I know…I know…I’m a slacker! It’s been weeks since my last post, but since no one has complained I guess both of my regular readers understand. I’ve been swamped, literally and figuratively. It’s finally supposed to stop raining today. I hope I can get my blueberry bushes covered with bird netting before they find the few almost ripe berries on them.
It’s also Tuesday. That means tacos. Taco Tuesday has become a tradition in our house that my children will not let go unobserved. But while they are happy with ground beef and "Mexico from a box," I prefer something a little more authentic and… well…better. Here is a recipe for roast pork that can be made into tacos or served over rice. Because the main flavoring comes from garlic, vinegar, and orange juice, the taste is not the usual Tex-Mex cumin-chili powder blah that many people think of as Mexican. There is also a recipe for pickled red onions to accompany the roast pork. They are very easy to make and I’m sure once you try them, you will eat them on everything. You will be amazed how good they are, even more so if you don’t like onions or Mexican food. (Of course if you don’t like onions or Mexican food, you have no taste buds or are a part of some strange xenophobic cult and probably not reading this blog anyway.)
Making this dish reminds me, I need to go to the Penzey’s store. I am so grateful to have one in Memphis. I buy large bags of fresh, good quality spices for less than the little jars of supermarket brand stuff they sweep off the spice house floor. For my reader in another city without a store, Penzey’s is available online
here. Although Penzey’s has many great spice blends, I usually buy whole spices and make my own blends. I have a taco seasoning blend that is so much better than the salt pack that comes with the taco shells, but that, and other spice blends, are another post. You can find recipes for your own taco and other spice blends with a quick Google search. Most recipes will point you in the right basic direction, then you can adjust according to your taste. Alton Brown has a good place to start
here. As usual, this recipe began with someone else's and was modified. Hat tip to Rick Bayless who has written a few very informative books on Mexican food, has a great series of cooking shows on PBS and who has opened up a whole country of exciting and unexpected yet traditional flavors from our southern neighbors that most of us gringos never knew existed. Thanks Rick.
Achiote Roast Pork
Special equipment needed: Spice Grinder (I use a cheap electric coffee grinder)
2 tablespoons achiote seeds (if you can't find achiote seeds, just make the dish without them. It will still be good, just not as red.)
3 teaspoons whole allspice berries or 2 teaspoons ground allspice.
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican (yes, there is a difference)
1 teaspoon black pepper, preferably whole peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon cloves, preferably whole
1 heaping teaspoon salt
6 large garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 cup sour orange juice
OR 1/4 cup fresh lime juice plus 1/4 cup orange juice
2 pounds pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into large chunks, about 3-inches on a side.
Grind achiote seeds, allspice berries, and peppercorns into a fine powder in a spice grinder (achiote seeds are hard as rocks and brick red. If you do not have a spice grinder, it is better to leave them out than break a tooth or have hard gritty tacos). Put ground spices and all remaining ingredients in a zip top bag. Mush around to mix thoroughly and marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
To cook, you have a few options.
1) The traditional way: Build a big fire. Dig a hole. Wrap the pork tightly in several layers of banana leaves. Bury the pork bundle in the hole covered with several inches of hot coals. Dig up eight to ten hours later and enjoy.
2) The easier, more modern way: Put the pork and marinade in a heavy pot with an oven proof lid (an enameled cast iron pot would be ideal). Cook in a 350 degree oven for 3 to 4 hours or until the pork is fall apart tender.
3) The easiest, most modern way: Put the pork and marinade in a crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for eight. If you marinate the pork the night before, then dump it in the crock pot before going to work, you will have a great dinner waiting for you when you get home with very little effort. And your house will smell wonderful.
To serve, break up the large chunks of pork and serve over rice or on soft warm tortillas (fresh corn tortillas are best if you have get them, but flour is fine also.) Top with the pickled red onions from the recipe below.
By the way, this is the dish that inspired Johnny Depp to shoot the cook in the movie “Once upon a Time in Mexico.” Yep, it’s that good.
Pickled Red Onions
Make these onions when you start the pork marinating. They need a few hours in the fridge to get right.
1 small red onion, peeled and sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns or slightly less ground
1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds or slightly less ground
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cider vinegar
Blanch onions in boiling salted water for 30 to 45 seconds. Drain and put into a jar or other small container with a tight fitting lid. Add all the other ingredients to the jar. Add just enough water to barely cover the onions. Put the lid on securely and give a good shake. Put in the refrigerator for several hours at least. They will turn bright pink. They will also keep several weeks in the fridge (if they last that long.)
