Corn Salsa and my version of Carnitas

It's Cinco de Mayo and I had Subway for dinner, too busy for home cooked food this evening, a full day of work, TKD, soccer, and a haircut instead.  However, yesterday, on Quatro de Mayo we had our annual Cinco de Mayo pot luck at work.  We have a few part timers and a few job shares and Wednesdays are the only day of the week where the whole team is present.  We work in a very stressful environment and ensuring fun is had by all keeps morale high and my team members happy.  This was our fifth year and one I expect to continue for some time to come, I believe it is one of the team's more preferable events.  Anyhoo.....I decided to try something new this year and I was pleased with the results of both so of course I thought to myself, "haven't blogged in forever.....write it down before you FORGET......AGAIN!!!!"

Corn Salsa
3 Cups corn, grilled and removed from ears
1/2 red onion
1 large or -2 medium jalapeno peppers
3 Tomatillos diced
1/4 cup cilantro, unless you are making it for my mom, than forget it completely!
1 Lime juiced, approx 1 T
Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together together and enjoy.  Can be made a day in advance.



Carnitas Marjie Style
6-7 Pounds Pork Shoulder

2-3T vegetable oil or olive oil

1 large onion chopped

6 garlic cloves

3t cumin

1T chili powder

1-16 oz can petite diced tomatoes

3 cloves

3 bay leaves

6 fresh sprigs of oregano

3 chipotle chilies chopped with 2T adobo sauce

2C Chicken stock

Salt

Pepper

1. Salt and pepper pork well
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees
3. Sear pork on all sides and put into large roasting pan (Using some of the oil)
4. In pan used for searing,  saute onions, when translucent add garlic and cook 2 minutes longer
5. Add chilies and adobo sauce
6. Add tomatoes and scrape all the browned pieces off the bottom of pan
7. Pour over pork
8. Add all remaining ingredients to roasting pan
9. Cover with foil and cook until tender - I believe mine was in the oven for 5-6 hours
10. Remove and let cook lightly
11. Remove as much fat as possible and discard
12. Shred pork and store in  refrigerator
13. Pour all the remain in the roasting pan into a container and refrigerate overnight
14. NEXT DAY -
15. Skim all fat off the pan juices
16. In a blender puree ingredients into a smooth sauce
17. Mix pork and sauce together a on low heat cook for an hour or so
18. Eat and enjoy

NOTE**My meat got a little dry so I threw in a cup of plain old salsa and it worked great!