Carrrrrrrrnitas

You have to roll your "r's" when you say it, otherwise the recipe doesn't turn out.  Right now I am totally obsessed with creating the perfect carnitas recipe.  I do this occasionally, Mike still twitches when I bring up the Summer of the Hamburger.  He's a little bitter that I made so many hamburgers that he ended up not wanting one of his favorite foods for quite a while.  In my defense I would like to say that I now have a recipe for hamburgers that would make any carnivore swoon, and no, I'm not sharing that one.  I will however give you my carnitas recipe.  The wonderful thing about this recipe is that it is just the base.  You can add anything and everything to it, make it spicy, sweet, tangy or leave it pure.  It is not, under any circumstances, a low fat concoction.  The only way get the crispy, tasty morsels is to have a cut of pork that is nice and fatty.  As with all things in life, decadence is perfectly acceptable in moderation, and oh this recipe is decadent.

1 boneless pork roast, well marbled
fresh squeezed orange juice
salt
pepper

Now before you scream that there are no amounts, take a deep breath, it's going to be ok.  My rule of thumb is that for every pound of pork I use 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Ish.  The last time I did 4 pounds of pork I squeezed two large oranges.  You can play with the amounts depending on how sweet you want the end result to be.  There are two parties in the carnitas world, the shredders and the cubers.  Although I've pleaded for bipartisanship they remain firmly entrenched in their preferences.  If you prefer to shred, cut the pork into long strips before cooking.  If you are a cubist, simply cube the pork.
Place the pork in a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven.  If you have a cast iron pot then count yourself lucky and pull that baby out.  Add the orange juice, salt and pepper then add enough water to cover the pork completely.  Simmer, don't boil, over medium-low heat for two hours, stirring occasionally.  Increase heat to bring liquid to a boil and boil until all liquid is gone, usually around an hour.  You'll have to check the meat about every 15 minutes or so to make sure it doesn't burn but basically you want all the water to boil off.  This leaves the fat that has rendered off the pork and the meat will fry in the fat, creating beautiful, crispy bits.  Don't stir the meat while it is boiling but do stir when it's frying.  The strips can be shredded at this point. 
Now that you've got the basics, feel free to get creative.  Add jalapenos or chipotle chili powder for spice.  Add garlic or onions for extra flavor.  Add lime juice for tartness.  The possibilities are endless.  You can even add mango juice for a Caribbean flair.  I add all the spices right at the beginning so that they cook deeply into the pork.
Carnitas freeze really well and make a great easy dinner.  You can put it over rice and black beans, in tacos or make Navajo tacos.  Toss some in tortilla soup or on top of nachos.  Mmmmmm, I'm salivating now. 
(Want to know my secret?  I take my leftover bacon grease and throw it in the pot.  Healthy? No.  Fabulous? Yes.)

Fry Bread
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup warm water
cornmeal

oil for frying

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Add 1/2 cup water, mixing until dough reaches consistency of bread dough(smooth, not sticky), adding more water if necessary.  Divide dough into 6 balls and let rest for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, heat 2-3 inches of oil in a large, heavy pan to 400 degrees F.  Dust counter or cutting board with cornmeal and roll dough out into 1/4 inch thick disks.  Place in oil, turning once, until golden brown and puffy.  Top with carnitas, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, green chili, jalapenos and the kitchen sink.  Or top with honey for dessert.  That's right Paula Deen, I just out fatted you, and my stuff tastes better!

Recipes and reactions

Obviously everyone knows about the tragic shooting in Aurora by now.  It's strange, I know the area very well, I've shopped near there many times.  People have written endlessly about the victims, the killer, the movie, trying to make sense of it all.  I keep coming back to one image and I can't shake it.  A mother and a father chose to take a 4 year old little girl and a 3 month old baby boy to a midnight showing of the Dark Knight.  Obviously they had no way of knowing there would be a massacre, but setting that aside, they chose to subject that little girl to a dark, violent and psychologically twisted movie that is way beyond her comprehension.  They did so because, in the words of her cowardly father (the one who dropped his infant son and left his family behind) "We need to have a life too." 

Before I had kids I loved to go dancing.  Mike and I loved going to Vegas.  We would have friends over for parties that turned into weekend affairs.  Yes, I gave many of those things up when Sophie was born.  We did go to Vegas once but it never even occurred to us to take her with us.  Our parties were still fun but usually ended by 8pm instead of 8am.  We found ways to have a life with our children, one that was suitable for all involved.  This difference struck me today while I was making bread with Soph.  After we kneaded the bread she helped me bag candy for a new client.  We watched My Little Pony and Orion danced to all the songs.  The day was definitely not Top Chef material but it was a pretty darn good day. 
I left my life as a chef so that I could be a parent, and ended up starting an amazing company.  Who knew that I would end up being an entrepreneur because of my kids?  Who knew I would finally conquer bread?  Letting go of my selfish needs and wants and taking care of my innocents' needs led me to where I am now, and I know that my children are happy, safe and well adjusted.  So to the parents who think taking a 4 year old to ANY midnight movie is ok, I say Grow UP.  It's not about you anymore, deal with that and move on.  I can't comprehend the scars that little girl now has on her psyche because of a demented killer.  What makes it even worse is that she shouldn't have been there at all.  Neither should that sweet little girl that died, they should have been home in their own beds.   
I know that everyone is all up in arms (pun intended) about gun control now and I am well aware that the NRA is too powerful for any change to come on that end.  Couldn't we focus instead on theaters?   Why not make it a rule that PG 13 means no one under 13 and R means no one under 17.  Period.  It's a nice thought isn't it?

I was going to post a recipe but I don't have the stomach for it.  Tomorrow I'll post the recipe for Carnitas that my family loves.  For tonight I'm going to settle in with my husband, now that the kids are bathed and tucked in bed, and watch a single episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I have a life, and I love it.

Recipes Part 1

Geez, it's been a month.  My only excuse is that we left the pits of Hell (Phoenix) to visit a place that was merely on fire (Colorado).  After two weeks on the road we are home with a ton of memories, an extra kid, an ear infection and two massive colds.  Since one of the massive colds belongs to me I haven't been cooking very much since we got home.  I will be making carnitas this week for my niece as a treat and most likely pizza but I'm sorry to say that the 4 course Southern Italian tasting menu will have to be postponed.   I will be posting the carnitas recipe tomorrow, today it's all about pizza.  The recipes are starters only, feel free to change  add, delete and improvise as much as you want.  These are two of my go-to meals when I don't feel like pushing my boundaries but still want something incredibly tasty. 

Movie Night Pizza

1 tbs active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey
1.5 cups warm water
4 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tbs olive oil

1 can crushed, fire roasted tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen)
8 oz fresh mozzarella, diced
1 tbs chopped fresh basil

Combine yeast, honey and 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve yeast.  Let sit for 10 minutes until frothy.  Meanwhile combine 3.5 cups flour, salt and oregano in a large bowl.  Add yeast mixture, remaining water and olive oil.  Knead in bowl until combined then turn on to floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.  You can add the remaining flour if needed or wanted.  The more flour the crispier the crust will be.  When dough is smooth and not sticky any more place in bowl, rub with oil and cover with a damp cloth.  I put mine in my oven to keep it away from drafts.  Let rise for 45-minutes to 1 hour.  You can tell it's ready when you push the dough with your finger and the depression stays.  This recipe makes enough for two large pizzas or one large pizza and breadsticks. 
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Roll half the dough out to desired thickness and place on oiled pizza tray or baking sheet.  Sprinkle drained tomatoes over dough, then mozzarella then basil.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and crispy.  To make the breadsticks, divide remaining dough into 5 balls, roll in your hands until long and place on oiled baking sheet.  Brush with olive oil or butter and whatever spices sound good.  Bake for 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees.
Sometimes I add crushed fresh garlic.  Sometimes I add pancetta.  Sometimes I get really crazy and add peaches and chorizo.  Most nights though, the simple and fresh flavors of mozzarella and basil are all I need.   We have this pizza about once a week and have a "picnic" out in the living room and watch movies.  Sophie loves helping me make the dough and add the toppings and Orion can eat his weight in pizza and breadsticks.