Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

It has been touched on before in the blog. These webpages have been scrawled with tales of the days of ole when I was a super picky eater.

Seriously, Diet Coke, Caesar salad and cheesecake were my three food groups.

I’ve always loved Mexican food, but until I was in high school I would eat nothing but crispy shredded beef tacos. Not chicken. Not ground beef. Not soft. Crispy. Beef. Tacos.

And there is still a beautiful place in my heart for my old favorite.

But these days, I find myself craving pork carnitas more and more.

I finally decided it was time to get in the kitchen and try my hand at this tasty shredded pork treat.

Mexican places are great, but they ain’t got nothing on my carnitas.

You will need…

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder. 

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Garlic and Jalapeno Carnitas Tacos

3 ½ pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ancho chile powder

20 unpeeled garlic cloves

3 jalapenos, seeded and diced

½ cup chicken stock

½ cup fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas, warmed on the stove or grill

1 cup pineapple, diced

Your choice of toppings (shredded jack cheese, diced tomato, diced onion, cilantro, avocado)

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees.

In a roasting pan, rub the pork down with the oil and chile powder.

Season with salt and pepper and fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the chicken stock and roast for 1 hour.

After the hour, scatter the pork with the garlic and jalapeno and bake for another 2 hours. Rotating once.

Up the oven to 375 degrees F.

Chop the pork into large chunks and then use 2 forks to pull apart the pork.

Add the shredded pork back into the roasting pan. Remove the peals from the garlic and add it back to the pan.

Roast for another 30 minutes until well browned and crisp.

Stir the pork and continue to roast for a final 30 minutes.

Pour the drippings from the pork to a medium saucepan and add in the orange juice.

Bring the juices to a simmer over medium heat until slightly reduced. About 4 minutes.

Drizzle over the pork and serve with pineapple, & your favorite toppings on a warmed tortilla. 

Shrimp Enchilada

It is pretty standard for Mondays to be a little depressing. I mean, it is really rough knowing you have a full workweek ahead of you.

But my Monday blues were multiplied by ten times today due to my post girl’s weekend depression.

My weekend with my girlfriends was hands down the best time I have had in years. YEARS.

Maybe the best time ever.

It was wonderful to just all be in the same place. Eating together, exercising together, shopping together, spilling our guts together and just basically enjoying being in one another’s presence.

So it was no shock today that I was in a deep funk.

And my way to fix a funk is to cook me some food.

These enchiladas were the perfect fix.

You will need…

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups jack cheese, grated

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup Greek yogurt

1 avocado, cubed

12 large flour tortillas

2 cups salsa verde

Chipotle Cheese Enchilada Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by tossing together the shrimp, paprika, cumin, olive oil and salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.

When the pan is nice and hot, add in the shrimp and cook just until pink on both sides. About 2 minutes a side.

Remove the shrimp from the heat and allow it to cool for you to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop the shrimp into bit sized pieces.

Mix together your cheese and combine 3 cups in with the shrimp.

Add in the yogurt and avocado and mix to combine.

In the same pan you cooked the shrimp in, heat the salsa verde over medium heat.

When the salsa is warm, dunk a tortilla in it and toss it with the salsa just until it is damp.

Move the tortilla to a 9 x 13 inch, lightly greased, oven safe dish. Scoop about ¼ to ½ cup depending on the size of your tortillas. Roll the filling up in tortilla and slide it to the end of the dish.

Continue this process with the remaining tortillas and filling.

When all the tortillas have been filled, drizzle the enchiladas with the enchilada sauce.

Top with the remaining cup of cheese and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and the enchiladas are hot throughout.

 

Remove from the oven serve hot.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela 

Shrimp Enchiladas

1 lb shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups jack cheese, grated

2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup Greek yogurt

1 avocado, cubed

12 large flour tortillas

2 cups salsa verde

Chipotle Cheese Enchilada Sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by tossing together the shrimp, paprika, cumin, olive oil and salt and pepper.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.

When the pan is nice and hot, add in the shrimp and cook just until pink on both sides. About 2 minutes a side.

Remove the shrimp from the heat and allow it to cool for you to handle.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Chop the shrimp into bit sized pieces.

Mix together your cheese and combine 3 cups in with the shrimp.

Add in the yogurt and avocado and mix to combine.

In the same pan you cooked the shrimp in, heat the salsa verde over medium heat.

When the salsa is warm, dunk a tortilla in it and toss it with the salsa just until it is damp.

Move the tortilla to a 9 x 13 inch, lightly greased, oven safe dish. Scoop about ¼ to ½ cup depending on the size of your tortillas. Roll the filling up in tortilla and slide it to the end of the dish.

Continue this process with the remaining tortillas and filling.

When all the tortillas have been filled, drizzle the enchiladas with the enchilada sauce.

Top with the remaining cup of cheese and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and the enchiladas are hot throughout.

Remove from the oven serve hot. 

Chicken and Chocolate Mole

After an eventful, work and fun filled four days in Atlanta I’m back at home and back on my computer.

My brand spanking new computer. Well, not completely new. But it has a new frame and a new screen. New, clean, beautiful and not broken. All wins.

And as excited as I am to be back in action, today is a pretty sad day.

Unless you have been living under a rock today, you know about the horrifying bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

As I’m sure most of you are, I’m deeply saddened by the events today. It breaks my heart that people have enough hate and pain in them to hurt other people. You must be in a dark, black hole of a place to inflict that kind of fear in people.

I find it difficult to be faced with a problem with no obvious solution.

So I’m going to do the only thing that I think I can do to help.

Spread light.

And love, and kindness, and fun, and help, and all the other things that pull people out of the darkness and hate.

All that I can do, and probably all you can do is to spread your light.

Say please. And thank you. And open doors for one another. Offer someone else your seat. Or a snack.

It’s really difficult to be upset when everyone around you is being kind.

Part of spreading light for me is sharing. Sharing experiences and sharing food.

So here is something tasty for you to share. Share with family and friends and enjoy the good things in life.

You will need…

5 ancho chiles

3 dried New Mexico chiles

2 dried chiles negros

1/3 cup sesame seeds

5 whole star anise

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cloves

12 black peppercorns

12 inch cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons raisins

20 whole almonds

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 corn tortilla, quartered

5 medium plum tomatoes

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 small onion, quartered

5 cups chicken stock

3 ¼ ounces Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by covering all the chile peppers with hot water in a medium bowl and soak them for 30 minutes.

While the pepper are soaking, combine the sesame seeds, anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a large skillet.

Toast the seeds and spices over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Grind the seeds and spices until they are into a fine powder.

In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening.

Stir in the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla.

Cook the mixture over moderate heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump. About 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning until the skins are lightly blistered on all sides. About 12 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes to the bowl with the seeds and almonds.

Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. About 8 minutes.

Transfer the garlic and onions to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Empty the vegetables onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with the onions and tomatoes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening in the skillet. Stir in the chopped vegetables and the spice powder and cook over moderately high heat until warmed through. About 3 minutes.

Remove the stems and seeds from the now rehydrated chiles and add them to the skillet.

Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the peanut butter.

Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and blend the mixture either with a hand emersion blender or in a food processor. Season the mole with salt and pepper, add in the chocolate and blend until very smooth.

Then in a second large skillet, heat the olive oil till it is very hot.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown the chicken well on both sides. About 4 minutes a side.

Don’t worry about cooking the chicken completely. Just make sure it is well browned.

Add the chicken to the pot of mole and simmer for an additional hour.

When the chicken has simmered for an hour, remove from the mole and place on a cutting board.

Depending on your textural preference either shred or chop the chicken and add it back to the mole sauce.

Serve the chicken and mole hot over rice or in a burrito.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Chicken and Chocolate Mole

5 ancho chiles

3 dried New Mexico chiles

2 dried chiles negros

1/3 cup sesame seeds

5 star anise

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cloves

12 black peppercorns

12 inch cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons raisins

20 whole almonds

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 corn tortilla, quartered

5 medium plum tomatoes

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 small onion, quartered

5 cups chicken stock

3 ¼ ounces Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by covering all the chile peppers with hot water in a medium bowl and soak them for 30 minutes.

While the pepper are soaking, combine the sesame seeds, anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a large skillet.

Toast the seeds and spices over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Grind the seeds and spices until they are into a fine powder.

In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening.

Stir in the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla.

Cook the mixture over moderate heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump. About 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning until the skins are lightly blistered on all sides. About 12 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes to the bowl with the seeds and almonds.

Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. About 8 minutes.

Transfer the garlic and onions to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Empty the vegetables onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with the onions and tomatoes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening in the skillet. Stir in the chopped vegetables and the spice powder and cook over moderately high heat until warmed through. About 3 minutes.

Remove the stems and seeds from the now rehydrated chiles and add them to the skillet.

Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the peanut butter.

Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and blend the mixture either with a hand emersion blender or in a food processor. Season the mole with salt and pepper, add in the chocolate and blend until very smooth.

Then in a second large skillet, heat the olive oil till it is very hot.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown the chicken well on both sides. About 4 minutes a side.

Don’t worry about cooking the chicken completely. Just make sure it is well browned.

Add the chicken to the pot of mole and simmer for an additional hour.

When the chicken has simmered for an hour, remove from the mole and place on a cutting board.

Depending on your textural preference either shred or chop the chicken and add it back to the mole sauce.

Serve the chicken and mole hot over rice or in a burrito.

Chipotle Cheese Enchilada Sauce

Hi folks! I'm coming to you live from the very spot where I sat and did my homework at as a young lass. 

Many hours were spent in this chair, combing over pages and pages of Cliff's Notes. Many a late night was spent typing out a paper at the very last possible second. 

Man oh man. Writing about food is SOOO much better than that. 

I made this sauce a few years ago with lobster enchiladas. After thinking of this sauce pretty much constantly, I decided it was so good it needed its own post. 

This sauce DESERVES the spotlight. 

It is the perfect combination of richness and pizzaz. 

You will need...

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced

2 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup chicken stock

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons chipotle chile in adobo

Start by melting the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. 

Add in the onions just until they are translucent. Be careful not to brown them. 

Add in the flour and stir until the onions are coated. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

 

Pour in the milk and chicken stalk and whisk until well combined. Add in the garlic and continue to whisk. 

Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. 

Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese in one handful at a time. 

Whisk until all the cheese is melted and remove from the heat. 

 

Add in the chipotle puree and stir. You can adjust the chipotle amount depending on your spice preference.

 

Serve hot with chips or use on enchiladas. 

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Chipotle Cheese Enchilada Sauce

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup yellow onion, finely minced

2 tablespoons flour

2/3 cup milk

2/3 cup chicken stock

2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3 tablespoons chipotle chile in adobo

Start by melting the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. 

Add in the onions just until they are translucent. Be careful not to brown them. 

Add in the flour and stir until the onions are coated. Cook for an additional 2 minutes. 

Pour in the milk and chicken stalk and whisk until well combined. Add in the garlic and continue to whisk. 

Cook the mixture over medium heat, whisking continuously until it starts to thicken. 

Reduce the heat to low and add the cheese in one handful at a time. 

Whisk until all the cheese is melted and remove from the heat. 

Add in the chipotle puree and stir. You can adjust the chipotle amount depending on your spice preference.

Serve hot with chips or use on enchiladas.