All-Day Tacos
TIMES STAFF WRITER
One day I decided to roast a cheap cut of pork with some spuds (bakers). It was Sunday, so my 6-year-old daughter helped me make applesauce and a green salad. We invited our friends Sandra and Jerry over, and the four of us had a nice Sunday dinner.
The next morning while we were rushing around, creating the chaos typical of a Monday, I looked at that leftover pork in the refrigerator and inspiration hit. Between barking out orders (shoes! backpack! lunch!) I threw that pedaso de puerco in the slow cooker. I squeezed in some lemon juice, along with an onion, 4 or 5 cloves of garlic, some chili powder, salt and Mexican oregano. I covered it all with water and turned it on low. Off we went.
When we walked in the house at the end of the day, a wonderful aroma greeted us. It smelled as though someone had been cooking all day. For people who are away from home 10 hours a day, that’s the beauty of a slow cooker.
We shredded the pork, chopped another onion and some cilantro and heated up corn tortillas. Taco Truck-Style Tacos and a salad--that’s what we had. It was easy. And delicious.
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Taco Truck-Style Tacos
Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 10 hours, 10 minutes
3/4 pound cooked pork
Juice of 2 lemons
2 onions
4 to 5 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
Water
8 corn tortillas
1 bunch cilantro
Cut 1 onion into large pieces. Put cut-up onion, pork, lemon juice, garlic, chili powder, salt and oregano in slow cooker with water to cover. Cook on low heat 10 or on high about 4 hours. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred.
Chop remaining onion and about half of cilantro. Heat tortillas over flame of gas burner or in microwave. Fill each tortilla with shredded pork and sprinkle with chopped onion and cilantro.
8 tacos. Each serving: 228 calories; 1,882 mg sodium; 41 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 1.84 grams fiber.
