Chipotle Pork Tacos - 4 stars

oh, pork soft tacos, how i adore thee. four stars!

i was afraid that my long break from blogging would cause problems, and... it has! it's been too long since i made these, and i don't remember them very well. i'm reviewing the recipe now to jog my memory. :-)

ok. i used pork tenderloin, my favorite cut of pork, to make these. the pork was so tender and flavorful! i sauteed sliced onion, chopped garlic and the sliced tenderloin together for a few minutes. i then simmered that in chicken broth with cider vinegar, dried oregano, cumin, a couple chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce - first covered for ~ 10 minutes, then uncovered for 10 minutes. the flavor was fantastic, the meat tender, but the chicken broth / spice mixture never thickened - it was a bit too watery. if i make it again, i'd thicken that up - though i'm not quite sure how! i'd probably try reducing the quantity of chicken broth and increasing the uncovered portion of the simmer time. other than that, i'd leave it alone!

oh - the recipe did call for a fresh pineapple salsa, which i'd like to try as well (if only there were more hours in the day!). we just had it with cheese (soy for me!), cilantro & salsa, and flour tortillas.

Chipotle Pork Soft Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

Pork, a common taco filling throughout Latin America, takes well to spices. A slightly sweet fruit salsa helps balance the heat. Serve with lime wedges.

Yield

6 servings (serving size: 2 tortillas, 2/3 cup pork mixture, and 1/2 cup salsa)

Ingredients

• Salsa:
• 2 cups minced pineapple
• 1 cup minced apple
• 1/4 cup minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 
  Tacos:
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 2 chipotle chiles, canned in adobo sauce, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed

Preparation

To prepare salsa, combine the first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir until well blended. Cover and chill.

To prepare tacos, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion to pan; cook 2 minutes or until tender. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add pork to pan; cook 4 minutes or until pork loses its pink color, stirring occasionally. Stir in broth and next 7 ingredients (through chipotles). Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Uncover and simmer 10 minutes or until liquid is nearly evaporated. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Serve pork mixture with tortillas and salsa.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

391 (19% from fat)

Fat:

8.3g (sat 1.8g,mono 3.6g,poly 2g)

Protein:

29.3g

Carbohydrate:

50.8g

Fiber:

6.9g

Cholesterol:

74mg

Iron:

3.6mg

Sodium:

420mg

Calcium:

161mg

Mark Scarbrough, Cooking Light, MAY 2007