Appetizer Sized Pork Carnitas Quesadillas Recipes

CRISPY PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
• Remove fat from pork; cut pork meat into 2-inch cubes and roughly chop fat.
• Mix pork, garlic, olive oil, orange peel, orange juice, salt, bay leaves, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and 5-spice powder together in a bowl until pork is coated completely. Transfer mixture to a 9x13-inch baking dish. Place baking dish on a baking sheet and cover baking dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is fork-tender, about 3 1/2 hours.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Transfer meat to a colander set over a bowl. Remove garlic, bay leaves, and orange peels from baking dish and pour accumulated juices from the baking dish over meat in colander into the bowl. Return meat to the baking dish and drizzle accumulated juices over each piece of meat.
• Cook meat under the preheated broiler for 3 minutes. Drizzle more accumulated juices over meat and continue broiling until crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pork to a serving plate and drizzle more accumulated juices over the top.

ROASTED GARLIC AND CARNITAS QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over each head of garlic and then wrap in aluminum foil. Place on a cookie sheet and bake 1 hour 15 minutes, or until soft throughout. Set aside to cool.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
• When the garlic is cool enough to handle, slice each head in half across the width and squeeze the roasted garlic paste into a bowl, discarding the skins.
• Lay the tortillas out on a counter and, with a spatula, spread a thin, even layer of garlic paste over the entire surface of each one. Divide the carnitas in thirds and spread over the bottom half of each tortilla. Sprinkle with the cheese. Fold over the top half to enclose the filling. Brush the top sides with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil.
• Heat a griddle or dry cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place a stuffed tortilla, oiled side down, in the pan and toast about a minute on each side, just to heat through. Keep warm on a tray in the oven while finishing the rest. Cut into wedges and serve immediately with the Green Chile Paste.

PORK CARNITAS QUESADILLAS WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA

Steps:

• Pork:.
• Place pork, chicken broth, salt, garlic, jalapenos and onion in large pot and bring to a slow simmer. Add cumin, oregano, tomato paste, chipotle chiles, adobo sauce and chile powder to meat.
• Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until pork is pull-apart tender. Increase heat to evaporate excess liquid. Shred meat with a fork and set aside.
• Salsa:.
• Combine salsa ingredients and chill for a minimum of 30 minutes.
• To assemble:.
• Lay out tortillas and spread pork mixture on 1/2 of each tortilla. Top with corn, black beans and cheese. Fold over and brown on each side on hot griddle. Place on cookie sheet in warm oven to hold. Serve with pineapple salsa.

PORK CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat the vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the pork shoulder with salt, then arrange the pork in the Dutch oven. Cook until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and continue to simmer until pork is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Transfer the pork shoulder to a large baking sheet, reserving the cooking liquid. Drizzle with a small amount of the reserved cooking liquid and lightly season with salt.
• Bake the pork in the preheated oven until browned, about 30 minutes. Drizzle more of the cooking liquid on the meat every 10 minutes, and use two forks to shred the meat as it browns.

APPETIZER SIZED BEEF QUESADILLAS

Steps:

• In a 10-inch Dutch oven over medium high heat, sear the rib eye steak in 1 Tbs. oil on both sides 4 minutes each side. Add remaining ingredients and reduce heat to medium, cover and braise 90 minutes or until meat shreds easily with a fork. Let cool slightly, and remove orange and lime quarters from slow cooker or Dutch oven. Shred meat using 2 forks, stirring in the cooking liquid. Continue simmering to reduce the liquid volume by half.TORTILLAS:Using an empty tuna can, with the ends removed, cut 3 circles from each 8-inch flour tortilla or use mini tortillas made from tortilla recipes in this book. Heat a Dutch oven lid or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Lightly oil the entire lid or bottom of the skillet, then place 4 tortilla rounds on the lid and place 1 Tbs. cheese in the center of each tortilla, then top with 1 Tbs. beef mixture and 1/2 tsp. diced green chile. Top the cheese, beef, and chile with a second tortilla and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese is lightly melted and tortilla is crispy and lightly browned. Flip over each quesadilla and cook on second side an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Continue cooking all quesadillas until all the tortillas and, or beef and cheese is used up.