Tacos With Carnitas And Avocado Butter Recipes

TACOS WITH CARNITAS AND AVOCADO BUTTER

Steps:

• To make carnitas, remove skin along top of pork belly and the layer of fat underneath. Cut meat into small cubes, and salt and pepper it. Allow to stand for about an hour.
• Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place pork on a mesh rack in a roasting pan. Roast until cubes turn lightly crisp, about 1 1/2 hours.
• As pork roasts, prepare avocado butter. In a bowl, mash avocados. Add oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Mince the bell pepper or serrano chili (for a spicier result), and add to avocado. Add lemon juice. Blend well, cover and refrigerate.
• Chop cilantro and place in a small bowl. Chop onion and place in another small bowl.
• When the carnitas are ready, remove from oven and set aside. Warm tortillas over low heat on a griddle. Spread each tortilla with avocado butter and add a generous portion of carnitas. Serve, passing the diners the bowls of cilantro and onions.

CARNITA TACOS

Steps:

• Melt the lard in a large deep saucepan over moderate heat. Add the pork, salt and pepper, and simmer until tender, being careful not to crisp the meat, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. (Reserve the lard for future use.) When cool enough to handle, shred the meat by hand or with the tines of a fork. Remove and discard any remaining fat. Transfer to a medium saucepan, add the Arbol Salsa and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, 5 to 8 minutes. Carnitas can be kept in the refrigerator up to 5 days and reheated before assembling the tacos.
• For Carnitas tacos, dip 24 small corn tortillas in water, shaking off excess. Toast one at a time in a nonstick pan over moderate heat about 1 minute per side. Wrap in a towel to keep warm. For each taco, stack 2 tortillas and layer with warm carnitas, Salsa Fresca, chopped cilantro and avocado slices or simply chopped onion and cilantro.

ZESTY CARNITAS TACOS

Steps:

• Carnitas: Trim fat from pork. Cut pork into 2- to 3-inch pieces; transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker. Stir in onion, orange juice, cumin, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, oregano, and cayenne.
• Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours, or on High 4 to 5 hours. Transfer pork to a large bowl; shred using 2 forks. Add enough cooking liquid from slow cooker to moisten.
• Lime Crema: Add 2 tablespoons lime juice to a small bowl. Stir in yogurt and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Dust with chili powder.
• Tacos: Serve pork in tortillas with cabbage, red onion, and pico de gallo (if using). Garnish with crema and lime zest.

CARNITAS TACOS WITH GREEN ONION RAJAS

Steps:

• Place pork in heavy large pot. Add broth. Add enough water to cover pork by 1/2 inch. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover partially; simmer until meat is very tender and liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Shred meat. Season with salt. Cover; keep warm.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add bell peppers and poblanos; sauté until tender, about 12 minutes. Add green onions; sauté until tender, about 4 minutes. Add cheese and cream. Simmer until cheese melts and liquid thickens. Stir in cilantro. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon some shredded meat onto half of each warm tortilla. Top with pepper mixture. Fold tortilla over filling. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

AVOCADO TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, mix avocados, onions, and garlic salt.
• Arrange corn tortillas in a single layer on a large baking sheet, and place in the preheated oven 2 to 5 minutes, until heated through.
• Spread tortillas with the avocado mixture. Garnish with cilantro and sprinkle with jalapeno pepper sauce.

CARNITAS ENCHILADAS

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shredded pork, chopped onion, orange juice concentrate, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until onion is tender, about 20 minutes.
• Remove lid, increase heat to medium, and continue to cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes. Transfer everything to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Combine salsa verde and sour cream in a mixing bowl, stirring well. Spread about 1 cup of salsa verde mixture over the bottom of the prepared baking dish, reserving the rest.
• Add remaining cooking oil to the cleaned skillet and heat over medium-high heat.
• Gently warm each tortilla in the oil, about 2 minutes per side, making the tortillas flexible. Add more oil, if needed.
• Place a tortilla on a work surface and add 3 tablespoons of pork mixture and 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Roll the tortilla gently around the filling, and place seam side down in the prepared dish. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
• When all tortillas are rolled up and in the dish, pour the reserved salsa-sour cream mixture over the filled tortillas.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven; sprinkle on remaining cheese and allow to melt while the enchiladas cool, about 5 minutes.

CARNITAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven, combine pork, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and the oregano, and toss to evenly coat the meat in the spices. Squeeze orange juice all over the pork and add the juiced orange quarters to the pot. Add onion, garlic, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, and toss until well incorporated, nestling everything in an even layer. Drizzle oil evenly over the meat. Cover and braise in oven until pork is tender, about 2 1/2 hours, stirring once halfway through the cooking.
• Heat broiler to high, setting a rack 6 inches from the heat source. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and shred the meat. Strain juices from the pot through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl, pressing on the solids; discard solids. Skim fat from top and reserve the juices.
• Broil pork until golden and crisp in spots, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer carnitas to serving plates and drizzle with some of the reserved juices. Serve warm with tortillas and toppings of choice.