Salsa Verde Carnitas
April 28, 2008
Maybe it’s because I didn’t travel anywhere warm over the winter, and maybe it’s because waking up to the snow and crappy weather each day this spring makes me feel like I’m in the movie Groundhog Day, but I keep craving spicy food.
In the last five days, I’ve made spicy chicken curry, spicy pork carnitas, and spicy turkey burgers. I’ve developed a fondness for chipotle peppers in adobo sauce and have seriously considered what they might add to my regular breakfast of peanut butter toast and yogurt.
Even though I made the carnitas just last night, I’m already thinking I need to make them again this week. Why not? They were so delicious. Slow-cooked pork forked apart and roasted just until just crispy, served with a cabbage slaw, lime sour cream, and grape tomatoes… what’s not to like?
And for some really great flavor, add grated lime zest and fresh lime juice into your sour cream, mix well, and serve with these carnitas.
(and the photo really doesn’t do justice to these…)
Salsa Verde Carnitas
I was inspired by this recipe from Simply Recipes but I used a slow cooker instead.
3 1/2 pounds pork butt (pork shoulder)
2 cups salsa verde, bottled, canned, or homemade
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano (or 1 teas dried)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt
12 to 16 corn tortillas, heated and softened
1/4 head of cabbage, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar (if you only have unseasoned, add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar to it)
Salt and pepper
1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1/2 cup crumbled Cotija Mexican farmer's cheese, or some grated Monterey Jack cheese
Crema fresca, crema Mexican, or sour cream
Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
Method:
Trim the excess fat from the roast. Put the meat in a large casserole or Dutch oven with salsa verde, onion, stock, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced, about 3 hours.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove meat from liquid in pot and put the meat into a roasting pan. With 2 forks, tear meat into large shreds. Roast meat for 15 to 20 minutes until parts are brown and crispy.
While the meat is roasting, skim and discard fat from liquid in the casserole pan. Boil juices, stirring, until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.
Return the meat to the Dutch oven. Stir in chopped cilantro. Season with salt. Serve with heated and softened corn tortillas (20 seconds each in the microwave spread out over a paper towel will heat and softened packaged tortillas sufficiently), diced avocado, crumbed Cotija or grated Monterey jack cheese, sour cream (or crema fresca), and seasoned cabbage slaw.
Seasoned Cabbage Slaw
Place thinly sliced cabbage in a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle on olive oil, seasoned rice vinegar, salt and pepper. You can substitute white vinegar or apple cider vinegar for the rice vinegar, if you do, sprinkle on some sugar to help balance the acidity of the vinegar. Toss. Adjust seasonings. Let sit for 10 minutes for the cabbage to absorb some of the dressing.
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