Pineapple Pork Mexican-Wannabe Salad

In Utah where I spent the last several years, there are a few "Fresh Mexican" restaurants, all of which are identical except for a few trivial differences. Notwithstanding, there is an enormous feud as to the quality of one versus the others. Now I have strong opinions about which is best, but this isn't the medium for that debate. They're all pretty good, but being on the east coast now, I can't feed my pork salad addiction in the same way I did in Utah. This is kind of a collection of the best of several different restaurants, but I quite like the outcome.

The term 'salad' is used loosely here; it's really more of an open burrito with lots of lettuce and toppings, but I don't complain about the semantics: I just eat.

I'll warn you on this one, it has a lot of different components, all of which need to be ready as the same time. Make what you can in advance (I find a slow cooker and a rice maker indispensable). This looks like a whole lot: it can be simplified by substituting ready-made ingredients for the salsa, guacamole, salad dressing, etc.


"Fresh Mexican" Pork Salad

Ingredients

• 8 - 10 tortillas
  
• 1 - 2 cans black beans
• 1 - 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped into thin strips
  

• Pineapple pork roast
• 1 medium pork roast (about 2 pounds)
• 1 can pineapple tidbits
• a few splashes or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 - 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
  

• Cilantro lime rice
• 3 -4 cups white rice
• water, salt, and butter to follow rice-maker's instructions
• a few sprigs fresh cilantro
• 1 -2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon honey
  

Toppings

• Pico de gallo (click here for recipe) or salsa
• Shredded cheese
  
• Guacamole (click here for recipe)

• Caramelized onions
• 1 medium yellow onion, cut into half-rings
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 -3 tablespoons brown sugar

• Tomatillo ranch dressing
• 1 packet buttermilk ranch dressing mix
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cut mayonaise
• 1 large tomatillo
• A splash of lime juice
• A few springs cilantro

• Lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, to garnish

I'm going to take you through these instructions in order of how I would do them.

The day before (or any spare time during the day):

• Pico de gallo: make it and put it in an airtight container in the fridge
• Tomatillo ranch dressing: combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. Put in a container and refrigerate

The morning of the meal

• The pork: put all the roast ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker set on low (for about 6 - 8 hours). Just let it sit throughout the day: you want it to be very tender and juicy. You should be able to just pull it apart with tongs.

1-2 hours before the meal

• Cilantro lime rice: put all the rice ingredients in a rice cooker and let 'er rip (I love rice cookers)
• Guacamole: assemble the guac, cover with a little more lime juice, and refrigerate it in an airtight container (you really don't want it to go brown)

10 minutes before the meal

• Black beans: empty the beans, juice and all, into a small saucepan and let simmer on low until heated well through
• Onions: melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the onions and brown sugar. Stir-fry until the onions are translucent and a golden brown.

This is how I assemble my salad: put a tortilla in a large cereal bowl, add the rice, beans, pork, and onions (all the warm ingredients). Then add the lettuce, cheese, salsa, guacamole, ranch dressing, and squeeze the lime juice over top.