I'll continue the Mexican food theme with braised pork tacos I recently made courtesy of Rachel Ray. I made it last week and Chris and I really enjoyed them. I am not usually a huge fan of her 30 minute meals but I searched for braised pork tacos and the recipe sounded good with 5 star reviews. Plus it's not a 30 minute meal. I prepared exactly as directed my only critique is I would have liked a little more heat but I like my food spicy and that can easily be fixed. Oh and I used green jalapenos instead of red chilies because that's what the grocery store had available. Maybe that was my heat problem. I was thinking of not making the pickled onions but I was very happy I did. They really balanced the flavor of the tacos and were super simple to make. INGREDIENTS 1 (4 to 5 pound) boneless pork shoulder Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 onions, cut into wedges, root end attached 4 large cloves garlic, crushed 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped oregano leaves, half a palmful 2 red chiles, thinly sliced 4 bay leaves 1 (12-ounce) bottle Mexican beer 2 cups chicken stock 4 oranges, juiced about 2 cups 1 chipotle pepper, seeded and finely chopped, plus 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce 2 limes, juiced 1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 2 small red onions, thinly sliced 1 cup drained sliced store-bought pickled jalapenos or banana pepper rings 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded 1 cup crumbled queso fresco or 2 cups shredded Monterey jack 16 corn or flour tortillas, charred over open flame and kept warm in tortilla warmer or towel DIRECTIONS Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Season the pork generously with salt and pepper, to taste, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat the pork dry with a paper towel. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over high heat with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan. Put the pork in the pot and evenly brown the meat all over, it will take about 10 to 12 minutes; remove the pork to a plate and reserve. Turn heat down to medium-high, and add the extra-virgin olive oil to the pot, a couple of turns of the pan. Add the onions and garlic, salt and pepper, to taste, the oregano, 1 sliced chili pepper and 2 bay leaves and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Deglaze the pot with the beer, scraping up the bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Stir in the chicken stock and orange juice. Add the reserved pork back to the pot (the liquid should come about 2/3 the way up the meat) and bring to a simmer. Cover and put the pork in the oven, turning the meat halfway through cooking, until the meat is very tender, about 2 1/2-3 hours. Remove the pork from the pot, to a cutting board and tent with foil to keep warm. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart with 2 forks. Simmer the braising liquid over medium heat until reduced by half. Add the chipotle and adobo sauce and the lime juice. Add about 2/3 of the shredded meat and stir. Cool the remaining shredded pork and chill for another use. While the pork is cooking, prepare the pickled red onions: in a small saucepot, bring the white wine vinegar, sugar, teaspoon of salt, remaining chili pepper and bay leaves to a simmer over low heat. Put the sliced red onions in a small sealable container. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the onions, cover and give it a shake. You may need to lift the lid to release some of the pressure. Every now and then, give it a good shake. Refrigerate to cool. To serve, put the chipotle pulled pork on a platter and garnish with pickled onions and pickled jalapeno slices. Serve with shredded cabbage, crumbled cheese and tortillas for wrapping.

Beer Braised Short Ribs Serves 8 The meat practically falls off the bone and into your mouth. This is a great dish to make when you have to be home anyway. It just sits in the oven for a few hours; you don't have to bother with it. 6-8 pounds beef short ribs, about 18 ribs Salt and freshly ground pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 16 garlic cloves smashed 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch slices 16 ounces beer 6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 cup hoisin sauce (available in the supermarket near the Asian foods) Directions: 1. Season the ribs generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot with a lid (Dutch oven) over high heat. Brown the ribs on all sides, in batches if necessary. 2. Remove the ribs and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat. 3. Return the pot to the stove, lower the heat to medium and sauté the onions, garlic, and ginger for about 6 minutes. Add the ribs back to the pot along with the beer and vinegar. 4. Cover and simmer on low medium heat for 1 hour. 5. Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F. 6. Pour the hoisin sauce over the ribs and stir until well mixed. Put the pot to the oven, covered, and bake for 2 hours. 7. Skim off ALL fat from the top of the pot and serve.

Made pork ragu today. It is wonderful! Here are the changes I made - used boneless pork shoulder ribs because a pork butt is too big for me and DH; - forgot to add the sugar; - did not add the pepper flakes (we don't like things too spicy); - There is no fresh oregano available, so I used dried; - Instead of semolina gnocchi, I made grits with a combination of chicken broth and milk for the liquid, then added swiss cheese and parm when the grits were done. I have no idea how much cheese I added...just eyeballed it and tasted as I went. This is a keeper. If you like braised meats, I think you will like this. Pork Ragu with Semolina Gnocchi Serves 8 For the pork ragu Canola oil 4 pound bone-in pork shoulder (approximately), trimmed of excess fat 2 - 3 slices bacon, chopped 1 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup chopped carrots 1/2 cup chopped celery 3 - 5 garlic cloves, minced 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 cup dry white wine 2 tablespoons cider vinegar 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, with juice 1 cup chicken stock Pinch red pepper flakes Pinch of sugar Kosher salt and pepper 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano Parmesan cheese, to serve For the semolina gnocchi 4 cups whole milk 1 cup semolina flour 1 cup grated Parmesan, divided 3 eggs yolks, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon kosher salt Preheat oven to 325°. Pat the meat dry and season with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat a few glugs of canola oil over high heat. Sear the pork shoulder on all sides until golden brown. Remove it from the Dutch oven and set aside. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the bacon and let some of the fat render, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook until soft and translucent, another 5 - 7 minutes. Toss in garlic and continue to cook for another 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook over medium heat, stirring for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and cider vinegar and reduce by half, turning up the heat if necessary (you want some good bubbling action here). Meanwhile, use a pair of kitchen scissors to cut the tomatoes into large chunks while still in the can. Add the tomatoes with juices and chicken stock to the Dutch oven. Nestle the pork into the sauce and season generously with salt, pepper, a generous pinch of red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and transfer the pot to the oven. Cook for approximately 3 hours, turning the pork once, until the meat easily falls apart with a fork. Remove the pork to a large cutting board while still fairly hot. Stir the minced oregano into the sauce. Remove excess fat, discard the bone, and carefully shred the meat; it is harder to "pull" once it has cooled. (I either wear heavy-duty rubber gloves on my hands or use my new "bear paws," but two large forks would work, too.) Place the shredded pork back into the Dutch oven and toss with its sauce. Cool to room temperature; refrigerate overnight. The sauce will naturally thicken (and the fat will congeal) as it cools, allowing all of the flavors to marry. To serve the ragu, reheat on medium-low until warm, adding additional chicken stock or water if you want a less thick ragu. Adjust seasoning, if desired. (I usually add some more chili flakes and another splash of cider vinegar.) Serve with warm semolina gnocchi, although this would also be delicious over Parmesan grits or pappardelle. For the semolina gnocchi, heat the milk in a heavy pan until a ring of bubbles form around the edges. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir the semolina flour into the pot. Continue stirring constantly and firmly (there will be a bit of resistance) for 15 - 20 minutes, making sure to clear the bottom and edges of the pan. The mixture will be very dense and should pull cleanly away from the sides of the pot. Remove the gnocchi from the heat and let cool for a minute. Stir in the 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, then the yolks (with vigor so the eggs don't scramble) and salt. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill overnight. Preheat oven to 375 ° and place rack in the uppermost position. Use a small spring-form ice cream scoop to shape even-sized balls of gnocchi and place on a greased baking sheet or dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and bake for 15 minutes, until the Parmesan begins to turn light golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Arrange gnocchi in the bottom of pasta/serving bowls, ladle ragu over top, and serve warm. Garnish with freshly chopped herbs and grated Parmesan, if desired. Nealey Dozier Here is a link that might be useful: The Kitchn Pork Ragu with Semolina Gnocchi

Ann, try saving it to your Clippings. Look to the right of your last post (just above this). You will see the word Clippings in green letters. Under that it will say Clip This Post. For each recipe or comment you want to save, click on Clip This Post. Another way to do it is to highlight the entire thread, or the parts you want, right click with your mouse and then click on Copy. Start a new document in Word and paste the thread into that document, then save it to your computer. If you want me to do that for you and then email it to you, let me know.