Carnitas with Green Chili Salsa

I've got lots of hobbies.  Cooking, gardening, sewing, photography and exercising - just to name a few.  My husband also has hobbies - but at the top of his hobby list - flying.  Albeit an expensive hobby - it's what he truly loves to do.  For reasons that I can't comprehend or even explain - Ben LOVES to be in a plane, thousands of feet off the ground.   He really doesn't even need to GO anywhere - it's just about the experience of flying for him.  Ben got his private pilots license about 22 months ago and I can assure you that he smiles the biggest when he's flying a plane.  There's no question that flying is his passion. 

We should all be so passionate about something as Ben is about airplanes and flying.  His dedication to achieving his dream of becoming a pilot is inspiring.  A goal that he set for himself and started striving for in high school, only to be put on hold for nearly 30 years. 

While I don't have the same passion for flying as Ben, I do have other hobbies.  I guess you could say that finding, creating and blogging about new recipes is my passion?  Is that a hobby?  I found this recipe for Carnitas in my Cook's Country magazine.  The original recipe was accompanied by a tomatillo salsa recipe but I put my own spin on the recipe and it was amazing.  

Carnitas with Green Chili Salsa
4 pounds boneless pork butt, cut into 2" pieces
2 pounds lard
24 (6 inch) corn tortillas
fresh cilantro
Lime wedges

Salsa
28 ounce can green chilies or tomatillos
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, chopped
juice from 2 limes
1 garlic clove, minced
salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Toss green chilies with 1 t. oil and transfer to a foil lined baking sheet. 

Broil until spotty brown.  7-10 minutes. 

Transfer chilies to food processor along with onion, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, garlic, 3/4 t. salt, sugar and 2 t. oil

Sprinkle pork with 1 1/2 T. salt.  

Melt lard in Dutch oven.  Add pork and cook until bubbling.  

Transfer to oven and cook uncovered, at 300 until pork is tender.  (2 1/2 hours)

Remove pot from oven and let sit 30 minutes.  Transfer pork to cutting board and shred. 

Season pork with salt and pepper.  Divide among warm tortillas.  

Garnish with cilantro and serve with salsa. 

One of the great things about my passion for cooking is that it's something that I share with my brother and my parents.  Our mutual love for food bonds us and brings us closer together even though we live hundreds of miles apart.  My brother actually recommended this recipe to me after he made it for himself.  He gave it such high praise that I had to try it for myself.  I trust his recommendations completely so I knew that these Carnitas would be a huge hit.  He was right.  These were amazing.  
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Ciao!  

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