Recipes and food from a Hapa household

one of my friends is pregnant and she’s been craving mexican food. she said that she was getting tired of the same old food, so i told her i’d post this recipe. it’s one of my husband’s favorite. this recipe is from mexican red hot cookbook by jane milton.

serves 4

salsa
bunch of cilantro
1 white onion, thinly sliced
8-10 pickled jalapeno chili rings, diced
3 tbsp fresh orange juice

1. combine all the ingredients and mix it well. refrigerate the mixture until ready to use, preferably for at least an hour.

carnitas
2 dried bay leaves
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
3-3 1/2 lbs mixed boneless pork (loin and leg)
1 tsp salt
1 C shortening*
1 orange, cut into 8 wedges
3 garlic cloves
1 small onion, thickly sliced
flour tortillas, for serving

* if you don’t want your carnitas to be crispy, you can substitute any oil of your choice and reduce the amount so that it will just coat the bottom of your pan.

1. crush the bay leaves, thyme, marjoram using a mortal and pestle or spice grinder. grind until the mixture is a fine powder.
2. cut the pork into 2 in. cubes, and place in non-metallic bowl. add the powder and salt, and mix it with the pork. let it marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
3. heat the lard in a dutch oven* over medium heat. brown the pork on all sides. add the orange, garlic, and onion.
4. turn the heat to low, and let the meat cook for 1.5 hours, on until the meat is tender.
5. remove the onion, orange, and garlic. if you don’t want your carnitas crispy, remove the pork and shred. serve with flour tortillas and the salsa. if you want your carnitas crispy, follow step 6.
6. remove the lid, and turn heat to medium-low to medium. continue to cook the mixture, uncovered, until all the meat juices have evaporated and the cubes are crispy on each side. shred the meat and serve with flour tortillas and salsa.