South of the Border Dinner

I always forget that I have a slow cooker—and that it's a very convenient way to get dinner on the table after a hectic day (ditto for my pressure cooker, but for the opposite reason). A few weeks ago I dragged it out of the cupboard and made carnitas.

Slow-Cooked Carnitas

2 lb. pork shoulder or butt (or boneless country-style ribs), cut into 2" chunks
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp oregano
1 small onion, cut into wedges

Toss the pork with the seasonings in the slow cooker. Place the onion pieces on top. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. The meat should be very tender and falling apart. Transfer the pork with a slotted spoon to a cutting board (discard onion pieces). Shred the pork with your fingers.

We used the carnitas to make burritos. The meat was not all that flavorful; it served mostly as a vehicle for all the guacamole and other yummy toppings. Speaking of guacamole, I had a coupon for a free package of Wholly Guacamole. It contains no preservatives or other chemicals and was very tasty! I like to make my own, and I like the store-made guac at Whole Foods, but this is a good thing to have on hand. The box contained two "fresherized" packages, so I popped one in the freezer for another time—it can keep for 6 months.

I served the burritos with rice and beans, using a recipe from Fine Cooking that had an unorthodox cooking method. It came out great.

Mexican Tomato Rice & Beans

1 cup medium-grain white rice (I like Goya.)
1 14½-oz. can "petite cut" diced tomatoes, undrained
2 Tbsp olive oil
6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
¼ cup finely chopped fresh oregano
¼ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro parsley

In a small saucepan, combine the rice with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the pan stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

While the rice steams, set a fine sieve in a bowl and drain the can of tomatoes. Pour the tomato juices into a liquid measuring cup and add enough water to the tomato juices to equal 1 cup.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil and stir-fry the garlic and jalapeño for about 1 minute. Add the black beans, salt, cumin, and chili powder, stir a few times to combine, and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomato juice/water mixture and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans absorb most of the liquid, 5–7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, cilantro parsley, and cooked rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for a minute or two. Serve immediately. (I didn't, and it didn't matter.)

Comments

[susan]

I rarely eat meat so I probably won't make the pork but that rice looks SO good I want to make it tonight!

[Risottogirl]

I think Wholly Guacamole makes TJ's guac, which is pretty great for the price and the convenience.

[Michael Calienes]

looks awesome tho i'm a purist. always do the white rice and black beans with vaca frita. grew up on "mahatma" brand white rice and if you can't get an old cuban lady to make black beans, hit up "kirby" brand in a can. well done!