Pastoral Tacos
Recipe by Joe Yonan Reprinted with permission from Serve Yourself: Nightly Adventures in Cooking for One by Joe Yonan copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
by: Three Many Cooks
Ingredients
- 3 (2-ounce) pork cutlets, trimmed of excess fat (or substitute a 6-ounce boneless center-cut pork chop)
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh pineapple juice
- ½ teaspoon pimenton (smoked Spanish paprika)
- ½ teaspoon crumbled dried pasilla or ancho chile (or substitute red pepper flakes)
- ½ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup fresh pineapple chunks, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 1 large shallot lobe, finely chopped
- ½ medium jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- ½ lime
- 3 corn tortillas, preferably homemade (page 84)
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Place each pork cutlet between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to a thickness of about ⅛ inch. (If you are using a boneless center-cut pork chop, first steady it flat on the cutting board with one hand and then, with the knife parallel to the cutting board, slice it into thirds horizontally. Then place each third between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to ⅛ inch thick.)
- Combine the vinegar, pineapple juice, pimenton, chile, salt, and pepper in a large resealable plastic food storage bag; mix well, then add the cutlets. Press the air out of the bag and seal; massage the marinade into the meat. Let sit for at least 10 minutes or up to an hour, while you make the salsa and warm the tortillas.
- Combine the pineapple, cilantro, shallot, and jalapeño in a small bowl. Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl. Add salt to taste and mix well.
- Warm the tortillas and wrap them in aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Pour the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When it starts to shimmer, remove the cutlets from the marinade, shake off any excess, and place in the skillet. Sprinkle lightly with a little more salt, then cook until lightly browned on one side, 1 to
- minutes. Turn them over, sprinkle lightly with salt, and cook until browned on the other side and just cooked throughout, another 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the cutlets rest for a minute.
- Lay the tortillas out on a plate. Place one cutlet on each tortilla. Top each with pineapple salsa, and eat.
- Note: If your pork is too firm or chewy to easily fold up whole in the tortilla, feel free to cut it into strips or chunks.
Notes
Photo credit: Ed Anderson © 2011
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