Streets of East L.A.

Chances are, if you send someone out for tacos in L.A., you never will get your food.  Sure, the initial purchase will be made, but something will happen between then and when the meal is supposed to arrive.  Too much temptation.  Those aromas intoxicate, causing one to lose all other thoughts.

It’s likely the buyer won’t even make it twenty steps from the taqueria.  A few blissful moments later, and the food will be gone.  Be prepared for the excuses.  “Yeah, the entire state must’ve run out of tacos” or, “Some guy just grabbed the tacos and ran off with them.  It was the darnedest thing.”

Today’s tacos come equipped with all sorts of allurements. There’s the main filling itself, pork stewed for hours with tomatoes, orange concentrate and spices. until it’s so tender it melts into shreds.  Couple that with pickled red onions and you have a wonderful combination of savory, sweet and tangy.  Splash on some habanero salsa and the heat climbs appreciably, adding a definite complexity.  This combination of ingredients was featured in the June/July 2016 Cook’s Country, and follows the magazine’s visit to East L.A.

In addition are a couple toppings not in the original recipe but which should have been.   Fresh cilantro imparts a cool freshness that simultaneously tames and accentuates the salsa‘s flame.  Plus, the bright green shades make an attractive color contrast.  Also present is crushed pineapple, which pairs magnificently with pork in tacos al pastor.  It works really well in this preparation too.

All the ingredients combine beautifully, so well, in fact, they seem destined for each other.  Just don’t send anyone out for them; you have to make these yourself.

*****

Citrus-Braised Pork Tacos

For the pork:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped finely (*1)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (*2)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
•  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup tomato paste
• 1 and 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 5 bay leaves
• salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
• 3-pound boneless pork butt, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes

For the pickled onions:

• 1 red onion, halved and sliced thinly (*3)
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the habanero salsa:

• 1 cup water
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 tomato, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped onion (*4)
• 1/2 habanero chile, stemmed
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed (*5)
• salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

Start with the pork.  Remove all but the lowest rack from the oven, and pre-heat it to 300°.  Place stockpot over a medium flame and add the oil.  When it shimmers, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s light brown, about four minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for another 45 seconds.  Stir in the orange juice concentrate, the Worcestershire sauce, the bay leaves, salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar, scraping up the browned bits.

Add the pork and bring to a boil.  Transfer stockpot to the oven and cook uncovered for two hours, stirring halfway through.

Meanwhile, make the pickled onions.  Place the onion in a medium bowl.  Pour the vinegar, sugar and salt into a small saucepan and place it over a medium-high flame, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves.  Pour this over the onion and cover loosely.  Set aside.

Next, move on to the salsa.  Combine in a small saucepan all the salsa ingredients save the vinegar and lime juice.  Place saucepan over a medium-high flame and bring to a boil.  Continue boiling for ten minutes.  Remove from flame and let cool for five minutes.

Transfer contents to a blender and add the vinegar and lime juice.  Pulse until smooth, about two minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Transfer stockpot to the stovetop and fish out and discard the bay leaves.  Using a potato masher, break apart the pork; this likely will be fairly easy to do.  Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, the reduce flame to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about five minutes.

Turn off the flame and stir in the remaining tablespoon of vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve with toasted tortillas, and top with the onions, salsa and other condiments of your choice.

NOTES:

1 – I read “onion,” though apparently I interpreted it to mean, “two medium shallots.”  Wonderful dyslexia!

2 –  Use Mexican oregano if you can find it, as it’s more flavorful than is the “standard” variety.

3 – Remember this moment well, as it’s the one time I don’t substitute for the onion!  The red onion is too colorful, too vibrant, to replace.

4 – …and, just like that, I’m back.  A small shallot would work better here.

5 – Don’t worry about making a neat chop of things, as all the veggies are destined to liquify in the blender.