Pork Carnitas Gorditas

There is so much more to Mexican food than the usual burritos, tacos, enchiladas, and nachos. When you have the privilege of studying Mexican cuisine, you realize that they have so many more popular dishes that are just as delicious and full of flavors than the ones we are familiar with. Today, I introduced gorditas to the employees at my company and tried making them for the first time myself. Not surprisingly, they were o so delicious and made me want seconds. 

Pork Carnitas Gorditas

Recipe from Cooking Light

Cooking time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6 servings (6 gorditas)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups masa harina

3/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 3 1/3 ounces)

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbsp chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Cooking spray

1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup salsa verde (green salsa)

1/4 cup diced peeled avocado

1 tsp fresh lime juice

1 cup Pork Carnitas

2 tbsp finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly spoon masa harina and flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine masa harina, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add broth, stir just until moist. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface; knead lightly 5 or 6 times.
2. Divide dough into 6 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball. Press each ball into a 6 inch circle on a lightly floured surface (cover remaining balls to prevent drying). Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place 1 gordita in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove gordita from pan; cover and keep warm. Repeat the procedure with cooking spray and remaining gorditas.
3. Place beans in a bowl, mash with a fork to desired consistency. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add beans; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in salsa verde; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
4. Combine avocado and lime juice; toss gently to coat. Spread about 1/4 cup bean mixture on each gordita; top with about 2 1/2 tbsp Pork Carnitas and 2 tsp avocado mixture. Sprinkle 1 tsp onion and 1 tsp chopped cilantro over each serving. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving: 359 calories, 12.6g fat (4.9g saturated, 1.6g polyunsaturated, 4.9g monounsaturated), 46.6g carbohydrates, 6.3g fiber, 15.3g protein.

Pork Carnitas

Cooking time: 2 hours
Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Ingredients
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 1/4 pounds boneless, Boston butt pork roast, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh lime juice


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large Dutch oven; pour broth over pork mixture. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours or until pork is very tender.
3. Transfer pork mixture to a 13x9 inch baking dish and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for 8 hours or overnight.
4. Skim the solidified fat for surface; discard fat. Let pork stand at room temperature 30 minutes to soften. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Remove from heat; stir in juice. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving (1/3 cup): 165 calories, 8.9g fat (3.2g saturated, 0.8g polyunsaturated, 3.9g monounsaturated), 2.3g carbohydrates, 0.5g fiber, 15.5g protein.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Pork butt has a lot of fat which allows it to become very tender, especially because of the marbling inside the meat. As you can see below, the pork has a thick layer of fat on top that you want to trim. I cut my pork a bit larger than 1/2 inch so I can get big chunks of meat on my gorditas; however, this also means it has to cook longer. I cooked my pork for about 2 hours at 350 degrees. I don't own a dutch oven so I cooked it directly in the 13x9 pan.

Even after you trim the thick layer of fat from the pork, you will still see a lot of fat after it has chilled. I removed the pork from the juices with a slotted spoon and heated it in a pot. A lot of juices still came out from the pork so I was unable to evaporate all of the liquid. I simply let it cook in the pot for another 20 minutes so it is very tender and kept it warm with the juices, to prevent the pork from drying out. 

Instead of combining the masa harina (found in the Latin foods aisle at large supermarkets) with the flour, baking powder, etc. I purchased already prepared masa. Now the difference is that prepared masa is seasoned and mixed with lard. Obviously, this is the unhealthy choice but also more convenient. Also, after looking at the recipe above, I believe that if you make the masa harina mixture, it will be more dry than if you use prepared masa. If you do choose to purchase the prepared masa, all you have to do is portion and roll into balls. It will be very sticky so put on gloves and rub on a little oil. Cut squares out of parchment paper and lightly rub oil on the paper as well. Put the portioned dough in between the papers, and flatten. If you have a tortilla press, I highly recommend using it for the gorditas (just don't press down as hard so it won't become too flat!).

When you are ready to pan-fry the gorditas, they should easily come off the paper because of the oil. Be warned, the prepared masa is quite delicate. I tried to flip them over with a spatula but would easily tear. Instead, I flipped them over by "flinging the pan" if you would. If the gorditas are not brown and not ready to be turned over, they will fall apart!

For this recipe I used canned cooked pinto beans. The beans sit in a liquid that is seasoned and is actually quite tasty. For this reason, I do not rinse the beans, only drain. After I have mashed them, liquid does come out. Instead of cooking them in a nonstick skillet with the salsa, I simply heated the beans in a large pot and added the salsa. I brought it to a simmer and kept them warm until service. I usually make my own salsa verde, but since it was going to be mixed with the beans, I bought the canned salsa. 

Now it was time to assemble the gorditas! 

Wow what a great dish. The pork was so tender, the onions lent some sweetness, the avocado creaminess, the beans a bit saltiness, and the cilantro brought the entire dish together. We had no leftovers today even with a guest, who ate 3 gorditas! Top with some tapatio and mmm perfection!