Mexican traditional carnitas in a quesadilla with refreshing jicama salsa!
I wrote the finer details of the carnitas topic in the lead paragraphs of the carnitas burrito recipe that I posted a few days ago. Carnitas are usually made with pork. Carnitas are pan fried little pieces of meat that are simmered, shredded, seasoned, simmered again and briefly grilled again after the simmering liquid has evaporated. By cooking carnitas with this old traditional Mexican method, the the pork flavor becomes very rich! Carnitas are only lightly seasoned, so the rich pork flavor is not masked. Jicama is sometimes called apple potato. Jicama is a tuber that grows on a vine and it is native to Mexico. Jicama has a refreshing light semi sweet apple flavor that is perfect for a salsa. The word salsa has a way of confusing inexperienced gringo chefs. Salsa means sauce! Salsa can be a coarse cold sauce, a smooth cold sauce and it can be a sauce that is served hot fresh off of the fire. The word salsa is also used to describe a relish-like Mexican accompaniment. Mexican cold salsa is most commonly tomato salsa. Tomatoes are not required in a salsa recipe, like many gringo chefs believe! Nearly any fruit or vegetable can take the place of tomato in a salsa recipe. Pineapple, jicama, mango, papaya and banana commonly replace tomatoes in salsa recipes. Fruit salsas are quite refreshing! The required ingredients in a Mexican salsa are usually lime juice, salt, pepper, fresh hot chile pepper, mild fresh chile pepper or bell pepper, onion, green onion, cilantro and sometimes vinegar. Rice vinegar is the standard vinegar for salsa, but cider vinegar is commonly used in fruit salsas. Lime juice plays a bigger part in a salsa's refreshing flavor than vinegar! A salsa's flavor should be crisp, clean, bright, fresh and refreshing! A salsa's should not be muddied with heavy spices. Canned tomatoes are absolutely taboo for making a tomato salsa! Canned tomatoes in a salsa are as gringo as it gets! Every ingredient in a salsa should be ripe and fresh, unless smoked dried chiles, chipotle en adobo, dried chiles or other tasteful dried/roasted ingredients are used as a featured flavor in a salsa. The rules of salsa are fairly loose, but be ready to be criticized if the salsa is not made close to the basic rules! I made a temperamental chef look like a fool one time, when I made a mango salsa. The chef demanded that I add tomatoes, because she thought that tomatoes were required in every salsa. Wrong, la gringa jefe! Tomatoes and mango do not taste good together in a salsa. In fact that combination tastes awful! Customers complained about the mango salsa that had tomatoes in it! The customers were right. Mango takes the place of tomatoes, when making mango salsa! After marinating for about 5 minutes, a salsa can be served like a garnish on a plate after the marinade is drained off. The marinade is drained off, so the juices do not cause the entree to become soggy. If an entree or tortilla chips are to be dipped in a salsa, then do not drain off the marinade. For dipping, serve the salsa in an old fashioned Mexican salsa bowl. A Mexican salsa bowl is much classier for salsa, than the finest gold rimmed soup bowl!
Carnitas Recipe: This carnitas recipe makes 2 to 3 portions. Carnitas take several hours to make! Heat a sauce pot over medium heat. Add about 1/3 cup of vegetable oil or lard. Add 12 ounces of pork shoulder meat that is cut into long 3/8" thick slices. Be sure to slice the meat with the grain of the meat, instead of across the grain of the meat, so the meat can be shredded later! Pan fry the pork, till each piece is browned and crispy on the outside. Add 3 cups of water. Add sea salt and black pepper. Add 1 pinch of cumin. Reduce the temperature to low heat. Gently simmer the pork, till it becomes tender enough to shred. Add water if necessary. When the pork almost becomes tender, allow the liquid to evaporate, so the fat in the pan remains. Pan fry the tender pork, till it is browned again. Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool. Remove the pork fro the pot. Pour the excess grease out of the pot. Shred the pork by hand. Return the shredded pork to the pot. Place the pot over medium heat. Add 1 1/2 cups of water. Add 2 pinches of New Mexico Chile powder. Add 2 pinches of ancho chile powder. Add sea salt and black pepper. Add 1 pinch of cumin. Add 2 pinches of coriander. Add 2 pinches of paprika. Simmer the carnitas, till the liquid evaporates. Keep the carnitas warm on a stove top.
Jicama Salsa: Place 1 large handful of small diced jicama into a mixing bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of small chopped red bell pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of small chopped green bell pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of small chopped bermuda onion. A 1/2 of a small chopped seeded jalapeno pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of chopped green onion. Add about 10 chopped cilantro leaves. Add sea salt and black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. Add a generous squeeze of lime juice. Toss the ingredients together. Set the salsa aside for 5 minutes, so the flavors meld.
Carnitas y Cilantro Quesadilla Recipe: Place 1 large whole wheat flour tortilla on a cutting board. Sprinkle 1 small handful of grated Monterey Jack Cheese on one half of the tortilla. Place about 4 ounces of the carnitas on the cheese. Sprinkle about 10 to 15 cilantro leaves on the carnitas. Sprinkle 1 small handful of Monterey Jack Cheese on the carnitas. Fold the plain side of the tortilla over the quesadilla ingredients. Heat a saute pan or griddle over medium/medium low heat. Add 1 splash of vegetable oil. Add the quesadilla. Grill the quesadilla on both sides, till it becomes toasted crisp with golden brown highlights.
Carnitas y Cilantro Quesadilla con Jicama Salsa: Place the quesadilla on a cutting board. Cut the quesadilla into 4 equal size pie shaped slices. Place the quesadilla slices on a plate, so the points meet on the middle of the plate and so they are evenly spaced around the plate. Drain the liquid off of the jicama salsa. Place a spoonful of jicama salsa between each quesadilla slice. Place cilantro sprigs on the center of the plate where the quesadillas meet. Pretty looking and rich tasting! The colors of the jicama salsa are appealing to the eye! The carnitas flavor is very rich and the cilantro helps to lighten the heavy flavor. This is a nice quesadilla! Yum! ... Shawna
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