One Great Dish: Versatile Pork Carnitas are quick way to a meal

By BETH DOOLEY, Special to the Star Tribune

Last update: January 16, 2008 - 3:43 PM

I adore the mohair scarf and the fuzzy warm boots, but my favorite present this Christmas was a big box of pork from Tim Fischer's farm in Waseca, Minn. It's free of antibiotics and hormones. It's amazingly versatile as it figures its way into favorite recipes usually made with chicken or beef.

Take these carnitas, a recipe from Claribel Gonzolez, who moved with her family from Guatemala to Minneapolis some 20 years ago. She also makes carnitas with turkey thigh, beef or lamb, but I think they're best with pork.

Carnitas are often served over rice and paired with black beans and are terrific tossed with pasta, stuffed into a crusty bun, rolled into a flour tortilla, layered into nachos or piled on pizza. Best of all, they are ready in just minutes for a quick meal or can be cooked ahead and reheated without any fuss.

What's your signature dish? Please send your recipes, along with stories, to Beth Dooley at bdirish@earthlink.net or by mail to Star Tribune, Taste / One Great Dish, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488. All letters, stories and recipe submissions become the property of Beth Dooley.