Yesterday was Cinco de Mayo and I wanted to make some Mexican food. My sister Kathy doesn't eat Mexican food, however, so finding something she liked was pretty hard. Also, while I would have liked to make a mole, I didn't have the time to commit to it. So I decided on carnitas. While searching for the entree, I also found a recipe for polvorones, a.k.a. Mexican wedding cookies, and it seemed easy enough to try. Both were quite good. I didn't like the carnitas as much as my regular recipe, but they were easier to make (if that's possible) and, more importantly, they are made in the crock pot, which means that I don't have to be at home while they cook. They were succulent, moist, tender and not at all greasy. I'll definitely make them again.
The polvorones were also very good and very easy to make. I know I've had them before, but I'd never made them. I made them according to the recipe, but I used raw pecans rather than toasted pecans, as I didn't have the latter and didn't feel like toasting what I had. I also had to go to a meeting after making the dough, so I left it in the fridge for about 3 hours. I put it in the counter for about 15 minutes before baking it, though.
Carnitas
- 5 lbs pork shoulder, cut into large pieces
- 5 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 5 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 onions, quartered.
Place the pork pieces in a slow cooker. Add the seasoning and mix well. Top with the onions.
Cook in a slow cooker in low setting for 6 hours.
Adapted from epicurious.com
Polvorones
- 1 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
In an electric mixer, cream butter until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla and mix well. Add flour and mix well. Add pecans and mix well. Divide the dough in two. Wrap each part in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1/2 hour.
Pre-heat oven to 350F
Put about 2 tsp. of dough in your hands and roll into a ball. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Repeat until the rest of the dough is used up. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the bottom is golden and the top slightly golden. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile combine 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the cookies on the sugar mixture until well covered. Place on a rack and cool completely.
Adapted from epicurious.com