Here are the recipes I promised to post. Theses carnitas
are the absolute best. They're a lot of work to make but worth
it. I make burritos with them and pile on the salsa below.
Yum!

Kate

LA TAQUERIA CARNITAS

1 boned, tied pork shoulder or butt (4-5 lb.)
2 onions (1 lb. total), peeled and quartered
4 stalks celery (including leaves), rinsed and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon salt, approx.
1/2 cup milk

Rinse pork and put in a 6- to 8-quart pan. Add onions, celery, garlic,
bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and enough water to cover meat - 2
1/2-3 1/2 quarts. Bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat,
and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced, 2-2 1/2 hours. With
slotted spoons, transfer pork to a 9- by 13-inch pan; reserve cooking
juices. Discard string, and use 2 forks to pull meat into large
chunks. Pour milk over meat. Bake pork in a 325F oven until drippings
are browned, about 1 hour, stirring and scraping pan occasionally.
Meanwhile, pour reserved juices through a strainer into a bowl; discard
residue. Skim and discard fat. Return juices to pan. Boil over high
heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 45 minutes. When pork drippings are
browned, add 1 cup of the reduced juices; scrape drippings free and stir
meat, breaking into smaller pieces. Bake until juices have evaporated
and drippings are browned, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Repeat step, using remaining juices, and cook until meat edges are crisp
and browned, 15-20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt. (Notes:
At La Taqueria in San Francisco, owner Miguel Jara cooks pork in
cauldrons of bubbling lard until tender, then roasts it to make
crowd-pleasing carnitas. At home, braise the pork, then roast until
tender-crisp. For best results, select meat with the most fat marbling;
fat is rendered during roasting, making the carnitas moist and crisp.
If cooking meat up to 3 days ahead, chill airtight; freeze to store
longer. Makes 8-9 cups.

PINEAPPLE SALSA

2 cups finely chopped fresh pineapple
1 cup seeded, diced unpeeled tomato
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, and toss well. Let
stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Serve salsa with chicken, pork,
or shrimp. Yields 4 cups or 4 servings. (Notes: I often substitute
red bell pepper for the cucumber. Or you could use both. I use red
onion instead of shallot. I use lime juice instead of vinegar. I also
add black pepper and some hot sauce (Tabasco, etc.) I sometimes
substitute mango for half the pineapple.)

--
Kate Connally
“If I were as old as I feel, I’d be dead already.”
Goldfish: “The wholesome snack that smiles back,
Until you bite their heads off.”
What if the hokey pokey really *is* what it's all about?