Firecracker Pork with Fruity Lime Salsa

Barbara introduced us to this dish. It's perfect to cook all day on Friday when you know you're having people come over.  You make the salsa one day a head of time, and the pork cooks in the crock pot for 9 hours.  Basically you do nothing and in the end you get a mountain of delicious pork. Next time we make it, we're going to substitute a mango for the papaya so the salsa would be sweater.

Firecracker Pork with Fruity Lime Salsa

 

1 (5lb) boneless Boston Butt pork roast

1 TBS paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

6 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup water

1 (7 oz) can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, undrained

1 small onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

16 (8 inch) four tortillas

Fruity Lime Salsa

Fresh cilantro leaves (optional)

 

Trim fat from roast; cut roast in half crosswise. Combine paprika and next 4 ingredients; stir well.  Rub spice mixture over surface of roast halves; place roast halves in a 6-quart electric slow cooker.  Combine water, chipotle chilies and onion in a food processor or blender; process until smooth.  Pour chile puree over pork.  Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour.  Reduce to low heat-setting, and cook 9 hours or until pork is very tender

Remove pork from slow cooker; let stand 10 minutes. Shred pork with 2 forks; set aside.

Pour cooking liquid into a bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Skim fat from surface of liquid. Return cooking liquid and shredded pork to slow cooker; stir well.  Cover with lid, and cook on high-heat setting 15 minutes or until warm.  Serer pork in flour tortillas with Fruity Lime Salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves, if desired. 

 

Yield: 16 servings (serving size 1 tortilla, 1/2 cup pork mixture and about 3 1/2 TBS salsa)

 

Fruity Lime Salsa

1(8 oz) can crushed pineapple, drained

2 cups diced peeled papaya

1 cup diced peeled kiwifruit

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 TBS fresh lime juice

 

Combine all ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Cover and chill 2 to 24 hours.

 

Yield: 3 1/2 cups (serving size about 3 1/2 TBS)

 

Shepherd's Pie

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2008
Show: Good Eats Episode: Oh My, Meat Pie

Kenneth and I made this last night and it is hands down....much better than Rachel Ray's 30 Minutes Shepherd's Pie.

For the potatoes:
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes
1/4 cup half-and-half
2 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 egg yolk

For the meat filling:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 carrots, peeled and diced small
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons freshly chopped rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1/2 cup fresh or frozen English peas

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Place in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Set over high heat, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover, decrease the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until tender and easily crushed with tongs, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. Place the half-and-half and butter into a microwave-safe container and heat in the microwave until warmed through, about 35 seconds. Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return to the saucepan. Mash the potatoes and then add the half and half, butter, salt and pepper and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the yolk until well combined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place the canola oil into a 12-inch saute pan and set over medium high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots and saute just until they begin to take on color, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir to combine. Add the lamb, salt and pepper and cook until browned and cooked through, approximately 3 minutes. Sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat, continuing to cook for another minute. Add the tomato paste, chicken broth, Worcestershire, rosemary, thyme, and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer slowly 10 to 12 minutes or until the sauce is thickened slightly.

Add the corn and peas to the lamb mixture and spread evenly into an 11 by 7-inch glass baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula. Place on a parchment lined half sheet pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes or just until the potatoes begin to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.