Roasted pork tacos with two salsas

Leftover Roasted Pork: Day One



Tonight we used the leftover pork to make tacos. I couldn't decide which kind of salsa I wanted, so I made two. First I made a cooked tomato salsa. Usually fresh pico de gallo is my tomato salsa of choice, but I wanted to try a cooked salsa. Last year I tried roasting tomatoes, onions and jalapenos in the oven, then making them into salsa, but the results were just awful. This time I tried cooking it in a skillet, and it turned out somewhat better, but not fantastic. I used 4 tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 jalapeno and a handful of cilantro, plus salt and lime juice. I put it in a skillet, started cooking it down, then used an immersion blender to puree it. I continued cooking it until it turned from light pink to a bold red. This recipe needs more tweaking before I post it, but I'm looking forward to trying it again at some point.

The second salsa I made was a fresh mango salsa. It was absolutely delicious and refreshing, and the recipe is below.

To make the tacos, I sprayed corn tortillas with a quick blast of cooking spray, then heated them in the microwave for 30 seconds. The leftover pork was warmed in a skillet, then heaped on the tortillas. I topped them with some fresh, local romaine lettuce (thanks, CSA!) and generous helpings of salsa.

Fresh Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango
1 small red onion, diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced (take the seeds out if you don't like it hot. I leave them in)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp agave nectar (can substitute sugar or molasses)

Combine all ingredients and set aside for 15-20 minutes so flavors can meld.

Slow-roasted pork

We spent all day Saturday at the lake park just outside of town, with quite possibly two of the coolest people I've ever met, and their four kids. The mom is my girls' piano teacher, and I swear, I have not often met such a truly kind and friendly person in my life. She's one of those rare people you encounter, whom you connect with instantly and hit it off famously, and I adore her. She invited us to join them to the lake on Saturday, and we happily agreed. Making friends here in Syracuse has been a slow process. I'm an extreme extrovert, but have still had trouble connecting with kindred spirits. I think I've found them, at last. She and her husband and I talked nonstop for the five hours we were at the lake, about Sociology, Psychology, Philosophy, Theology, and so much more. We discovered that we're strikingly similar in so many ways that it's almost unbelievable. It's been a long time since I've met a couple who enjoy deep thinking and deep discussion as much as Brad and I do, and it absolutely delighted me. I'm so happy to have met them!

We spent the day talking while the kids played in the lake and the sand, then we strolled over to a BBQ pit and built up a fire for grilling. I had slowly simmered some country style ribs all morning before we left, then drowned them in Dinosaur BBQ sauce -- from Dinosaur BBQ, an enchanting biker bar BBQ joint here in town, which incidentally was voted best BBQ in America last year -- and brought them along for lunch. I know that grilling purists scorn the parboiling of ribs, but I haven't found a better way to prepare ribs, so I use it. They were tender, succulent and absolutely falling apart after a quick jaunt on the grill.

All this is to say that Meg devoured an astonishing amount of ribs at the lake, then, in the spirit of BBQ, begged me to make a pork roast for pulled pork sandwiches on Monday. We swung by the grocery store on our way home from a AAA minor league baseball game Sunday evening, and to my surprise and delight, I found a 9.5 lb pork roast for just $11! Score! It was bone-in, and I was sure it would be mostly bone, but I still couldn't beat that price, so I paid for it and back home we went.

I put it in the oven at noon today. Now, I think pork is the perfect meat. I cringe when I see people doctoring pork up with all kinds of spices, rubs, marinades, fruits, and so forth. Pork is beautiful just the way it is, and needs little to no embellishment, in my humble opinion. So I heated my oven to 250, dumped the pork on a rack in a roasting pan, and stuck it in the oven. No salt, no spices, no rubs, no marinades...no nuthin'. And I walked away and left it there for six and a half hours. We even left and went shopping for two hours in the middle of the afternoon.

I pulled it out of the oven at 6:30 this evening, and I swooned all over the damn place. It was gorgeous. I wish I had taken a picture. I'm kicking myself for not taking a picture, but I couldn't wait to tear into it. Meg pulled up a foot stool and hovered next to me as I used a couple forks to tear it apart, and she snatched pieces whenever she could get away with it. I shredded that sucker to bits, and ended up with 12 cups of shredded pork. 12 cups! There was only one tiny bone in the entire thing, and virtually no fat. It was amazing!

I took about a cup and a half and tossed it in BBQ sauce, then served it on hamburger buns with fresh corn on the cob. Meg didn't want BBQ sauce, though, being a pork purist after my own heart, and just ate hers plain on a bun. Words can't describe how delicious this pork was. As I said, I didn't season it at all before roasting, and it needed nothing after roasting, either. No salt...nothing. It was pure, unadulterated heaven on a bun.

The remaining 12+ cups are in the fridge now. I've been mulling over what to do with all the leftovers, and so far have decided on pork tacos, cuban sandwiches, and pulled pork nachos.

What would you do with it?

Chinese Five Spice Pork Chops

Tonight is our one at-home carnivorous dinner this week. Brad picked up a nice little pack of pork chops yesterday, and since then I've been trying to decide how to cook them. Most often we just sear them in a hot skillet with a little olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper or cajun seasoning, but tonight I wanted something different. This time I seasoned them with Chinese five spice powder and salt, drizzled them with a little mirin, and then pan fried them in a lightly oiled skillet. For serving, I sliced them and poured the pan juices over. Yumyumyumyumyumyumyum! I made three of them for the two of us, and it was really hard to share that last one. ; )



I'm not posting an actual recipe for these, because they're so ridiculously simple. Just season, drizzle, and fry until done. It doesn't get much easier than that.

Natchitoches Meat Pies

Filling:
2 t. shortening
2 t. flour
1 1/2 lbs. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground beef
2 large onions, chopped fine
2 T. fresh chopped parsley
1 t. sage
1 t. garlic salt
red pepper and black pepper to taste

Pastry:
4 C. flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/2 C. melted shortening
1/2 C. milk
2 eggs slightly beaten

For filling: Combine shortening and flour in a large Dutch oven. Cook over med. heat, stirring constantly, until a roux is of copper color. Add other ingredients and cook until meat is browned and onions are tender. Drain well and cool.

For pastry: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add melted shortening, stirring until blended. Combine milk and eggs stirring well. Pour milk mixture into flour, stir just until blended, adding more milk as necessary.

Divide pastry into 22 equal portions. Roll each portion into 5 inch circles. Place about 2 T. meat mixture in each circle. Fold in half; moisten edges w/water and press with fork to seal. Heat 1 inch of oil to 375. Fry pies in hot oil until golden, turning once. Drain well on paper towels.

Pinchitos

(Spicy Spanish Pork Kebabs)

1 lb pork loin
3-4 lemons, cut and squeezed (leave rinds with marinade)
3 Tbsp cumin
¼ c olive oil
¼ c garlic, minced
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 ample pinch of saffron
Salt and pepper to taste

Cube pork into 1-inch pieces; season with salt and pepper and set aside. Mix the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the pork pieces to the bowl, mix well, and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

Soak wooden skewers in water at least 30 minutes before using. 10 minutes before grilling, skewer the pork pieces. Place directly on hot grill, turning frequently, until meat is fully cooked.

Remove to plates and serve with rice, crusty bread and a fresh salad.

Lumpia Shanghai

1 lb ground pork, browned and drained
2 c cooked baby shrimp, chopped
2 c cabbage, chopped
1 carrot, grated
1 can water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
4 green onions, sliced
2 eggs, beaten
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 pkg lumpia wrappers
Vegetable oil for frying
Sweet & sour sauce for dipping
Bananas (optional)

Combine pork, shrimp, cabbage, carrot, water chestnuts and green onions. Stir in eggs and soy sauce. Separate lumpia wrappers and fill each with about 2 Tbsp filling, wrapping tightly. Dip your fingers in water and moisten the edge to seal.

Fry in hot oil, turning as necessary, until browned and crispy. Remove to a cooling rack placed over a paper towel-lined cookie sheet to drain. Serve hot with sweet & sour sauce for dipping.

Banana Lumpia
If desired, you can use the leftover wrappers to make banana lumpia for dessert. Peel bananas, cut in half lengthwise, then in half crosswise, making 4 spears per banana. Roll 1 banana spear in a lumpia wrapper, and fry until browned and crispy. These are great as is, or dipped in honey.