...You, Me, And Some Of This Pork

 

The beginnings of a happy relationship

I've been cooking a lot with tequila lately, it really brings a nice,
bold flavor into the mix...and you can take a little swig to take the edge off if need be ;) Tonight I made some Tequila Citrus Pork Tacos and what I like to call Arroz De La Weda (White Girl Rice). The pork was great, although I was pissed because I ran out of corn tortillas and had to use flour instead. I prefer the corn, although the taco was pretty tasty wrapped up in the flour tortilla. The whole thing start to finish took 30 minutes, but I was dragging ass since I just got back from the gym...and it's a weeknight. Blah Blah. Next time I'm making some homemade tortillas on the weekend and freezing them raw until I need them...homemade is ALWAYS better than store-bought.  



A few tips before you get started:

• Freeze your pork chops for about 30 minutes before you start, they will be so much easier to cube!

• Fry some cheese on your tortilla to make a nice crispy, cheesy crust on the inside of your tortilla. On high heat, sprinkle a nice layer of cheese on a non-stick skillet, place your tortilla on top of the melting cheese, let cheese melt and stick onto tortilla, then press down on your tortilla making sure it sticks and catches all the cheesy goodness. Let your cheese brown, if cheese is being stubborn, just use a spatula to un-stick it from the skillet, then lift it out with a wooden or plastic spatula and set aside. Then spread your pork and other toppings on top of the cheese crust. Delicioso!
• Don't use a cast iron skillet to fry your cheese. Yes, I did this... this is why my cast iron skillet still hates me :/

Tequila Citrus Pork Tacos
Serves 3-4

2 lbs boneless pork chops, cut in tiny pieces
1/4 cup of chopped pancetta
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup tequila
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 tsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Your choice of toppings, bring on the avocado!

Add pancetta to pan on high heat and cook until juices start to run out. Add onion and tequila letting onions sweat for about 2 minutes. Add pork, garlic, lemon juice, and chili powder and cook until pork is no longer pink in the middle. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Make your fried cheese tortillas as explained above using whatever kind of cheese you prefer. I have tried just about everything but the best is Cheddar, mozzarella, or a "Mexican cheese blend".

Now add your toppings! I usually cut up some cabbage and top with sour cream and avocado. Enjoy!

Arroz De La Weda (White Girl Rice)
Serves 4

1 1/2 cup Jasmine rice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 cup green tomato or tomatillo salsa
1 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp chicken bullion or tomato/chicken bullion

Add oil to skillet on high heat, add rice and brown until grains are nice and toasty on all sides. Avoid burning by stirring around every 30 seconds. Add the rest of your ingredients and stir around. Bring to a boil, then turn down to medium heat, you can throw a jalapeno in the middle of your cooking rice to add a little heat if desired. Cover, and simmer until rice is done. Check periodically and add water if needed. Don't stir your rice around until it's done or it will get gummy.