Texmex

Salsa Verde Carnitas

February 16, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I had a 3 lb. pork butt roast in the freezer and thought it would be put to good use as Carnitas. Carnitas, or “Little Meat,” is a kind of roasted pork used in Mexican food as a filling for burritos, tacos, and tamales. A great dish is all about the contrasting flavors and textures and I was very happy with how this recipe turned out. The pork was tender, yet crispy since it roasted in the oven. The sour salsa and the savory pork was a great contrast of flavors too. I filled the tacos with a little monterey jack cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, and guacamole. Luckily, I have a lot of leftovers so I look forward to having this again!

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Salsa Verde

February 16, 2011 by The Partial Ingredients

I picked up some tomatillos for a mole sauce a few days ago and since I had a bunch left over I decided to make a salsa verde. This salsa tastes great with meat, especially pork, because of its sour and spicy flavor. It has a really bold taste so throwing it in some tacos was a great way to use this salsa. This recipe is pretty spicy so feel free to take out a few of the peppers for a milder sauce. The sauce can be easily frozen and stored too.

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Chicken Quesadilla with Caramelized Onions

December 24, 2010 by The Partial Ingredients

I had two leftover chicken thighs from the roasted Cajun chicken so I thought I would use them for chicken quesadillas. I once ordered a quesadilla at this great restaurant that used Manchego cheese and caramelized onions. It was really good so I thought I would try to recreate it. Although I only had cheddar cheese the quesadilla turned out pretty well. I would like to try this recipe out with some of the more tasty Mexican cheeses instead of just plain cheddar.

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Guacamole

November 13, 2010 by The Partial Ingredients

Guacamole is one of my favorite dips! This recipe uses the freshest ingredients and tastes so much better than any kind of store bought guac. I used to make guacamole with store-bought salsa (which is fine) but using fresh ingredients instead improves the flavor so much. I picked up a couple yellow limes from the farmer’s market on friday and they are the best limes to mix in with guacamole. You can use lemons or green limes but these are by far the most flavorful. Most people don’t realize it but green limes are picked when they are not ripe (makes sense right?) Yellow limes, however, are ripe and look a whole lot like lemons on the outside. They are also super great in a gin & tonic. If you see yellow limes at the grocery or farmer’s market, be sure to pick them up. I like guacamole a little chunkier so I chop the onions and tomatoes on the bigger side. For storage, I like to squeeze a little lime on the layer exposed to air, then cover it airtight in saran to prevent browning.

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