Pork Chile Verde

• The original recipe can be found here. This was originally posted as a "to-try" recipe, but I've since tried it and tweaked a few ingredients.
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• 1 1/2 cups (or more) chicken broth, divided
• 1/2 pound tomatillos, husked, rinsed, cut into 1/2-inch wedges, divided
• 1/2 bunch green onions, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cups (packed) fresh cilantro with tender stems (I'm not a big fan of cilantro, so this was a little too much for me. However, the longer this cooked, the less I could smell the intense cilantro)
• 3 garlic cloves (I used the jarred stuff)
• Olive oil
• 2 pounds pork shoulder cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup diced roasted peeled seeded mild green chiles (such as Hatch or Anaheim) (I didn't have this, so I used one small can of diced green chiles. It worked.)
• 1 teaspoons dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
• 1/2 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• Chopped fresh cilantro
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• *Ingredient info:

  Tomatillos are green, tomato-like fruits with papery husks. I found mine at Wal-Mart.

• Puree 1 cups chicken broth, 1/4 of tomatillos, green onions, cilantro with stems, and garlic in blender. Set salsa verde aside.
  
  
• Brush heavy large pot with oil; heat over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Working in batches, add pork to pot; cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot (add oil if needed). Add onion to pot; sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle cumin seeds over; cook until onion is golden and cumin is toasted, about 2 minutes. Add remaining tomatillos; cook until tender and browned in spots, stirring occasionally and reducing heat to medium if browning too quickly, about 8 minutes. Return pork and any juices to pot. Add 2 cups reserved salsa verde, 1 cup broth, chiles, and oregano. Cover; simmer over medium-low heat until pork is tender, about 2 hours. 
• Add potatoes to pork. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in remaining salsa verde; bring to simmer. Thin with additional broth, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
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  We ate this on warm flour tortillas with sour cream. It was really yummy, and the potatoes were a fun change of texture. I didn't take any pictures, but here's one from the website (mine looked pretty similar, but without the red chile salsa on top). Overall this was a good dish, but when it comes to "taco-style" night, it is not the quick, easy answer, so I'm not sure how often I will make this, but I was glad for the change.
  
  
  

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  *Recipe and photo from Bon Appetit magazine
  
  

Sweet Pork Burritos

Another Taste the Joy recipe.


In a crock pot:
Sirloin Boneless Pork Roast (about a 3 lb roast)
1 can Dr. Pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/4 brown sugar
1/2 - 1 cup Honey BBQ

Cook on low for about 5-6 hours or till tender and falling apart. Take out of juices and shred. Keep 2 -3 cups of the liquids, put your shredded pork back into the roaster/crockpot in the 2-3 cups and keep it in the crockpot until you're ready to eat.


We ate this on homemade tortilla shells with white rice and black beans. I felt like I was eating at Chipotle's!

Honey-Marinated Pork with Gremolata

• 2 12- to 14-ounce pork tenderloins, trimmed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon (or more) fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage

• Place pork in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk honey, garlic, and orange juice in small bowl. Pour over pork; turn to coat. Sprinkle pork with 1 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. Transfer pork to plate; reserve marinade. Heat oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to skillet. Brown on all sides, turning often, about 4 minutes. Transfer to oven; cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 150°F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to cutting board; let rest 5 minutes. Reserve skillet.
• Pour reserved marinade into same skillet; add wine. Boil gently until reduced to 1/2 cup, 3 to 4 minutes. Season with sea salt and pepper.
  
  
• Mix orange peel, thyme, rosemary, and sage in small bowl for gremolata. Cut pork crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; transfer to platter. Pour sauce over pork. Sprinkle with gremolata and serve
  
  

*Recipe and photo from Bon Appetit magazine

Tampa Cuban Sandwich

For the Pork:

• 5 pounds boneless pork shoulder
• 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 8 large cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 bay leaves

For the Sandwich:

• 1 9-inch piece Cuban bread
• 4 thin slices glazed ham (about 4 ounces)
• 3 to 4 thin slices Genoa salami with peppercorns (about 1 ounce)
• 2 thin slices Swiss cheese (about 1 ounce)
• 2 pickle slices
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• Unsalted butter, softened, for cooking

Prepare the pork: Cut small slits all over the meat with a knife and put skin-side down in a roasting pan. Mix the lime juice and orange juice in a measuring cup. Transfer 1/4 cup juice mixture to a food processor; add the garlic, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and pulse to make a paste. Rub over the pork and into the slits. Pour the remaining 3/4 cup juice over the pork; press the bay leaves on top. Cover and refrigerate 3 to 6 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Turn the pork skin-side up and roast until a thermometer inserted into the middle registers 160 degrees F, about 2 hours, 30 minutes. Cool completely before slicing. (Refrigerate leftover pork in an airtight container up to 1 week.)

Make the sandwich: Cut the bread in half lengthwise. Layer the ham, 3 thin slices roast pork, the salami, cheese and pickles on the bottom half. Spread the mustard on the inside of the top half. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Butter the outside of the sandwich, then add to the pan and put a heavy skillet on top to weigh it down; cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side (or cook in a sandwich press). Cut in half on the diagonal.

*Recipe and photo from Food Network magazine