Impromptu: Pork Tacos At Our House!

The plan had been in place for weeks, and we were looking forward to having a Saturday night dinner on the deck at the home of good friends. We'd even been given the menu, the better to whet our appetites in advance of the evening: cocktails and tomato-basil bruschetta to start, then grilled pork ribs, corn salad and the hostess's gramma's green beans. Boysenberry pie for dessert.

Yeah, we were drooling, too.

Pork before.

Saturday morning dawned warm and sunny, with the promise of a beautiful, not-too-warm Portland evening for the dinner. Then around mid-morning we got a call. A painting project had run over schedule, an unexpected memorial service had come up for that afternoon. Could we reschedule the deck dinner and go out instead? Maybe margaritas and Mexican at a place with outdoor seating?

Pork after.

Though there are several great places in town that fit that bill, I'd really been looking forward to spending time with our friends without the distractions and constraints of a restaurant meal. Why not just change locations and come over to our house? Dave's margaritas are as good, if not better, than any I've had out and, sticking with the Mexican theme, I could throw some pork on to braise for tacos and we could pot luck the condiments.

After hanging up I looked around, realizing the house was a complete shambles. Ack! Good thing we were eating outside…and we could clean up enough that, in the dim evening light, it might not look too awful.

Ready to go…take a seat!

On the way to the store I ran into my neighbor Susana, who waxed poetic about the dinner she'd made the night before featuring short ribs braised in apricots and cherries. We agreed it would be perfect for the pulled pork I needed for the tacos so, armed with her inspiration, I bought the necessary ingredients, came home, threw it all together and three hours later had the most luscious pulled pork ever.

And our dinner that evening? Perfection…just like we'd planned it all along.

Pork Tacos with Apricot, Cherry and White Wine Pulled Pork

For the pulled pork:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1-2 medium yellow onions, chopped fine
3 large cloves garlic
2 c. cherries, pitted and halved (I used yellow Rainiers)
2 c. apricots, pitted and quartered
5 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
2 1/2 c. dry white wine (I used a dry Pinot Grigio)
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

For the tacos:
Corn tortillas (order them in advance from Por Que No…awesome!)
Cabbage slaw with lime vinaigrette
Guacamole
Corn or cherry salsa
Tomato salsa
Cotilla cheese, crumbled
Sour cream
Limes, quartered
Assorted bottled chile sauces

Preheat oven to 325°.

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add onions and garlic and sauté till translucent. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and place pot in oven for 3 hours until pork is falling apart.

Remove pot from oven, and transfer the chunks of pork to a large platter, leaving cooking liquid in pot. Bring liquid in pot to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, and reduce until most of liquid has evaporated and it is a syrupy consistency. While liquid is reducing, smash pork with back of spoon or pull apart with a fork. When liquid in pot has finished reducing, add pork back to pot and combine.

Serve with condiments.

This pulled pork would be amazing with any recipe calling for pulled pork, and is infinitely variable with any seasonal fruit…think plums, peaches, apples, etc. You could also add whole chiles like ancho or poblano to give it some heat.

Sugar Low? Have Dessert!

When life gives you lemons, as the saying goes, make lemonade. So when life gave contributor Jim Dixon of RealGoodFood some less-than-luscious apricots, he knew exactly what to do with them. 

The cool weather we’ve had keeps fruit from developing enough sugar, and the result is disappointment when you expect that sweet taste of summer. While it may not evoke the sun when eaten out of hand, a lot of less-than-perfect fruit can be redeemed with a little help. I love apricots, and this simple trick lets me eat a lot more, even when they’ve been missing the sunshine as much as the rest of us.

Olive Oil & Honey Roasted Apricots with Creme Fraiche

Cut the apricots in half and remove the pits. Arrange them cut side up on a baking sheet, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, then enough honey so that each one gets about a teaspoon’s worth. Roast at 350° for about 30 minutes or until they get a little brown.

You can eat these warm, but I prefer to chill the fruit. Put the sheet pan in the refrigerator for a few hours, then transfer to a bowl or jar. Be sure to get the collected juices off the pan, too.

And while they’re good plain, they’re even better topped with a dollop of creme fraiche. To make your own, stir about 2 Tbsp. of Nancy’s yogurt (doesn’t matter if it’s whole milk or nonfat, but I always use Nancy’s because it’s got a lot of live cultures) into a half pint of heavy cream, cover, and let sit in a warm place overnight. Chill for a few more hours and it’ll get even thicker.

Mix a little of the apricot roasting juices into some of the creme fraiche, then spoon it over the roasted fruit. Garnish with fresh mint for company. Roast enough to have leftovers; I like them plain, too.

Photo by Jim Dixon.