Tag: main course
Carnitas
Carnitas
I was asked a few weeks ago if I had a carnitas recipe. I go to my site and realize that I don’t; which is absolutely crazy because I make carnitas all the time. So now, at this very moment, is my carnitas recipe. It really isn’t mine. It is the traditional Mexican recipe, which is just pork, lard, water, and salt(garlic is optional). All you have to do is add all of the ingredients to a pot and braise for 45 minutes. Then you reduce all of the liquid out until the pork starts to fry in its own fat. Once the pork is slightly browned, it’s ready to eat. Carnitas are great in tacos, burritos, quesadillas, tamales, tortas, omelettes, nachos, and just about anything else that you can think of.
Equipment
- cast iron pot
Ingredients
- 4 lbs pork shoulder cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup lard
- 8 garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp salt
- water
Instructions
- Add the pork, lard, garlic, and salt to a cast iron pot. Pour in enough water to cover the pork. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Uncover. Turn the heat up to high and reduce until all of the water has evaporated. There will only be pork and fat left.
- Turn the heat to medium and fry the pork in its own fat until browned; about 10-15 minutes.
Cachapas Llanera
Cachapas Llanera
Cachapas can be made savory as a main course. The corn pancakes are made a little larger than the ones you’d eat for breakfast. Instead of filling them with cheese, these cachapas are filled with sautéed skirt steak, peppers, onions, panela cheese, tomatoes, and avocado. It’s then topped with crumbled cheese. Your stomach will thank you once you eat this baby.
Servings: 3 cachapas
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
Cachapas
- 2 cups corn
- 1/4 cup masa flour
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp butter
Filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz skirt steak cut into strips
- 1/2 small onion sliced
- 1 green bell sliced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- panela cheese
- 1 small tomato sliced
- avocado sliced
- crumbled queso
Instructions
- Add all of the cachapas ingredients to a food processor.
- Process until smooth. Let sit for 10 minutes before cooking.
- Season the skirt steak with Worcestershire, salt and pepper.
- Heat the oil on a griddle over medium high heat. Add the skirt steak, peppers, and onions.
- Stir fry for 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Melt the butter on a nonstick pan over medium heat. Ladle 1 cup of the batter into the pan.
- Cook for 6 minutes, then flip.
- Place a couple slices of panela and tomato on the bottom half of the cachapas. Top with 1/3 of the skirt steak stir fry. Cook for 5 minutes.
Chinese “Spaghetti Bolognese”
Chinese “Spaghetti Bolognese”
Here is a dish that you won’t find in any Chinese restaurants. Chinese “spaghetti bolognese” is another great example of home cooking that is whipped up in 30 minutes. You can use ground pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and even shrimp as your protein.
Ingredients
- 1 lb dry spaghetti prepared according to package directions
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 24 oz ground pork or ground beef
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 5 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp shaoxing cooking wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of water
Instructions
- Heat up the oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add in the ground pork and brown for 8 minutes.
- Add in the onions and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the shaoxing wine, chicken stock, soy sauces, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the peas. Cook for a minute.
- Pour in the slurry. Let thicken for a minute or two.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes.
