The Sexy Forever Recipe Bible (111 page)

1 whole pork shoulder with skin (7 to 9 pounds)

12 garlic cloves, finely chopped

One 1.6-ounce bottle fennel seeds

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

8 small dried red chiles, crumbled

Juice of 6 lemons

4 tablespoons olive oil

SAUCE

2 cups chicken broth, preferably
homemade
(optional)

Juice of 2 lemons (optional)

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Score the entire skin of the shoulder by slicing deeply through the skin and into the meat. Continue scoring, making cuts ¼ inch apart from one another.

Place the garlic, fennel seeds, salt and pepper, and chiles in a food processor. Pulse until all the seasonings are coarsely ground. (If you do not have a food processor, chop by hand on a cutting board.) Rub this mixture all over the skin of the pork and into the cut areas to cover all surfaces of the meat.

Place the shoulder on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes, or until the skin begins to crackle and brown. Loosen the shoulder from the bottom of the pan and pour the juice of 3 lemons and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the pork.

Turn the oven temperature down to 250°F and slow-roast the pork for 12 to 18 hours. The pork becomes almost shredded, crispy on the outside and moist from the juices on the inside. It’s ready when it is completely soft under the crisp skin. You can tell by pushing with your finger; the meat will give and might even fall off the bone. It will be cooked after 12 hours, but if you like it crispier, cook it for closer to 18 hours. Baste occasionally with the remaining lemon juice and olive oil.

If you would like to serve the pork with the pan drippings, remove the meat from the pan. Pour off most of the fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons. Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium heat. Scrape the browned bits as the pan heats up. When the pan gets hot, add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Deglaze the pan by scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce for about 5 minutes.

Serve shredded pork with a piece of the crisp skin. Spoon the sauce over the meat.

SERVES 15

NOTE
 The pork is also great served in lettuce cups or wrapped in warm whole wheat tortillas. Serve some salsa on the side.

traditional mexican carnitas

PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
DETOX, LEVEL 1, LEVEL 2

1 boneless pork shoulder or butt (3 pounds), skin removed

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 head iceberg lettuce

Spicy Tomato Salsa
or a prepared version

One 16-ounce container sour cream

Cube the pork into 2½ × 2½-inch chunks. Place the pork in a large, shallow skillet and sprinkle with the salt. Barely cover with cold water and bring to a boil, uncovered. Lower the heat to medium and let the meat continue cooking briskly until all the liquid has evaporated—by this time it should be cooked through but not falling apart. Turn the heat down to medium low and continue cooking until all the fat has rendered out of the pork. The pork will begin to brown in its own juices. Keep turning until it is browned all over, about 70 minutes. The pork is done when it is a little crispy and shredding into pieces.

Remove the lettuce leaves from the head in whole pieces. Rinse and dry. Place a spoonful of meat in each lettuce leaf. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Fold up and eat like a taco.

SERVES 6

chile-braised pork with tomatillo salsa

PROTEIN, HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
LEVEL 2

A 13-pound pork butt, cut into small chunks

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

1 red onion, medium diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and medium diced

3 to 4 jalapeño chiles, sliced (see
Note
)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 cup chopped ripe tomato

2 cups chicken stock or broth, preferably
homemade

½ jícama, peeled and finely julienned

½ red onion, thinly sliced

Juice from ½ lime

1 tablespoon julienned fresh mint leaves

Tomatillo Salsa

Tortilla Chips

Season the pork with salt and pepper. In a braising pan (or stockpot) over medium-high heat, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil and the pork. Sear meat on both sides. Add the onion, red pepper, and chiles and allow to caramelize. Add the tomato paste, tomato, and stock. Bring to a boil and cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the pork falls apart, about 1 hour.

Remove the pan from the heat. Take out the pork, reserving the liquid in the pan, and allow the pork to cool. Pull the pork into small pieces and place in a bowl with ½ to ¾ cup of the liquid.

In a mixing bowl, combine the jícama, red onion, remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, and the lime juice. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside. Just before serving, add the mint and mix.

To serve, scoop a spoonful of salsa onto each tortilla chip, add a spoonful of the pork, and top with the jícama. Serve immediately. 

SERVES 16

tomatillo salsa

HEALTHY FATS, VEGETABLES
LEVEL 2