I know, I know. Tacos again? Hey it is almost Cinco de Mayo and well tacos al pastor are probably the best tacos a peso can buy.  Al pastor is the ultimate fusion food and translates to “Shepard Style” which refers to the Greek and Turkish lamb that is slow cooked on a shawarama spit. Lebanese immigrants brought the spit cooking technique to Northern Mexico where the Mexicans adopted it but roasted pork rather than lamb. Fusion at it’s best with the marriage of the fantastic fresh spices of Mexican cooking and the tenderizing grilling method from the Lebanese.

Now you are saying “That’s great Chili but I don’t own a shawarama spit.”. OK, there is nothing as good as tacos al pastor from street vendors in Mexico but we are going to try. And even without the spit. The secret is the juice from the pineapple that contains the enzyme bromelain that does a great job of breaking down and tenderizing proteins. Spit? Ha ha ha ha. We don’t need no stinking spit.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lb pork loin, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 white onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 pineapple, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices and cored
• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup chile powder (a smoky one works best like guajillo or chipotle)
• 3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (Mexican if you have it)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 large chipotles en adobo plus 2 teaspoons of the adobo
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• tortillas (I prefer flour but traditionally corn is used)
• lime wedges
• more chopped white onion
• cilantro leaves
• fresh (not from a jar please) pico de gallo (optional and not traditional but very good)

PREPARATION:

1. In a food processor combine the quartered onion, only 2 of the pineapple rings (ave the rest for grilling), the orange juice, vinegar, chile powder, garlic, salt, oregano, cumin and chipotles and puree until smooth. Place the pork loin in a large freezer bag and pour in the pureed mixture. Seal, refrigerate and marinate for a few hours or overnight for best results. Remove from fridge about 30 minutes prior to cooking to allow them to come to near room temperature for more even cooking.

2. I like to cook the pork slices on the grill but you can certainly cook these in the oven. Preheat grill to medium high heat and grill the remaining pineapple slices until just charred on both sides. Set aside the rings and grill the pork loin slices until done or about 2 – 4 minutes per side. Next heat the tortillas on the grill until just warm on each side.

3. Now chop the grilled pork and pineapple rings into 1/2 inch cubes and toss together. Serve on the warm tortillas with the chopped white onions, a squeeze of lime, and a few cilantro leaves. To really set them off add a teaspoon or so of fresh pico de gallo.

Makes about 16 or so tacos, depends on how much you pile on.

Heat Factor

A Bloody Mary is one of those cocktails you just get in the mood for from time to time. Maybe it’s the morning after a night of painting the town just to get a bit of the hair of the dog. Other times you just crave something zesty and spicy to drink, with vodka in it. If you are like me, you can only have a couple of these before the acid from the tomato starts to play havoc in your belly. Since you are most likely to have only one or two and the recipe is a bit involved for a cocktail, maybe this is something you whip up when you have guest over.

This recipe is a Bloody Caesar which is a variation of the Bloody Mary in that is calls for Clamato juice rather than tomato. Clamato is tomato juice combine with clam juice. I know, it sounds weird but it is really good. Also here we fire roast the tomatoes over a smoky grill to give the cocktail extra depth of flavor. You can for go the roasting or roast them in the oven but with depreciating levels of awesomeness. It’s 2010, be awesome! Now go away, read some books.

INGREDIENTS:

• 8 medium – large tomatoes, cut in half
• 1/2 cup wood chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes
• 1 tablespoon Angel Dust seasoning mix (found here) or your favorite Cajun / Creole mix
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 oz premium vodka
• 2 cups Clamato juice cocktail
• 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce®
• 4 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• more Angel Dust to rim the glass
• more lime wedges
• pickle pepperoncinis

PREPARATION:

1.  Toss the tomato halves with salt, pepper, olive oil and the Angel Dust. Place the wood chips in aluminum foil and fold to create a pouch, enclosing the chips. Now poke holes in the top side of the pouch so that the smoke will be able to escape. Place this pouch either directly on hot coals of a charcoal grill or just above the heating element of your gas grill. Allow the grill to preheat to medium high heat and get the chips smoking. Next cook the tomatoes on the grill skin side down until the skin is blistered and just a bit charred. Flip them over for a couple of minutes then remove.

2. In a blender, combine the fire roasted tomatoes, vodka, Clamato, Worcestershire, Tabasco, horseradish, lime juice and a pinch of salt and pepper and blend. Pour enough Angel Dust in a saucer to cover the bottom. Rub the rim of your glass with a lime wedge and stick the rim down into the Dust to coat. Add ice to the glass and pour in the Bloody Caesar cocktail. Garnish with lime wedges and pepperoncinis.

Makes 4 – 6

Heat Factor