I threw Chad a carnitas taco party this year for his birthday and I highly recommend you follow suit. It’s a great and fun way to shindig. The best part is that you can get pretty much all of your meal made a day or two before the big event (the pork tastes even better this way), leaving you only to warm tortillas, chop cilantro and chill some beers. This recipe feeds many, especially if you’re using street taco size tortillas, which I’m partial to. They are delightful, pillowy and perfectly proportioned.
I made my own salsas and question if I’ll buy store-bought again. They were so easy to assemble and affordable to make! I went with both a salsa verde and a salsa roja. I also put out some salsa macha (fine, I did buy that one). I love anything with nuts and seeds.
I’ve included recipes (below and attached) for the pork and both salsas and I hope you make them. I also like to put out thinly sliced red onion, jalapeño, sour cream and avocado and let friends choose their own adventure. If you choose to taco party, please let me know.
Now on to some other things that caught my attention this week.
A Must Read and a Fantastic Listen
This piece in Saturday’s NYT about musician Connie Converse is compelling. I don’t understand why they included Bob Dylan in the header, it’s not relevant, but Connie’s music certainly is. Her folk songs from the 1950s have been slipping into my playlists for some time, so I was very pleased to see this profile. Her story is fascinating and the fact that she left New York, reinvented herself as an editor and activist in Michigan and then vanished never to be seen again at age 50 adds to intrigue. You can listen to her album How Sad, How Lovely here. Can someone please make a documentary about this artist?
The Dune Shacks in Provincetown
A few years ago, I had the honor and pleasure of co-hosting an event in the remote dune shacks in Provincetown on Cape Cod. The charming, rustic shanties overlook the Atlantic. I spent a lot of time on the Cape as a little girl, which made it incredibly special and the history of the shacks is even more so. Artists such as Jackson Pollock, E.E. Cummings, Harry Kemp, Norman Mailer, Tennessee Williams, and Jack Kerouac all spent time there. They tend to stay in the same family for years, so when the National Parks Service announced this week that eight of the region’s historic dune shacks are now up for ten year leases, it was met with mixed reviews.
“The opportunity to submit a proposal to lease any of these eight properties is competitive and is open to all interested persons and businesses,” the National Parks Service said in an announcement.
A Quick Weeknight Dinner Idea
If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’m a big fan of Omsom products. Their Asian sauces are incredible. This week I tried something new and marinated a 1 pound piece of salmon for about 30 minutes in their Thai Krapow sauce and roasted it at 375 for about 18 minutes. It was so, so good. I served with sushi rice and some greens. I highly recommend doing it yourself. They also just launched noodles, which I ordered and am eagerly checking the mail for.
Birthday Carnitas with Two Salsas
Time: 3 to 4 hours
Serves: 10 to 12
INGREDIENTS
1 skin-on, boneless pork shoulder (3 to 4 pounds/1.4 to 1.8 kg)
3 to 4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1 teaspoon per pound of meat. If you are using Morton’s halve this amount)
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons chile powder, such as the Rancho Gordo brand
¼ cup (59 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice, from 1 orange
1 medium yellow onion, cut into eighths
4 to 5 cloves garlic, smashed with the back of a knife, skin removed
Flaky salt, for serving
Serve with the salsas, tortillas, thinly sliced red onion, jalapeños, sour cream, avocado and whatever else you like to put on your tacos.
METHOD
Allow the pork to come to room temperature before roasting, about 1 hour.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the salt, oregano, cumin and chile powder. Evenly season the pork with the salt and spice mixture. Place the pork in a Dutch oven, fat side up.
Preheat the oven to 300°F (about 150°C). Pour the orange juice and scatter the onion and garlic around the pork. Cover the pot and roast until the meat is devastatingly tender and easily falls apart, 4 to 5 hours, checking on occasion to make sure the bottom isn’t drying out and adding a bit of liquid if needed. Water is fine.
When the meat is ready, remove the lid and turn the oven to 500°F (260°C). Cook, watching carefully so that it doesn’t burn, until the fat on the pork starts to turn crisp and golden.
Allow the pork to cool slightly and use tongs or forks to shred the meat. Finish with a few pinches of flaky salt. Serve in the Dutch oven on the table for ease.
Salsa Verde
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ pounds (680 g) fresh tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed to remove stickiness, and cut in half if large
2 small jalapeño peppers, cut lengthwise, seeds and stems removed
1 small white or yellow onion, halved
½ cup (20 g) loosely packed fresh cilantro (both leaves and tender stems)
Kosher salt
METHOD
Place the oven rack 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) below the heat source and set the oven to broil.
On a large sheet pan, spread out the tomatillos, jalapeños, and the onion, cut side down, in a single layer. Broil, turning the vegetables once or twice, until the tomatillos begin to release their liquid and everything becomes slightly charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Allow to cool.
Transfer the mixture, along with any liquid that’s been released, to a food processor or blender and add the cilantro and a good pinch of salt. Pulse until the salsa is smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl, taste, and adjust seasoning with salt to taste.
Salsa Roja
INGREDIENTS
¾ pound (340 g)Roma tomatoes
2 jalapeño chiles
2 chiles de árbol or other small dried hot red chile
2 garlic cloves, peeled
½ roughly chopped small, white onion
Kosher salt to taste
1 cup (40g) cilantro, both leaves and tender stems
METHOD
Heat a heavy medium frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the tomatoes and jalapeños and cook until blistered and charred on all sides, turning as needed, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add chiles de árbol and cook, turning, just until fragrant, about 10 seconds.
Transfer tomatoes to a food processor. Let chiles cool and then discard stems. Add the chiles to the food processor along with the garlic, onion and a very generous pinch of kosher salt. Pulse together until smooth, add the cilantro and pulse again. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt as needed.
*I adapted this recipe by Barbara Mozqueda from Sunset magazine.
Colu Cooks: Easy Fancy Food x Farm to People Pop-Up!
I’ll be hosting a pop-up dinner with my friends at Farm to People on Thursday, May 18th in Brooklyn. The menu will feature Fava Bean and Cucumber Salad with Feta & Sumac, Roasted Spring Onions with Pistachio Mint Pangrattato, Spring Lamb Ragù with Anchovies and Pea Shoots, Smoky and Spicy Shrimp with Anchovy Butter and Fregola and more!
Click here to make a reservation on RESY!
Farm To People is an online farmer’s market delivering in NYC. Sourcing directly from regional, sustainable farmers and delivering right to city-dwellers' doors, each week choose from an assortment of fresh picked produce, pasture-raised meats, dairy, and more.
Use the code COLUCOOKS for $15 off your first order. Available in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and parts of New Jersey.
As always, thank you for being here.
With love,
Colu xo
The post of my dreams! I’m so sorry we didn’t see eachother in Paris. I was in MISSOURI 🥴. Let’s see each other in Mexico City instead.
I just made a slow cooked beef brisket on the weekend and pulled it together as Mexican bowl and the salsa verde would've been a delicious addition to it. Recipe...Saved!