Guisados Cochinita Pibil Tacos Recipes

COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, mash together the achiote paste, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, bay leaves, cumin, cinnamon, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper with a fork. Add the pork and toss to evenly coat. Marinate, covered and refrigerated, at least 4 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat. Char the onions until blackened on both sides. Then char the tomatoes on both sides. Reserve.
• Line a large baking dish with 1 layer of banana leaves or foil. Arrange the pork in an even layer and top with the onions, tomatoes, chiles, and all the marinade. Cover with more banana leaves and wrap the dish tightly in foil.
• Bake 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the pork is tender and moist. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes. Unwrap and serve with Pickled Shallots.
• Combine the vinegar, wine, sugar, mustard seeds, peppercorns, chili flakes, and salt in a medium saucepan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the shallots and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes. Set aside to cool completely in the liquid. Transfer the shallots and all their liquid to a jar or plastic container. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

PORK MIMI'S WAY, YUCATAN STYLE: COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Prepare marinade with the orange juice, vinegar, achiote, garlic, and salt, to taste, and mix thoroughly. Rub the mixture into the meat and marinate at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerated, for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Line a roaster pan with heavy foil and arrange the marinated pork in it, covering the meat with the marinade. Cover pan with foil tightly and bake for 2 to 3 hours. Check often and turn pieces of meat in their own juices. Roasting times vary according to the toughness of the meat.
• Chop meat into cubes and discard any fatty parts. Serve with a basket of freshly made corn tortillas.

COCHINITA PIBIL TACOS WITH HABANERO SALSA

Steps:

• Heat the pork in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Char the habanero by holding it with tongs over the flame of a gas burner for several minutes, turning it as needed, until it is spotted black and blistered all over. Remove the loose outer layers of papery skin from the garlic clove but leave the tight inner peel intact. Char it over the gas burner using the same technique, until it is completely blackened. (If you don't have a gas stove, broil the habanero and garlic clove a few inches from the broiler element, turning as needed to char them all over.)
• Warm the tortillas (see page 85), then wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Carefully stem the habanero, scrape out the seeds, and coarsely chop the flesh, preferably wearing plastic gloves to protect your fingers from the heat of the chile. Peel the garlic clove, coarsely chop it, and add it, along with about half the habanero, to the bowl of a food processor (preferably a mini one). Add the cilantro, scallion, lime juice, oil, and salt to taste and process until a loose sauce forms. Taste and add the rest of the habanero if you want the salsa to be spicier, and add more lime juice and/or salt if needed.
• Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Divide the pork equally among the tortillas, top with the pickled onions and just a little bit of the salsa (be judicious until you know how much you can handle), and eat.