The husband and I spent our college years in Southern California, and we frequently find ourselves craving authentic tacos. We’ve identified a few local establishments over the years, but I’ve also discovered it’s fairly easy to make great carnitas (roasted pork) at home. The main ingredient is time, but other than browning the roast in the beginning and then shredding the meat part way through, all the work is done in the oven. (Or on the grill, if you like.) You can also cut the meat into cubes, but I prefer it shredded. If you finish the carnitas the same day you roast the pork, it will keep a couple days in the fridge to make an easy weeknight meal — I had enough to freeze half for another time too.

The boy loves Mexican food, but typically sticks to quesadillas and burritos. He insisted he didn’t like tacos, so I made him a “taco pocket” instead … a.k.a., burrito, with veggies on the side. I suspect I may get him to warm up to tacos if we make fresh, kid-size tortillas, but that’s a project for another day.

Recipe: Pork Carnitas Tacos (& Taco Pockets)

Ingredients:

• 1 3-4 pound pork shoulder, roasted as in the previous post
• 1 cup salsa verde

for tacos:

• tortillas
• shredded romaine lettuce
• thinly sliced red peppers
• salsa verde
• sour cream

for “taco pockets” (a.k.a. burritos):

• tortillas
• brown rice
• black beans
• shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Transfer the roasted pork to a shallow roasting pan. Shred the pork, using two forks, into large segments. Trim excess fat as you shred. Top with the salsa and roast for 1 hour, turning over once. Top should develop a crisp, carmelized crust, while interior remains moist. Remove from oven and serve with warmed tortillas, sour cream, sliced bell peppers, lettuce and any other desired accompaniments.

Kid-Friendly Taco Pockets: For the taco pocket, warm a tortilla in a skillet over medium heat. In the center, layer rice, beans, pork, and cheese. Fold in sides, then ends, to make a rectangle-shaped pocket. Place back in skillet and warm about a minute on each side to melt the cheese. To avoid toddler troubles, I serve the veggies next to it but you could certainly add peppers inside if that’s not an issue in your house.

For more on pork carnitas, read David Lebovitz’s (a fellow Cali ex-pat) tale of serving carnitas in Paris.

The first week of the One Local Summer challenge coincided with our first CSA (community supported agriculture) delivery of the season, from Virginia’s Potomac Vegetable Farms. Our farm is “ecoganic” — meaning they follow organic practices but are not certified — and has one of the few remaining farms in Fairfax County just west of Tyson’s Corner, as well as a second location in Purcellville. We love visiting our farm for the semi-annual CSA member potlucks, and as I mentioned previously, they will be hosting the newly-crowned RAMMY Rising Culinary Star of the Year Anthony Chittum for a Summer Solstice Farmland Supper later this month.

While I love our CSA, I only get a half share to allow for plenty of farmers market shopping each week as well. This first OLS/CSA dinner featured garlic scapes, chives and kale from the farm, and sausage, eggs, cheese and broccoli from the Upper King Street farmers market. Our CSA pick-up is on Wednesday, so the first meal is usually something simple involving eggs or pasta. This week it was a sausage and kale frittata, with a side of steamed broccoli. Quick, fresh and delicious.

Recipe: Buffalo Sausage and Kale Frittata

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. or 4 links buffalo sausage
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 garlic scape, thinly sliced
• several stems of chives, chopped
• 1 cup kale, cut into thin ribbons
• 6 cage-free eggs
• 4 thick slices cheddar cheese, diced

Instructions: Heat olive oil in saute pan or skillet over medium high heat. Crumble sausage into pan and cook until browned, about 5-6 minutes. Drain excess oil. Add kale, scape and chives and cook until kale just begins to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Whisk eggs in mixing bowl and pour into pan. Fold in cheese and season with salt and pepper. Cook until eggs are fully set, and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

Farms of Origin

• Potomac Vegetable Farms (VA), kale, garlic scapes and chives
• Cibola Farms (VA), buffalo bourbon fennel sausage
• Tom the Cheese Guy (PA), eggs and cave-aged cheddar
• Long Meadow Ecological Farm (VA), broccoli
• bread from Breadline (DC)

One Local Summer is an annual challenge in which people around the world join together for 13 weeks of seasonal eating, supporting local farmers and exploring their local foodsheds. Visit FarmtoPhilly on Tuesdays for the weekly round-up.

The weather here has suddenly plunged from 80 degrees two weeks ago to practically freezing. The first frost means the last of many vegetables at local farms, and last week we got the final batch of fresh green beans in our CSA bag. I discovered during our sushi experiment that my toddler loves sesame seeds, so that was the inspiration for this fast and easy Sesame Beef Stir-Fry. Perfect served with leftover sushi rice, or any rice or grain you have on hand.

Recipe: Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

1 1/2 – 2 lb. flank steak, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

Marinade:

• 2 T honey
• 1 T rice wine vinegar
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/4 t dried ginger
• 1/4 t black pepper
• 1/2 t salt
• 1/4 c low-sodium soy sauce

Sitr-Fry:

• 1 T canola oil
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb. green beans, ends trimmed
• 6 radishes, thinly sliced
• 1/4 t chili garlic sauce (more to taste)
• 1 t toasted sesame oil
• 1 T sesame seeds

Instructions: Whisk together marinade ingredients and pour over flank steak in shallow baking dish. Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Heat wok or large saute pan over medium high heat. Add oil, then cook beef slices until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove to a plate or bowl and cover to keep warm. Add garlic and radishes, cook 2 minutes, until radishes soften. Add green beans and cook 2 minutes more. Return beef to pan and stir in chili sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds and remove from heat. NOTE: For heat sensitive younger eaters, you may wish to separate their portion before adding the chili sauce. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

The first CSA tomatoes of the season arrived in our bag yesterday, which means a quick stop at Cheesetique for pasta and cheese is all that’s needed to put together a fast, fresh pasta dish.

This week, I used red pepper pappardelle. I had orange Roma tomatoes, which I quick roasted in my cast iron skillet until they were just beginning to burst. I sauteed a chopped sweet onion in olive oil, added a handful of green beans broken into 1 inch pieces, then quartered the roasted tomatoes and returned them to the pan. Simmered a few minutes longer, added salt, pepper and fresh basil, then tossed it all with the papardelle and fresh goat cheese. (I used 4 oz. goat cheese which was a little much for 4 servings of pasta – but the toddler and I love our goat cheese.)

Typically I would use garlic, but the sweet onions from our CSA have just been incredible this summer, so I thought I’d give them a turn to star.

Toddler verdict: He slurped the noodles with glee, laughing “bye bye noo-noo” after each one. But when he discovered the green beans at the bottom of his bowl, he promptly requested ketchup. When we said no, he asked for a cup of frozen peas for dessert. Such an odd little kid.

Shared with Presto Pasta Nights, created by Once Upon a Feast and hosted this week by Thyme for Cooking.

This week’s pasta night dish is actually a soup, with Japanese rice noodles playing a supporting role. It was a little more improvised than usual, as I originally started out to make a slaw with CSA cabbage, carrots, onion and radish. After I tossed it with a dressing, I tasted the cabbage and realized it was a little too tough to eat raw. So I turned it into a soup and added some chicken gyoza (ala Trader Joe’s) for a one-pot meal.

Ingredients:

• 1 sm. head spring cabbage, sliced in thin ribbons
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and julienned
• 2 white radishes, julienned
• 1/2 t chili garlic sauce
• 1 t sesame oil
• 1 T olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 c chicken broth
• 4 c water
• 1/4 c soy sauce
• 2 T rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 package rice noodles
• 1/2 bag (about 12) gyoza

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat, add onion and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and radish and cook another 2 minutes. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, broth, water and cabbage and bring to a boil. Add rice noodles and gyoza and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add lime juice. Serve with chili sauce on the side in case people want to up the heat level. Makes 4 servings.

Toddler Verdict: He loved the noodles (”noo noo”) and broth, ate a carrot and a dumpling or two, and as expected, ignored the cabbage. At least a hint of its nutrients probably made it into the broth, right?

Sent to Presto Pasta Nights – now with its own website! – hosted by Once Upon A Feast.