Spiced Pulled Pork Tortillas w/ Orange Guava Sauce

This pairing of pork, corn tortillas and guava brings me back to some of the flavors we tasted on our adventures in both Cuba and Mexico.

Pulled pork sounds like a lot of work but it simply comes down to a gentle, slow cooking process so it can be literally ‘pulled apart’ when finished. Pork shoulder is the most commonly used joint. The long cooking could dry out some cuts but shoulder is quite a fatty joint, therefore providing a natural baste. During the cooking period, most of the fat will dissolve but most importantly its this long cooking process that breaks down the tough fibrous connective tissue called collagen that tenderizes the meat making it so easy to pull apart. Although smokers are very often used, slow cookers or even traditional ovens will do the job nicely.

When the pork is finally done, it needs to rest for 10 minutes and then it should be ready for pulling apart. Use two forks to shred the meat and you’ve got it! This meal not only has great eye appeal, but the taste is wonderful!

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Spiced Pulled Pork Tortillas w/ Orange Guava Sauce
Instructions
Dry Rub for Pork Shoulder
  1. Drizzle pork with 2 Tbsp of oil; sprinkle with spices & orange zest & rub into meat. Season with salt & pepper. Place in a plastic bag & refrigerate overnight (about 24 hours).
  2. Bring meat to room temperature. Preheat oven to 275 F. Place meat in a roasting pan & bake until thickest part registers 170 F. on a meat thermometer. Basically, roast until it's falling apart. Remove roast from oven & transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks & 'pull' the meat to form shreds. Keep warm until ready to assemble tortillas.
Orange Guava Sauce
  1. In a saucepan, saute onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil until tender. Add water (or wine), frozen orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, spices & cubed guava paste. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat slightly & continue to boil gently until mixture reduces slightly. In a cup, combine cornstarch & water & add to sauce continuing to cook about 2-3 minutes more. Taste to see if any spice adjustments are needed.
To Assemble
  1. During the roasting time of the meat, prepare avocados, red onion, cilantro leaves, lime wedges. Drain canned black beans (if using) so they are ready to warm at serving time.
  2. When everything is ready, lay out warm tortillas, top with pulled pork, avocado slices, black beans, red onion, cilantro & drizzle with warm orange guava sauce. Fold or roll tortilla & enjoy!
Recipe Notes
  • If you would rather not have the corn tortillas, cook some rice to serve with pulled pork. Spoon sauce over the meat & serve it with the sliced avocados, red onion & black beans.

Savory Wild Blueberry Pizza

Each year when summer arrives with its array of fresh fruits, so does the dessert ‘fruit’ pizza. How could you not love it — tender pastry shell filled with a custard and topped with colorful fruit! Fruit does have its rightful place atop pizza but it doesn’t have to be limited to dessert. When it comes to savory, we are all familiar with the ham & pineapple pizza. But you can’t just throw pineapple on pizza and call it done. The abundance of sweet or tart fruit has the power to give pizza a burst of flavor and add complexity to its profile. When balancing a fruit topping, cheese can make all the difference. Next, pair it with cured meats add heat and you have that glorious sweet and savory fusion.

Numerous times I have served roast pork tenderloin with a wild blueberry balsamic sauce. It never lets me down in taste or eye appeal. If that combo could taste so good, why wouldn’t a savory blueberry pizza work?!


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Savory Wild Blueberry Pizza


Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Pat & stretch dough onto a 14-inch pizza pan. With a fork, pierce the dough several times.

  2. Leaving a 1-inch border, sprinkle dough with half of the mozzarella, all the gorgonzola, chopped bacon & red onion. Bake until crust is golden brown, 12-14 minutes.

  3. Sprinkle the blueberries, remaining mozzarella cheese & sliced green pepper over pizza; bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven; top with basil (if using) & pepper.


Recipe Notes