Pork Carnitas

            I know that I have already mentioned this week how much I appreciate friends sharing their recipes and ideas with me.  What I haven’t had a chance to mention is that I am SO grateful when people clue me in to ways that they do their meal planning and find recipes.  A couple of weeks ago, my friend Jeannine shared some of her Food Network Magazines with me and this weekend, my friend Elizabeth shared the cutest little stack of Food Everyday magazines with me also!

            I was so thrilled about all of the potential possibilities, and got myself a bit on sensory overload trying to decide what recipes to select this week.  So, I enlisted Chris’s help and the two of us settled on a delicious recipe from Elizabeth’s magazine for pork carnitas.  This recipe looked simple enough, and we always like an excuse to have margaritas at the McQuillan household!

            If you are the kind of guy or gal who looks for the quick and easy recipe, this one might not be the one for you.  Now, it wasn’t difficult, but it did take a lot more time than I typically spend on our weeknight meals.  The end result was certainly well worth the wait!  While I would definitely try this one again, I might suggest adding more fixin’s (pico de gallo, sour cream, rice, etc.) for a more flavorful experience.  Chris also requested that the next time we have these to try flour tortillas instead of the corn, which I think I may like better as well.  Please let me know if you give these a try and make any yummy additions to the recipe!

Slainte!

Recipe:

-2 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch pieces

-4 garlic cloves, minced

-Coarse salt and ground pepper

-1 tablespoon olive oil

-1/2 cup fresh orange juice

-1/2 cup milk

-12 corn tortillas, warmed

-fresh cilantro leaves, thinly sliced onion, diced avocado, and lime wedges, for serving

Preparation:

-In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, combine pork, garlic, and 8 cups water and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer and cook, covered, until pork is tender, 40 to 45 minutes.  Drain well.

-In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add pork, orange juice, and milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and pork is browned, 8 to 12 minutes.  Serve carnitas in tortillas, with cilantro, onion, avocado, and lime wedges.

Enjoy!

He likes it!