Taco Party
For a fun party — lay out bowls of tortillas, fillings, salsas, beans and condiments and let people help themselves. You can use a colorful tablecloth and decorate the table with fresh chilies. The reason this is a great way to entertain is that people can choose the combinations they want in their tacos — for instance a vegetarian can make a taco with beans, cheese, and tomato salsa, a pork eater can make one with pork and tomatillo-avocado salsa, they don’t need to put it all on the same taco! A fun dessert for the Taco Party is Haagen-Dazs Dolce de Leche ice cream on sugar cones!
Carnitas (The Meat)
Ingredients
- 1 boned, tied pork shoulder
- 2 onions
- 4 stalks celery
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 cup milk
Directions
Rinse pork and put in a 6-qt. pan. Add onions, celery, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and enough water to cover meat — about 3 qts.
Bring this to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced with a fork, 2 to 2-1/2 hours. With slotted spoons, transfer pork to a 9 by 13 inch pan; reserve cooking juices. Discard string, and use 2 forks to pull meat into large chunks. Pour milk over meat.
Bake pork in a 325 degree oven until drippings are browned, about 1 hour, stirring and scraping pan occasionally.
Meanwhile, pour reserved juices through a strainer into a bowl; discard residue. Skim and discard fat. Return juices to pan. Boil over high heat until reduced to 2 cups, about 45 minutes.
When pork drippings are browned, add 1 cup of the reduced juices; scrape drippings free and stir meat, breaking into smaller pieces. Bake until juices have evaporated and drippings are browned, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Repeat step, using remaining juices, and cook until meat edges are crisp and browned, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt.
Tomatillo-Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
- 1/3 lb. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
- 1/4 lb. fresh jalapeno chilies, rinsed, stemmed, seeded and halved
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 firm, ripe avocado, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup minced onion
- 1-1/2 to 2 Tbs. lime juice
- salt
Directions
In a blender or food processor, whirl tomatillos, chilies, garlic and cilantro until coarsely pureed. Pour into a bowl. Stir in olive oil, avocado, and onion. Add lime juice and salt to taste.
Tomato Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 cups diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup finely diced onion
- 2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro
- 2 Tbs. lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- salt
Directions
Mix all the ingredients together.
For the Party
Ingredients
- 36 warmed corn tortillas
- 6 limes in quarters
- 1 bunch fresh coriander leaves
- 1 lb. crumbled quesa (Mexican cheese)
- 1 qt. cooked pinto beans
Directions
You can warm tortillas in the microwave, it is better to heat them one by one on both sides in a non-stick pan over the stove and keep warm in a napkin lined basket.