What can be better than a main course that essentially cooks itself? A fabulous salad and icy mojitos on the side.
The following recipe for carnitas, from Bon Appetit magazine, has been a staple in my house for several years now, both as a weeknight dinner and as crowd-pleasing party fare.
The beauty of this pork dish is that it's flavorful, easy to prepare (a slow cooker does the work for you) and it's mild enough that kids like it.
I whipped up a batch of the juicy meat while on vacation in Lake Tahoe and paired it with a jicama citrus salad and rounds of mojitos. We've been invited back.
The recipe for the salad is from the cookbook "Cooking Club: Great Ideas and Delicious Recipes for Fabulous Get-Togethers" (Sasquatch Books, $23.95, 224 pages). The local authors, Dina Guillen and Michelle Lowrey, are featured in a story about cooking clubs in today's Food & Wine section. The recipe for the salad accompanies the story.
Slow Cooker Carnitas
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours (inactive)
Serves: 6
Notes: This recipe is from the April 2008 issue of Bon Appetit magazine. Many butchers will cut the pork for you, which can be a major time saver.Ingredients
2 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs or pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 large onion, cut into 4 large pieces
1 avocado, halved, pitted and sliced
Fresh cilantro sprigs
Corn or flour tortillas
Salsa (tomatillo is best, but traditional salsa or pico de gallo tastes fine too)Instructions
Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, black pepper, and dried oregano to coat. Place onion pieces atop pork. Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to cutting board. Discard onion pieces. Using fingers (or forks), shred pork; transfer carnitas to platter. Place avocado slices, cilantro sprigs, and sliced red bell peppers, if desired, alongside. Wrap corn tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Serve carnitas with warm tortillas and tomatillo salsa.
