Casuelitas & Carnitas
Ingredients:
- Casuelitas
- 4 ounces lard
- 4 cups masa harina flour for tamales
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 cups mashed Idaho® potatoes
- 4 cups queso quesadilla cheese, grated
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Twang Brand lime salt
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
- Carnitas
- 6 pounds pork Boston butt (boneless)
- 1 each Sazon Goya seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
- 1 cup blood orange juice
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 cups lime juice
- 1/2 cup chopped garlic
- 4 cups canola oil
- 2 tablespoons chipotle pepper powder
- 1/2 cup tomato paste olive oil
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
Directions:
Casuelitas
- Combine the lard, masa, salt and baking powder in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Slowly add the warm water, mix well until the mixture is smooth
- Add the remaining ingredients mix well.
- Shape the dough into cups, fry at 375ºF, until crisp.
- Serve with either Shredded Pork Carnitas (recipe below) or roasted grilled vegetables with crumbled Mexican Cotija cheese and garnished with chopped cilantro.
Carnitas
- Trim pork shoulder, cut into 2" cubes
- Combine remaining ingredients - marinate pork (refrigerated) overnight in this mixture.
- Next Day
- Blot pork off - preheat oven to 300ºF
- Roast in a roasting pan with 1 cup of marinade for ½ hour - cover with parchment and then foil, add tomato paste mix well.
- Continue cooking 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours until tender
- Cool slightly - then shred with 2 forks
- When all pork is shredded add juices from pan to shredded pork mix, mix well.
- At serving time: lightly brown shredded pork in a little olive oil.
- Mix in the BBQ sauce
- Season to taste.