I love Mexican cuisine. I love the taste, the texture, the heat. I love spicy food but I'm partial to Mexican. These are my favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Enjoy.
Breakfast.
This recipe is for Carnitas...I use the pulled pork for the meat in my version of machacas. Machacas are traditionally made out of beef but hey, rules are made to be broken.
1- Pork roast
a. place the roast fat side down and make several perpendicular cuts nearly thru to the fat. ( do NOT cut thru the fat...leave the roast in one piece.)
1-tbs cumin
2-tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbs mustard
Mix into a rub and coat the outside of the roast and down into the cuts. Salt and pepper to taste inc. down in the cuts. (For people who don't use mustard...you should start, it is a mellow yet flavorful addition to almost any addition...that taste that you notice but can't identify even though you wish you could.
2 habanero, 1 serrano pepper
1 medium yellow onion
1 large carrot
1/2 stalk of celery
1 or 2 cloves garlic
Cut onion to wedges, de-seed all but one pepper (your choice, habanero will add more heat. I do this because most people I cook for don't handle heat well...and I always have some Marie Sharps to kick up the heat on my own plate) Mince the celery, carrot, garlic and peppers fine. Saute all in 2tbs butter mixed with 1tbs olive oil in stock pot just till onions clear.
Add roast to stock pot, fat side down, on top of veggies. Add 2 cups of orange juice and equal parts water and milk to bring liquid to top of roast. Add liquid slowly so you don't wash off rub.
Add a couple of bay leaves to broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover for three hours.
Preheat oven to 400F. Pull pork (reserve about 1 cup of unpacked meat) and place in oven proof dish. Scoop on the veggies from the stock pot and mix in. Add enough of the remaining broth to coat all of the pork and toss again. Bake in oven till pork ends start to crisp, about 15 minutes give or take.
Carnitas!
No, you are just getting started.
1 or 2 tomatillas
1 poblano chile
1 tsp of cumin
1 tsp of cayenne
1/4 cup minced onion
Crush or dice tomatillos. Poblano (skin or no skin your call..) I ditch the skin. Place chile in hot oven or on dry skillet until skin blisters, keep turning until skin has blistered completely...place chile in plastic bag or tupperware dish for a few minutes. Unwrap chile and skin should easily peel off. Dice pepper and onion and add all ingredients to sauce pan and bring to a boil with two cups of remaining broth from roast. Reduce to simmer for 20 minutes. Add reserved meat. Voila, pork green chile my way.
Breakfast Machacas...finally...bout damn time! Luckily you prepared the meat YESTERDAY. If you are really on it maybe you'll be soaking some pinto beans as well.
2 eggs per person
1/8th cup milk per person
sharp cheddar and jack cheeses
Whisk eggs in large bowl, add milk, season with salt and pepper
If you cooked the roast earlier...now is the time to heat it up...saute in small amount of oil or butter till warm.
Cook eggs by working the mixture from the outside of the pan to the inside with spatula until they start to come together, remove from heat and continue to stir as you stir in pork and jack cheese. Return to heat folding cheese and pork into the eggs continuously. Once eggs are shiny but not runny remove from heat. Plate and top each with thin layer of cheddar and top with green chile sauce.
Yumm.
I serve with home fries and refried beans and my pico de gallo.
Pico de gallo.
1 onion
1 tomato
1 serrano or jalapeno
1 green onion
Dice all and refrigerate covered overnite...I like using ziplocs...lay the bag so the whole shebang marinates in the juice overnight.
Potatoes
1" x 1" dice on potato, add to heated mix of 1 tbs butter, 1 tbs olive oil. Fry till fully brown and slightly crisp. Salt and pepper to taste.
Beans
Refrieds...If you don't have the time for fresh....one can beans, stir in 1/2 cup of milk and heat till warm.
Top any or all with pico and sour cream.
Looks like a lot of work but this is actually not labor intensive. Total time in kitchen is probably 45 minutes and cook time is minimal outside the roast.
Lunch
You have left over carnitas.
This is a simple lunch.
Finish using your leftover broth and bring to fast boil, add small can of tomato paste and the rest of your green chile sauce. Stir constantly till the sauce cooks down and thickens.
Heat tbs of butter in a saute pan and fry thin 1/4" cuts of polenta (purchase at your local market) until warmed thru and slightly crisp. Top with pico and sour cream. (Add more pork to the sauce if you want a heartier "chili".) Serve with a shredded turnip and carrot salad tossed in lime juice and seasoned with salt and pepper.
Dinner
Champinones al Ajillo