Friday, October 2, 2015

Cook's Illustrated's Tacos (tostadas) al Pastor

Aaand once again we have no picture, I don't actually know what happened to them, but oh well, sigh :).  Tacos al pastor is a pretty traditional taco, and I've always shied away from making them because of the pineapple.  I don't love pineapple with meat, but I decided to go for it, because we are all about tacos in this family :).  I ran out of corn tortillas, and so we made these into tostadas, which worked out well.  This was a hit.  They were a little spicy, a little sweet, and the meat was tender and delicious.  It was also surprisingly simple to make, so a total win around here.  Owen and I gave these a 9, and Noah and Aaron gave them a perfect 10.  Calories are hard to figure out, depending on how many servings you want, but it is low, since the majority of the calories are from the rest of the ingredients, not the meat.  Plan for about 40-50 calories per serving.  I found this recipe from Cook's Illustrated's Best International Recipe cookbook, and here's the easy recipe the way I made it:

3 dried chilies
1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6 oz pineapple juice
1-2 c cut up fresh pineapple
garlic salt, salt, cumin, and a pinch of ground cloves
around 2 lbs pork loin
1 T white vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350.  Toast the dried chilies for about 5 minutes, cool them and then stem and seed them.  Cover them with about 3 cups of hot water, and stir them intermittently until the chilies have softened.  Drain the chilies, transfer them to a food processor, then add the pineapple juice and spices, and chipotles and puree until smooth.
Lay the pineapple pieces in a greased square baking dish.  Place the pork on top of the pineapple, then cover it with half of the pureed mixture.  Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake it for about 2 hours.  Remove the pork from the oven and let it set.
Shred the meat with two forks, add in the vinegar, and more of the chili mixture if desired.  Serve.

1 comment:

  1. Did you use the leftover pork loin? I am not sure I would like the pineapple with it. I guess I won't know if I don't try, right! Love mom

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