Cinco de Mayo / Taco Tuesday – In Quarantine

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Figures the year that Cinco de Mayo falls on a Taco Tuesday, we are in quarantine. Luckily, I was able to get supplies delivered to enjoy delicious pork carnitas served with a Mexican slaw and guacamole. I maximized my cooking time by using my Instant Pot to make the carnitas. Make the slaw up to five days ahead so the flavors meld.

Cinco de Mayo / Taco Tuesday - In Quarantine
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Cinco de Mayo / Taco Tuesday – In Quarantine

Recipe by Christina Vassiliou HarveyCourse: DinnerCuisine: Mexican, Tex-MexDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

40

minutes

Ingredients

  • Pork Carnitas

  • 2 lbs Pork shoulder cut into 1 inch pieces (see note)

  • 2 small onions, quartered (or 1 large)

  • 2 tsp cumin

  • 2 tsp oregano

  • 1 tsp chili pepper

  • 1 lime, juiced (with zest)

  • 1 orange, juiced (with zest)

  • 1 clove garlic, zested

  • 1 jalapeno, diced (see note)

  • Garlic salt and pepper

  • Nonstick cooking spray

  • Mexican slaw

  • 1 bag shredded cabbage with carrots

  • 1 onion, finely diced

  • 2 TBS cilantro, chopped

  • 1 lime, juiced (with zest)

  • 1 TBS blood orange vinegar (or cider vinegar)

  • 1 jalalpeno, diced

  • 1 clove of garlic, zested

  • Dash of crushed red pepper

  • Salt and pepper

  • Guacamole

  • 1 ripe avocado

  • 1 lime, juiced (with zest)

  • 1 jalapeno, diced

  • 2 TBS cilantro chopped

  • 1 onion, chopped

  • 1.5 cups of beef broth

  • 2 bay leaves

  • Handful of grape tomatoes, quartered

  • Salt and pepper

Directions

  • Pork Carnitas
  • Cut your pork into 1 inch cubes.
  • Season with garlic salt and pepper.
  • Quarter the onions.
  • To a measuring cup, add the juice of the orange and lime, zest of each, and seasonings. Mix together.
  • Turn instant pot to saute mode. Once hot, sear the pork with nonstick cooking spray. Once browned, add the onion, then your seasoning mixture.
  • Add broth and bay leaves. Give a stir. Then put the lid on the instant pot. Put on high pressure for 25 minutes.
  • Let it rest on warm function (natural release of pressure) for ten minutes. At this time, turn your broiler to high.
  • Then manually release the pressure. Remove the pork and place in a broil-safe pan. Shred with two forks.
  • Broil for 3 minutes to brown the top of the pork carnitas.
  • Serve with tortillas, rice, or however you would like to enjoy them.
  • Mexican slaw (you can make this the day ahead to marinate the flavors)
  • Put cole slaw mix into a bowl that has a lid. Add cilantro and onion.
  • In measuring cup or small bowl, mix together the lime juice, orange juice, zest of lime and orange, vinegar, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, and jalapeno.
  • Toss slaw with the dressing. Refrigerate for up to five days before serving.
  • Guacomole
  • Cut avocado in half. Take your knife into the pit. Give it a twist so the pit will come out easily. Then score the avocado. Use a spoon to put the avocado in a bowl.
  • Add lime zest and juice to your avocado. Season with salt. Use a fork to mash the avocado with the lime juice.
  • Add diced onion, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeno, and some black pepper. Mix together.

Notes

  • Pork is hard to come by in Quarantine. I was only able to get bone-in pork chops. So I cut 1 in pieces off the bone, and then saved the bones in the freezer. I hope to make split pea soup with the bones later, because we don’t want waste during quarantine.
  • I found the blood orange vinegar at a store in Peddler’s Village that sells gourmet vinegars. If you can’t find it, use apple cider vinegar.
  • I couldn’t get fresh jalapeno in quarantine. Luckily, I have dried powdered jalapeno. I simply used 1 tsp in place of 1 jalapeno. Use more depending on your desired heat level.
  • I use boilion to make my broth. Its easier than opening a big carton of broth, and creates less waste.
  • Note regarding the Instant Pot. When I first began to use my instant pot, I thought “25 minutes on instant pressure, equaled 25 minutes in the instant pot.” It doesn’t. It takes some time to get up to pressure, which can also vary.