My niece is visiting from Arizona so we decided to make some of our favorite tacos on the weekend and have leftovers throughout the week. We love Mexican food and I find that the leftovers even taste better.
Carnitas
For serving:
Warm corn tortillas
Limes
Chopped yellow onion, optional
Homemade Escabeche
Chopped fresh cilantro
Avocado
Ingredients:
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 boneless pork shoulder roast, (3 - 4 lbs)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
8 - 10 cloves of garlic, minced
21 fl oz Mexican, lager-style beer (I used Corona)
Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano
1. In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Season the pork roast generously with the mixture and set aside.
2. In a large
Dutch oven over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork, and cook, turning frequently until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onion and garlic and saute until they begin to soften, 1 - 2 minutes. Add the beer and deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
4. You can cook it in the oven or a slow cooker.
Oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add the pork to the beer mixture. Add the orange and lime zests and juices and the oregano. Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
Slow cooker: Transfer the pork to a slow cooker and pour in the beer mixture. Add the orange and lime zests and juices and the oregano. Cover and cook until the pork is very tender, 5 hours on the high-heat setting or 10 hours on the low-heat setting.
5. Once the pork is done, transfer it to a cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm. Use a large, shallow spoon or a ladle to skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a large sharp knife and a fork, coarsely cut and shred the pork into small bite-sized pieces.
6. Arrange the meat on a warmed platter or individual plates, moisten it lightly with the cooking juices, and serve at once with the tortillas, lime wedges, avocado slices, chopped onion, escabeche (recipe follows), and cilantro.
Escabeche
recipe adapted from here
1/2 pound jalapeño peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
2 white onions, sliced
4 large carrots, diced in 1/2-inch pieces
6 - 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1. Slice your peppers from stem to tip not cutting in half though. You just want to create an opening so that the vinegar penetrates the inside.
2. Heat your oil in a large skillet.
3. Add your peppers, onions, carrots, and garlic. And fry over medium heat about 10 minutes, turning them occasionally.
4. Add the vinegar, salt, herbs, bay leaf, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes until the peppers cook (they will turn a dull olive green).
5. Keep in the refrigerator for 1 - 2 months.
6. Double the recipe if you want to can some.
Tuna Tacos with Cabbage
3 tablespoons unsalted, butter
18 oz fresh tuna steaks, thinly sliced or 2 (9 oz) canned tuna (drained)
4 - 6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
2 Anaheim peppers, sliced
4 oz tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups tomato juice (I used Clamato)
1 pound small shrimp, uncooked, peeled, and deveined
salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
Warm corn tortillas
Mexican hot sauce
sliced cabbage
limes
This is a traditional northern Mexican dish that normally uses sting ray meat. I've tried it with the sting ray and it definitely tastes good, but since tuna is readily available, tuna it was. Here's how you cook it.
1. Heat a pot {I used my Le Creuset} and add the butter.
2. Once the butter melts, add the tuna and cook about 5 minutes, mixing it frequently.
3. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
4. Add the onion, tomatoes, and Anaheim peppers and cook another 5 minutes.
5. Next add in the tomato sauce and tomato juice.
6. Cook on low heat about 20 minutes until most of the juice is evaporated.
7. Add the shrimp and cook until your shrimp is cooked or turns pink. Do not overcook.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.
9. Serve and enjoy.
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