Pulpo Encebollado Tacos Recipes

Steps:

• Make the salsa: Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chiles, tomato, 2 cups water and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium; simmer until the chiles are soft and tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Remove the bay leaf, then transfer the vegetables and about 1 cup cooking liquid to a blender and puree until smooth, adding more cooking liquid if necessary. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve back into the pan; cook until slightly reduced, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Make the tacos: Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy saute pan (do not use a nonstick pan) over medium-high heat. Add the potato and saute until golden, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to a bowl. Add the pork to the pan, season with pepper and sear until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Add 1 cup of the prepared salsa and return the potato to the pan; cover and simmer until the pork is fork-tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Serve in tortillas; top with more salsa, cilantro, onion and radishes.

Steps:

• For the pulled pork: Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant and slightly softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the achiote paste and mix well to incorporate. Add the orange and pineapple juices and bring to a boil. Once it boils, turn the heat off and carefully transfer to a blender. Cool. Process the mixture until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Sprinkle the pork butt heavily with salt and pepper on all sides. Arrange the orange skins on the bottom of a 5 1/2- to 6-quart slow cooker, skin-side up (this adds more flavor to the pork and ensures the meat will not dry out). Scatter the pork butt on top of the oranges. Pour the achiote puree inside the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker and turn on to high heat. Let it cook until the pork is tender and ready to shred, about 5 hours.
• Turn the slow cooker off and remove the oranges from the pot and discard. Let the pork cool slightly before shredding. Using two forks or with clean hands, shred the pork. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker filled with sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.
• For the pickled habaneros: Mix the habanero chiles, lime juice, olive oil, oregano and salt together in a small bowl. Mix well to incorporate. Let stand at least 20 minutes. They can be made 1 day ahead.
• For the pickled red onions: Mix the lime juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and onions together in a medium bowl. Mix well to incorporate. Let stand for 30 minutes. They can be made 1 day ahead.
• Serve the pork in the warmed corn tortillas with pickled habaneros and red onions, shredded cabbage and crema.

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bell pepper and cook for 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, oregano, bay leaf, and smoked paprika. Cook for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
• Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Lay 2 tortillas, flat on the bottom of the pan, side by side. Put a small mound of cheese on 1 side of each tortilla. Wait until the cheese melts slightly, about 1 minute, and then add about 2 tablespoons of the shrimp mixture to each tortilla. Fold the tortillas over into half-moon shapes and cook to melt the cheese completely, another 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.
• Repeat with the remaining tortillas, cheese, and shrimp mixture. Arrange the tacos on a serving platter and serve with lime wedges and hot sauce on the side.
• *Cook's Note: Use only the outer part of the tomatoes without seeds.

Steps:

• Soak the ancho chiles in boiling water until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain and discard the liquid. Transfer the softened chiles to a blender. Add the onion, garlic, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, beef broth, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Puree until smooth.
• Pat ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Brown the ribs in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 7 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned ribs to a slow cooker.
• Pour the sauce over the ribs (liquid should reach about halfway up sides of meat),
• cover and cook for 7 hours on high until very tender. Allow the ribs to cool slightly in the sauce.
• Remove the ribs from the sauce. Discard the bones and shred the meat into a large bowl. Skim the fat from the surface and discard. Mix the sauce into the meat and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon the meat and sauce into warm corn tortillas and serve with Mexican crema and chopped fresh cilantro.