flame, broiler, or gas grill.  Place in a bowl and cover tightly.  Let sit for 10 minutes, then peel, stem and side the chile.  Finely chop.  Combine poblano, garlic, spices, parsley, red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 t salt, and ground pork.  If you are on top things, tightly cover pork and refrigerate over night.  If you haven't read the recipe through until right now, skip the refrigeration part and continue on.

Toss the potatoes with 1 T olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in a preheated 350 degrees oven for 20 - 30 minutes, or until golden and tender, turning potatoes once.  While the potatoes roast, heat 3 T olive oil in a large skillet.  Add the garlic and pork mixture  and cook over medium high heat until meat starts to brown, breaking up large clumps with a wooden spoon.  Add the kale and toss until it fits nicely into the pan (because it's wilted).  Add one cup of water.  Cook over medium low heat until the kale the is tender and the chorizo is cooked, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Fold in the potatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve:  Spoon some of the kale, chorizo, and potato mixture into the center of a warm corn tortilla.  Top with a sprinkle of queso fresco, sour cream, and salsa as desired.  Roll up and eat.

Coffee-Cured Pulled Pork

My brother lives in Virginia.  If you're not living under a rock or in a house without access to the outside world, you probably have heard about Hurricane Sandy.  Although my family is 4 hours from the coast, with a nice mountain range or two separating them from any tides, schools in the area have shut down already.  My brother is a teacher.  He is contemplating a week, possibly, without school, if things go as are expected, and plans on cooking.  A lot.  This recipe is for him at his request.  If his electricity holds up, this is in his plans.

I made this last week on the day the cold front moved through Central Texas.  It's the perfect winter meal---it roasts in a somewhat low oven for 6 hours---6 wonderful hours of a meaty aroma and the warmth of an oven filling the house.  My favorite part of the recipe was the burnt pieces, which was my kids' least favorite so it worked out perfectly!  We turned these into sandwiches and may still turn them into tacos.  The only thing about this recipe is it takes some planning ahead.  The meat should cure for 12 - 24 hours before you begin roasting.

This serves a lot of people and makes around 2 1/2 lbs of meat when all is said and done.

Coffee-Cured Pulled Pork
from Food and Wine magazine

1/2 c sugar
1/4 c coarsely ground coffee
1/2 c kosher or sea salt (coarse grain)
4 lb bone-in pork butt (also known as a Boston Butt)
1/3 c molasses or sorghum
1/3 c apple cider vinegar

In a large bowl combine, sugar, coffee and salt.  Add the pork and rub the mixture all over.  Leave in the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 12 - 24 hours.

After the pork has cured, rinse the pork well and set in a roasting pan.  Roast the pork, uncovered, in a preheated 300 degrees oven for 6 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 200 degrees.  After the pork has roasted 2 hours, cover--either with foil or the lid of the roasting pan (if you have the roasting pan like I do).  Once the meat thermometer reads 200 degrees.  Remove the pork from oven and let rest for 30 minutes.

While the pork is resting (all that roasting was hard work, you know), boil the molasses and vinegar together in a small saucepan.  Simmer until it is slightly reduced, about 10 minutes.  While the sauce simmers increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.  Pour the glaze over pork and roast for 15 minutes (or less).  Let cool, then shred the pork.  Serve on buns with barbecue sauce (I think I sweet sauce would be best).

**Note, you may have noticed that after the curing, no salt was added anywhere.  That's on purpose.  Taste your meat before adding more salt.  Otherwise, your pork will be way too salty.

Somewhat Thai Pork Pineapple Skewers

I am beginning to feel like a broken record.  It goes like this:  I found this great recipe in Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite.  I am not sure exactly how many of her recipes I've posted, but I am starting to feel guilty.  Just go buy the cookbook so I don't need to feel guilty. Ok? Ok.  Let's say I am posting this recipe for myself, not you, so when I get my box of produce and plan my menu for the week, the recipes are here on the blog, the first place I check when menu planning.

Really, that dog of ours couldn't find a better cookbook for me for Christmas present last year (yep, the cookbook is from our dog).  I hope she does as well this year.

It being summer and all, we've been getting our CSA box every other week.  It just works out better for us to do it that way in July, August, and September.  I can work through all the produce in a 2 week time easily, but in a week is a bit of a stretch.  I need to supplement vegetable based meals with a little more meat.  I found a pork loin in my freezer (I wonder how that got there.....), and then found the easiest, least apt to heat up the kitchen recipe I could find.

All but M loved this (but to be honest, she didn't like a single thing I cooked all week. Seriously).  This was super easy and can be mostly made ahead of time and just cooked at the last minute.  I served it with brown rice.

Somewhat Thai Pork Pineapple Skewers
adapted from Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite

1 c roasted, salted cashews
6 T cilantro
1/4 c olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 T soy sauce
2 t brown sugar
juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 lbs (approx) pork tenderloin, cut into 1" chunks (or you could use 1 1/2 lbs chicken)
2 c fresh pineapple, cut into 1" or so chunks

In a food processor, combine nuts, 2 T cilantro, oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice and 2 T water.  Blend until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season the pork chunks with salt and pepper.  Smear half of the cashew sauce over the pork to coat thoroughly.  Reserve remaining sauce as a serving/dipping sauce.  Let the pork marinate at room temperature while heating the grill or broiler or you can let the pork marinate in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.  Alternately thread the pork and pineapple chunks onto metal skewers.  Grill or broil (I grill to avoid heating up the house) the skewers until the pork is cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning the skewers once halfway through.

Serve with rice, sprinkling pork with remaining cilantro and serving the remaining cashew sauce on the side.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Every time I make this, I scour this blog looking for where I posted this recipe. I never find it. I guess I've never posted this before.

This is quickly becoming my go to slow cooker recipe. I make it when I have a late afternoon airport run and am not at home to make supper. I make it when we have a play date/supper date and I don't want to spend time making supper. I make it when I need an after swim practice meal. Yep. It's one of those go to meals.

A 4lb bone-in, boston butt will serve 6 - 8. If possible, make the onions, the day before you want to eat.

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

adapted from Merrill at Food52

3 - 4 t cumin seeds (2 t ground)

1 - 2 t coriander seeds (1 t ground)

3 - 6 t chili powder (I like New Mexican because it has good flavor but isn't spicy)

1 t dried oregano

4 lbs bone-in, bost butt, very large pieces of fat trimmed

salt

olive oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 poblano pepper, chopped (optional)

1 serrano or jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (optional)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes, with their juices

1 c water or chicken stock (fill the tomato can half up with water and use that)

2 large limes

corn tortillas

2 - 4 avocados, peeled and cut into thin slices

cilantro

sour cream

salsa

Pickled Onions

1 medium red onion, sliced thinly

1 T kosher salt

2 T sugar

1/4 medium beet, peeled

handful cilantro

a lot of cider vinegar

water

For the onions: Put the onion in a microwaveable container. Add the salt, sugar, beet, and cilantro. Cover everything with 1 part water to 2 parts vinegar (in other words, 1 c water to 2 c vinegar). Microwave 1 minute, stir, and microwave another minute. Cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight (or until serving).

For the pork: Put the cumin and coriander in a small pan and set over medium heat. Toast the spices a minute or two, shaking the pan occasionally, until they're fragrant. Grind the spices using a spice grinder and set aside. Meanwhile, heat 1 T oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season all sides of the pork with salt. Put in skillet and brown on all sides. Transfer to slow cooker. Drain a little of the fat off and saute the onions and peppers, if using, until soft. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Stir in the spice mixture and cook another minute. Transfer the onion and spices to the slow cooker. With the skillet still over the heat, pour the water into the skillet, stirring to loosen all the browned bits and spices on the bottom of the pan. Pour into the slow cooker along with the diced tomatoes and the juice of the a lime.

Cook in a slow cooker over low heat for 6 - 8 hours. Before serving, remove meat from pot. Discard bone and large chunks of fat. Shred the pork using two forks and adjust seasonings (salt and chili powder) as needed. Serve on top of a tortilla with an avocado slice, some pickled onions, a sprig of cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream or salsa if desired. Squeeze a lime wedge over top.

Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi

As you know by now (if you've been reading for a couple months), I am fascinated by Asian food this winter. Bahn Mi is my new favorite sandwich (so inexpensive at one of our favorite Vietnamese restaurant---seriously, McDonald's priced but so much tastier!!). I stumbled across this recipe on the blogosphere and decided it would make the perfect for serving my family the evening they got to Texas for Thanksgiving (which is my excuse for no pictures--being busy with my family and the craziness of having to feed and house 11 people for 3 days).

This wasn't quite the bahn mi (which is just a Vietnamese sandwich---meat with a cabbage slaw served on french bread/baguette) I had in mind, but it was pretty good. The original recipe had links to make your own char siu sauce (Chinese BBQ sauce) and nuoc mam cham (fish sauce), but I opted to buy both of those ingredients. Char siu sauce can be found at Asian markets. The nuoc mam, I picked up at a Vietnamese restaurant a couple of hours before super. Nuoc Mam is perishable, the char siu sauce, not so much if it isn't opened. The owners of the Vietnamese restaurant looked at me as if I were crazy, but obliged me anyway.

The hardest part about the recipe is procuring the ingredients. Once that is done, the slow cooker does most of the work for you.

This recipe will serve 4 - 6 people.
Char Siu Pulled Pork Bahn Mi
from the Ravenous Couple

Pulled Pork
3 lb pork shoulder (bone in)
kosher salt
black pepper
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and cut into 1/4" rings
1 (8.5-oz) jar char siu sauce

Slaw
1/2 head green cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c red cabbage, thinly shredded
1/2 c cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 c mint, coarsely chopped
1/2 c fresh basil (thai basil is preferable), coarsely chopped
1/4 c nuoc mam cham

For the sandwiches:
baguettes
cilantro
additional nuoc mam cham

For the pulled pork: Put the sliced onions in slow cooler. Lightly rub pork with small amount of salt and pepper and put in slow cooker on top of onion bed. Brush on a generous layer of char siu sauce, turning pork to coat all sides evenly. Turn the slow cooker on low and leave on overnight (8 - 12 hours) or on high for 4 - 5 hours.

For the slaw: An hour before serving, combine cabbages, cilantro, mint, and basil and toss well. Season with nuoc mam cham to taste (we love nuoc mam cham so we used 1/4 cup). Stir and allow slow to marinate at least 30 minutes before serving (and up to a day before serving).

To assemble the sandwiches: Remove cooked pork from the crockpot. The pork should easily fall apart with gentle pressure. Put pork in a large bowl and pull apart with fork or tongs, discarding fat and bones. Add additional char siu sauce--1 T at a time until pulled pork is well coated (don't overdo it, you can always add more char siu sauce to the sandwiches).

Place pork in a baguette and top with slaw. Garnish with cilantro and drizzle extra nuoc mam cham over top if desired.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Since I finally bought a slow cooker after being without for many, many years, I am trying to use it more frequently. I've discovered starting a recipe first thing in the morning, leaving it alone for 8 - 10 hours, and then having a meal ready at suppertime is a pretty good deal. Plus, I am able to avoid heating up my house as much or I don't need to be at the mercy of Curtis and the Egg (I know I could learn how to barbeque, but why?). Thus, I am ever on the search for new recipes that aren't just soups or stews.

With the heat wave that's stifling the East Coast (By the way, we just hit 100 degrees in my part of Texas. We've had rainy days on occasion. Such a nice respite from last summers 70+ days of 100 degrees weather), slow cooker recipes are more prevalent on good food blogs.

This was fabulous. The prep work was minimal--I get annoyed with slow cooker recipes that has a lot of upfront work. If I want to do a lot of prep work, I'll not bother with getting out the slow cooker! We made these into tacos and quesadillas. I saved the juice from the crockpot, cooled it and skimmed the fat off the top. It made a great sauce for pouring over the pork when I reheated it for may other meals.

This recipe will feed a small army (12 - 16 people). Either plan on feeding a lot, eating it all week, or freezing some to save for later.

Slow Cooker Carnitas
from the Kitchn

1 ( 6 - 8 lb) bone-in pork butt, also called pork shoulder or boston butt (or if you can, buy meat labeled carnitas)
2 T coarse salt
1 T cumin
1 T black pepper
1 T dried oregano
2 t cinnamon
1 t cayenne or chili powder, or to taste
8 cloves garlic, smashed
4 chipotle peppers, canned or dried (optional)
1 c tomato juice
1 c orange juice

Trim excess fat off meat and discard fat. Place all ingredients in slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours. Meat will fall off the bone and shred very easily. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from juices and place in large bowl. Remove bone from meat and shred using a couple of forks or a pastry blender (it really works well!).

Refrigerate juices. Once fat has congealed, skim the fat off the juices. Save the juices to top meat with when reheating.

For tacos, serve on your choice of tortillas with sour cream, cilantro, chopped red onion, lime wedges, and roasted chiles (if you have an overabundance of chiles like I do).

Pork and Tomatillo Stew

The other day I walked into my neighbor's house. It smelled absolutely wonderful. I asked her what she was making and all I caught was pork and tomatillo (I was too distracted by the aroma). When I got home I immediately put tomatillos on my grocery list and set about finding a recipe that had pork and tomatillos in it.

What I made didn't necessarily smell like what her house smelled like, but it was good nonetheless. The recipe reminds me of New Mexico Posole, but without the hominy (which is just fine with me!!). The tomatillos added a wonderful tartness that wasn't overpowering. We all liked and it will definitely be put on my list of repeatable meals.

Pork and Tomatillo Stew
adapted from Food and Wine.com

2 T oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 3" (or smaller is fine too) chunks
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 lrg celery stalks, finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 Anaheim chile (also known as Poblano or any other mild green chile), seeded and finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 t mild chile powder (I found a New Mexico chile powder that is mild and has wonderful flavor)
1 T cumin
pinch of dried oregano
2 c chicken or beef stock
1 c carrots, 1/2" diced
12 oz potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" dice
1 (28-oz) can diced tomatoes
1 lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed and cut into 1" dice

hot sauce
cilantro, chopped
tortillas
lime wedges

Heat the oil in a medium soup pot. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook over high heat until browned on 2 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add the celery and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the diced chile, garlic, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently until fragrant about 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and tomatillos, cover an simmer over low heat until the pork is cooked through, about 25 minutes. Transfer the pork to a plate and shred with two forks. Meanwhile, simmer the stew over moderate heat until thickened, about 10 minutes. Transfer the shredded pork into the stew and season with salt and pepper. Serve and garnish with hot sauce, cilantro, tortilla chips and limes.