No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas with Salsa Verde

Name: No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas with Salsa Verde
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 cinnamon stick, broken into three or four pieces; 2 bay leaves; 118 milliliters chopped cilantro; 24 corn tortillas; 6 cloves garlic, split in half; 2 jalapeño peppers, split in half lengthwise, stem removed; 4 servings Kosher salt; 3 limes, cut into wedges; 2 mediums onions; 1 medium orange; 1 kilograms boneless pork butt (shoulder), rind removed, cut into 2-inch cubes; 237 milliliters crumbled queso fresco or feta; 680 grams medium tomatillos (about , peeled and split in half; 59 milliliters vegetable oil

The recipe No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas with Salsa Verde is ready in approximately 2 hours and is definitely an outstanding gluten free option for lovers of Mexican food. This recipe serves 4. This main course has 1116 calories, 81g of protein, and 47g of fat per serving. A mixture of queso fresco, tomatillos, pork butt, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so flavorful. To use up the kosher salt you could follow this main course with the Low Fat Crumbs Cake (Kosher-Dairy) as a dessert.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Cut one onion into fine dice and combine with cilantro. Refrigerate until needed. Split remaining onion into quarters. Set aside. Season pork chunks with 1 tablespoon salt and place in a 9 by 13 glass casserole dish. The pork should fill the dish with no spaces. Split orange into quarters and squeeze juice over pork. Nestle squeezed orange pieces into casserole.

Ingredients you will need

Cilantro

Orange

Juice

Onion

Pork

Salt

Equipment you will use

Glass Casserole Dish

Add 2 onion quarters, 4 cloves garlic, bay leaves, and cinnamon stick to casserole. Nestle everything into an even layer.

Ingredients you will need

Cinnamon Stick

Whole Garlic Cloves

Bay Leaves

Onion

Pour vegetable oil over surface. Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook until pork is fork tender, about 3 1/2 hours.

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable Oil

Pork

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Oven

Set large fine-meshed strainer 1 quart liquid measure or bowl. Using tongs, remove orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves from pork.

Ingredients you will need

Cinnamon Stick

Orange Zest

Bay Leaves

Garlic

Onion

Pork

Equipment you will use

Sieve

Tongs

Bowl

Transfer pork and liquid to strainer.

Ingredients you will need

Pork

Equipment you will use

Sieve

Let drain for 10 minutes.

Transfer pork back to casserole. You should end up with about 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Using a flat spoon or de-fatter, skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Ingredients you will need

Pork

Salt

Transfer remaining liquid to medium saucepot.

Equipment you will use

Pot

Add tomatillos, remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and jalapeños to saucepot with strained pork liquid.

Ingredients you will need

Whole Garlic Cloves

Tomatillos

Onion

Pork

Equipment you will use

Pot

Add water until it is about 1-inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Blend salsa with hand blender or in a stand-up blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ingredients you will need

Vegetable

Salsa

Water

Salt

Equipment you will use

Immersion Blender

Blender

Place casserole dish with pork 4-inches under a high broiler and broil until brown and crisp on surface, about 6 minutes.

Ingredients you will need

Pork

Equipment you will use

Casserole Dish

Broiler

Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again for 6 more minutes until crisp. Tent with foil to keep warm.

Ingredients you will need

Pork

Equipment you will use

Aluminum Foil

Meanwhile, heat tortillas. Preheat an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water.

Ingredients you will need

Tortilla

Water

Dip

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Bowl

Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer.

Ingredients you will need

Tortilla

Water

Equipment you will use

Frying Pan

Transfer tortilla to a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Ingredients you will need

Wrap

Equipment you will use

Kitchen Towels

To eat, stack two tortillas on top of each other.

Ingredients you will need

Tortilla

Add two to three tablespoons carnitas mixture to center. Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and queso fresco.

Ingredients you will need

Queso Fresco

Salsa Verde

Carnitas

Cilantro

Onion

Serve with lime wedges.

Ingredients you will need

Lime Wedge

Equipment

Ingredients

Servings:

cinnamon stick, broken into three or four pieces 2

bay leaves 118milliliters

chopped cilantro 24

corn tortillas 6cloves

garlic, split in half 2

jalapeño peppers, split in half lengthwise, stem removed 4servings

Kosher salt 3

limes, cut into wedges 2mediums

onions 1medium

orange 1kilograms

boneless pork butt (shoulder), rind removed, cut into 2-inch cubes 237milliliters

crumbled queso fresco or feta 680grams

medium tomatillos (about , peeled and split in half 59milliliters

vegetable oil

Recommended wine: Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sparkling Rose

Mexican works really well with Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sparkling rosé. Acidic white wines like riesling or low-tannin reds like pinot noir can work well with Mexican dishes. Sparkling rosé is a safe pairing too. The Stoltz Organic Pinot Noir with a 5 out of 5 star rating seems like a good match. It costs about 26 dollars per bottle.