Here is truly an incredible carnita recipe from William Sonoma. I prepared this one for the 6th graders (and the faculty) while studying Mexican culture in our world geography class. It was cooked and kept in a crock pot in my classroom which caused the mouth-watering aroma to waft into the hallway every time the lid was lifted. It came to me by way of my Mexican-American father-in-law, George, who knows his stuff. The use of trimmed pork, citrus(orange and lime) and beer makes this one (relatively) lower in fat and incredibly tasty. Feliz Cinco de Mayo!
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast, 3 to 4 lb.
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups Mexican lager-style beer
• Grated zest and juice of 1 large orange
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 Tbs. dried oregano
In a small bowl, combine the salt and pepper. Season the pork roast generously with the mixture.
In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the pork and cook, turning frequently until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and set aside.
Pour off all but a thin layer of fat in the pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté just until they begin to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the beer and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom with a wooden spoon.Transfer the pork to a slow cooker and pour in the beer mixture. Add the orange and lime zests and juices and the oregano. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the pork is very tender, about 5 hours on high or 10 hours on low.
Transfer the pork to a carving board and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Using a large, shallow spoon or a ladle, skim as much fat as possible from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a large, sharp knife and a fork, coarsely cut and shred the pork into small bite-size pieces.
Arrange the meat on a warmed platter or individual plates, moisten it lightly with the cooking juices, and serve immediately with warmed tortillas, lime wedges, chopped onion, salsa and cilantro. Serves 6 to 8.
Another simple yet delicious dish I made for the kids while doing the Mexican unit in class. It's a yellow cake that is soaked in a rich and creamy mix of three milks. (The whipped cream topping technically makes it a 'cuatro leches' cake.) There are many ways to make this. Mine may not be the best, but it is one of easiest and still very, very good.
