Carnitas

Carnitas is on of my favorite dishes to order at a Mexican restaurant.  Now, when I say Mexican restaurant, I'm not talking about Taco Bell.  I'm talking about the small, one-of-a-kind places you can find spread along the southern border from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to San Diego.  I'm talking real, authentic Mexican food that tastes good.  If you've ever tried one of these places, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Carnitas (which means "little meats" in Spanish)  is basically just boneless pork shoulder that has been simmered until it is fall-apart tender and then roasted to produce a crispy outer layer.  Some people swear that the only thing that should go in the pan is pork, water, salt, and pepper.  Other people add all different kinds of spices and even some citrus in the form of oranges and/or orange juice.  I'm a middle-of-the-road type guy myself.  I like the simplicity of the pork, but with a little bit of added flavor meant to enhance the dish, not overpower it.

As with any good thing though, you will have to wait.  When I made this last weekend, I started it on the stove at around 1:45 PM.  I finally pulled the finished carnitas out of the oven at around 7:00 PM.  But let me tell you, the wait was definitely worth it.  I could have eaten these on a plate with just a side of rice and beans.  Instead I decided to go a step further and roll the meat up with some rice (I used my Chile Cilantro Rice), cheese, and onion in a flour tortilla shell.  It turned out to be one of the best burritos I have ever had.


Carnitas

4-5 lb boneless pork shoulder
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Water
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin, ground
1 bay leaf
1 stick cinnamon

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Cut pork loin into 6-8 large pieces.  Rub pork pieces with salt.  Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Sear pork, 3-4 pieces at a time, in oil until all sides are browned.  Remove pork and drain on paper towels.

Add 1 cup water to pan and stir in garlic powder, chile powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, bay leaf, and cinnamon.  Add pork back to pan and then add enough water to cover pork about 3/4 of the way (I used a total of about 2-1/2 cups myself).

Bring to a boil and then place Dutch oven, uncovered, in oven.  Braise pork for 3-1/2 hours, stirring hourly, or until pork is very tender.  Remove pan from oven and remove pork.  Allow pork to cool slightly and then break into smaller chunks.  Return pork to pan and pan to oven.  Cook another 1 to 1-1/2 half hours, uncovered, or until liquid is nearly gone and outer edges are lightly crunchy.

Chile Cilantro Rice

We love rice.  We eat it a lot.  Usually I just cook up a batch of plain white or brown rice and use it as a bed for some sort of stew or stir-fry.  But recently I thought to myself, why does the rice have to be plain?  Why can't it have some flavor as well?  How can I have flavorful rice without using a packet loaded with salt and a bunch of other things I can't pronounce?

This recipe is a very simple way to serve rice that has a lot of flavor.  As the rice cooks, it absorbs the flavor of the chiles, then I stir in the cilantro right before I serve it.  If you add the cilantro too early, it takes over the dish and loses a lot of its vibrant color in the finished product.  You could make this with brown rice if desired, just increase the water to 5-1/4 cups and let it simmer for 40 minutes instead of 20.

I like to serve this rice with Mexican food, but you could also replace the green chiles with 1 Tbsp chopped fresh hot red chiles to serve this rice with Thai food.


Chile Cilantro Rice

4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups long grain white rice (not quick or instant)
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

In large saucepan, bring water, salt and green chiles to a boil over medium high heat.  Add rice and return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.  Stir in cilantro and serve immediately.

Nutella Brownies

I have decided to do away with my dessert of the month page. It just seems criminal to only share one dessert per month. As a result of this decision, I will be reposting some of the desserts that have previously been posted on that page. This is the first, and by far the most popular, of my former Desserts of the Month. I will be adding some of the other desserts here in the near future.

This dessert is something I knew my wife would like, and was inspired by watching the Food Network. I call it simply Nutella Brownies. Nutella is a wonderful chocolate and hazelnut spread that is almost the consistency of peanut butter, and can be found in the peanut butter section of the grocery store. It is extremely rich, so a little goes a long way.

My brownies start as a basic batch of brownies, but are then iced with Nutella and sprinkled with chopped hazelnuts and mini chocolate chips. I even like to stir some hazelnuts into the brownie batter prior to baking. These brownies are very rich, so serve with a glass of milk and enjoy.




Nutella Brownies


Ingredients:
1 7x11 pan brownies (made from scratch or boxed mix)
1 jar Nutella
2/3 cup chopped hazelnuts
2/3 cup mini chocolate chips




Bake brownies according to recipe directions.  If desired, stir 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts into batter.  Allow brownies to cool completely (this is the hardest part of making these brownies, I want to cut right into them as soon as they come out of the oven).









Spread thin layer of Nutella over brownies (you should have some left over, the extra goes good in crepes the next day).  Sprinkle evenly with hazelnuts and chocolate chips.  Place in 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes, or until chocolate chips start to melt.  Remove from oven, let cool 5 minutes, cut, and serve.  Enjoy.

Sauteed Summer Squash and Mushrooms

Zucchini and yellow summer squash are two of my favorite vegetables due to their versatility.  They can be steamed, breaded and fried, added to soups or stews, or in this case, sauteed in a little olive oil and seasoned.  The mushrooms bring an earthy flavor to this side dish, and absorb the flavors of the Montreal steak seasoning well.  In about 5 minutes, this vegetable dish is ready to serve along side any chicken or fish entree.


Sauteed Summer Squash and Mushrooms

2 medium zucchini (about 1 lb total)
2-3 yellow summer squash (about 1 lb total)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp Montreal steak seasoning
2 Tbsp olive oil

Trim ends from zucchini and discard.  Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise, then slice into 1/2 inch pieces.  Repeat with summer squash.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add zucchini and yellow squash and cook 2 minutes.  Add mushrooms and Montreal steak seasoning.

Continue to saute, stirring often, until mushrooms and squash are tender, yet still firm enough to hold their shape (about 8 minutes).  Serve immediately.