Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Pork Tacos w/ Mango Black Bean Salsa



*Just Braise has moved. Please visit me at www.justbraise.com!*


I notice there are far too many sweets on display on this site. It appears we eat nothing but that sweet angel dust. In the next few days I'll be adding all the delicious porky creations made from the one 6 pound shoulder discussed below.

A few that went without photos:

The first post-roast creation was a delicious sandwich that had no chance at a photograph. Served on hearty Jewish rye bread (any offended excuse the sac-religious combination), Korean pears ( mentioned here ) and a generous smothering of honey mustard. A few minutes in the toaster oven set this to a perfect sweet-crisp combination.

Another hog-a-licious idea was to be pulled pork sandwiches smothered in a hickory BBQ sauce. Instead, we mixed the pork with avocado, lime juice and tomatoes and wrapped them in the tortillas that remained after the pork tacos pictured above. Similar to the tacos, yet a totally new flavor combination and equally delicious.

The pork tacos appearing above are served with a healthy scoop of a black bean mango salsa and a dusting of cilantro. They compete with the chorizo taco from my favorite taco truck down the street.

It goes to show you can eat well on a budget and create a symphony of tastes with the result. There are plenty of dishes that were not created that would be just as delicious: pork fried rice, rice and beans, breakfast hash, hammy macaroni, a number of soups (a rich split pea to come), empanadas, pork dumplings or piradzini (Latvian pork puffs, also to come).

A $20 pork shoulder can take two people far.

This black bean mango salsa is a great summertime side. It is great with the addition of corn and can be used for a number of taco combinations, my favorite being a grilled shrimp.

BLACK BEAN MANGO SALSA
Prep time= about 10 minutes.
* 1 ripe fresh mango, cut into ¼-inch cubes
* juice of 1 lime
* ¼ red onion, cut into ¼-inch cubes
* 1 can low-sodium black beans, washed and drained
* 1 ear of fresh corn, sliced from stalk (optional)
* 8 grape tomatoes, deseeded and cut in quarters (optional)
* ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped loosely (optional)

1) Slice the mango and put it into a medium-sized bowl. The meat surrounding the pit can be squeezed into the bowl. Add lime juice, chopped onion, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. Stir and serve.


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