Sunday, June 13, 2010

Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork)

3 TBS olive oil
3 lbs boneless Country Style spare ribs, cut in half, fat removed

1 large onion, quartered & sliced thin
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 TBS coarse sea salt

4 c. warm water
1/2 c. bottled Chipotle sauce

Heat oil in large Dutch oven/cast iron pot; add pork pieces & cook, turning often, until all sides are seared. Add onions, garlic & salt and cook until onions just begin to look transparent.

Combine water & Chipotle sauce; pour over pork mixture. Cover & simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 3 hours. Add more liquid if necessary to keep meat evenly covered.

Turn off heat; remove pork pieces one at a time. Shred (you should be able to just pull the meat apart) & place in large mixing bowl. Pour 1/2 c. of the cooking broth over the shredded meat.

Serve with warm tortillas.

For Carnitas sandwiches, place meat on crusty rolls & top with slices of Pepper Jack cheese.

Guacamole Azteca

3 ripe avocados*

1/3 red onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced**
1 serrano chile, stem and seeds removed, minced
1 TBS fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped

1 lime, halved

Cut avocados in half, remove seed. Gently scoop avocado from the peel into a large non-metal mixing bowl. Partially mash using solid potato masher or the back of a large spoon.

Gently stir in onion, garlic, serrano & cilantro and mash until desired consistency is reached. Squeeze the juice from the lime over the guacamole & blend well.

Divide into 2 small serving bowls & cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent browning. Refrigerate until ready.

*Avocados are ripe when they give slightly when gently pressed.
**Always use kitchen gloves when working with serranos. In a pinch, use a sandwich bag over you hand to protect yourself, they can be hot!!!

Fiesta Flan

1 cup white sugar

4 large eggs, separated
1 (14 ounce) can non-fat sweetened condensed milk
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla

4 c. boiling water for baking pan

fresh raspberries for garnish

Preheat an oven to 350.

Place sugar in 1 qt. heavy saucepan; cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar becomes a light golden brown syrup. Spoon immediately into 6 individual 1 c. ramekins, swirling so that the syrup coats the bottom. Set aside to cool.

Place the egg yolks into a large non-metal bowl and whisk until thick. Add all remaining ingredients (except water & raspberries) and continue to whisk until well combined.

Pour egg mixture into ramekins. (I first pour the mixture into a gravy separator to make pouring easier.) Line a roasting pan with a damp kitchen towel; place ramekins on towel. Set roasting pan on oven rack and fill with boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Bake custards until almost set in center when molds are gently shaken, about 20 minutes. Remove custards from water bath to wire racks; cool 30 minutes. Chill in refrigerator at least 3 hours.

Arrange individual serving plates; gently flip ramekins upside down & unmold flans. Garnish with raspberries.

Blood Orange Sangria

1 lime
1 lemon
1 orange

1 bottle dry red table wine (ie. Cote Sud by Domaine Lafage)

1/2 c. Stirrings Blood Orange Mixer*

1 bottle Freixenet Cava (or other Brut champagne), well chilled

Wash fruits well, slice into 1/8 inch rounds, discarding ends. Reserve some of the slices for garnish & place remaining slices in glass pitcher. Pour wine & Stirrings Mixer over fruit; stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Cut reserved fruit slices in half; place a piece of each in large wine glasses. Add 3 oz of Sangria mix. Pour in 3 oz of Cava/champagne; swirl gently to combine.

*Stirrings Mixers can be found at World Market & Fresh Market. You can substitute Orange Juice if you don't have the mixer.