Recipes

Soft Shelled Tacos Chicken Pastor and Pibil Pork Traditional Garnishes

From Absinthe Cafe

DATE: Thursday, May 24th, 2012

Ingredients

Chicken Pastor
2-3 pounds chicken thighs
3 garlic cloves minced
5 dried guajillo peppers toasted
2 dried ancho peppers toasted
1 large Spanish onion chopped
175 ml cider vinegar
250 ml pineapple juice
50 ml ground cumin mix
125 ml oregano same amount of cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

Pibil Pork
1 Kg Pork butt
1 onion small dice
5 cloves garlic minced
1 package Annatto paste˚
50 ml oregano
50 ml cumin coriander mix
250 ml sour orange juice˚
Salt and pepper to taste

Traditional Garnishes

Pickled Red Onions:

Two red onions sliced very thinly
250 ml cider vinegar
60 ml sugar
Pinch of salt
• Bring the vinegar, salt and sugar to a simmer make sure everything is dissolved add the onions simmer for one minute a pack into a clean jar cool and refrigerate.

Baja Slaw:

½ small white cabbage sliced as thinly as possible
150 ml mayonnaise
Juice and zest of 2 juicy limes
Tobacco to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
• Mix the lot together and let the flavours mingle

Tomato avocado salsa:Two ripe tomatoes seeded and diced
1 avocado split in half and diced
1 very small red onion in tiny dice
1 clove garlic minced
Pinch coriander and cumin
Juice and zest of 2 Limes
75 ml of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 stalks of minced cilantro leaves
• Combine the lot and leave at room temperature no longer than two hours.

Other flourishes:

Sprigs of cilantro
Dollops of sour cream

Preparation

• Cut your pork into 2” thick steaks across the grain and season them with salt and pepper and set them aside in a baking dish and refrigerate.
• Sautée your onion until it is soft and colored, take it off the heat and stir in your garlic.
• Purée the remaining ingredients in a blender or a food processor and add your onions and garlic and continue to purée until it is smooth.
• Cover your pork with the marinade and allow it to marinate for a day or two.
• Preheat your oven to 325˚ and put your pork, marinade and all in the oven. Cook it unit it is soft and easily shredded by checking it after an hour and then every 15 minutes thereafter. Allow it to cool in the marinade until you can handle it and shred it while it is still warm. Put it back into the marinade and cover it to keep it warm. (If the marinade is too thin reduce it over high heat for a few minutes, if it is too thick thin it with water).

• Purée everything but the chicken in your blender and marinate your chicken in it for a day or two.
• Preheat your oven to 325˚ and put your marinated chicken in the oven. Cook it unit it is just coming off the bone check by checking it after an hour and then every 15 minutes thereafter. Allow it to cool in the marinade until you can handle it and shred it while it is still warm. Put it back into the marinade and cover it to keep it warm. (If the marinade is too thin reduce it over high heat for a few minutes, if it is too thick thin it with water).