Cochinita Pibil Tacos With Habanero Salsa Food

COCHINITA PIBIL

Steps:

• Poke holes all over the pork with a fork. Rub achiote paste all over the pork, and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together the orange juice, lemon juice, and habanero peppers. Mix in the cumin, paprika, chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper. Place pork in the mixture, cover, and refrigerate overnight, turning two or three times.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Wrap the pork and marinade in aluminum foil or banana leaves that have been soaked in water for 30 minutes. Place into a casserole dish, and cover.
• Bake for about 2 hours, until the meat falls off the bone. The slower you cook it, the better it is. You could also bake it in a 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) oven for 4 or 5 hours, or in a slow cooker without the foil or leaves.
• While the pork is cooking, make the sauce. Bring the red wine vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan. Add onions, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender. Pour sauce over pork, and serve with white rice and corn tortillas. Each person can make tacos or fajitas with the pork, the rice and the sauce.

GUISADOS' COCHINITA PIBIL TACOS

Steps:

• For the pork: Blend the lemon juice, orange juice, vinegar and achiote paste together. Pour the mixture over the pork in a large cooking pot and let it marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• The following day, add 2 cups water, the peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, onion, your favorite spices, and some salt and pepper. Let the pork cook over low heat for 3 to 4 hours. When the meat is tender and falling apart, it's ready.
• Serve with hot corn tortillas and your favorite garnishes.

COCHINITA PIBIL TACOS WITH HABANERO SALSA

Steps:

• Heat the pork in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Char the habanero by holding it with tongs over the flame of a gas burner for several minutes, turning it as needed, until it is spotted black and blistered all over. Remove the loose outer layers of papery skin from the garlic clove but leave the tight inner peel intact. Char it over the gas burner using the same technique, until it is completely blackened. (If you don't have a gas stove, broil the habanero and garlic clove a few inches from the broiler element, turning as needed to char them all over.)
• Warm the tortillas (see page 85), then wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Carefully stem the habanero, scrape out the seeds, and coarsely chop the flesh, preferably wearing plastic gloves to protect your fingers from the heat of the chile. Peel the garlic clove, coarsely chop it, and add it, along with about half the habanero, to the bowl of a food processor (preferably a mini one). Add the cilantro, scallion, lime juice, oil, and salt to taste and process until a loose sauce forms. Taste and add the rest of the habanero if you want the salsa to be spicier, and add more lime juice and/or salt if needed.
• Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Divide the pork equally among the tortillas, top with the pickled onions and just a little bit of the salsa (be judicious until you know how much you can handle), and eat.

COCHINITA PIBIL (MAYAN PORK ROAST)

Steps:

• To make the marinade:.
• In a large glass or plastic dish use a fork to dissolve the anatto paste in the orange and lime juice and the vinegar. Add the all-spice.
• Rinse and pat the pork roast dry. Remove and discard any fat lumps. Rub the salt and pepper all over the meat and place in the dish with the marinade. Turn the meat to cover it in the marinade. Let marinate for at least 1 hour, but no more than 6 hours, in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.
• Take the meat out of the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, turn on a burner in you stove to low heat. Unfold the banana leaves and toast them very lightly, one by one, directly over the flame, do this using gloves or kitchen thongs, being very careful not to burn the leaves, you only want them to soften a bit.
• Place enough banana leaves to cover the bottom of a roasting pan and place the meat on top. Pour as much of the marinade on the meat as you can and then cover the meat with the rest of the banana leaves, making sure that there are no gaps between the leaves.
• Place the pan in the oven and roast for an hour, or until the meat is well done and very tender. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients in a small bowl and let marinate as the meat cooks.
• To serve, pull or cut the meat into shreds, divide into portions and let each person make their own tacos, topping them with the sliced onion salsa.