Quick pickled red onions and homemade tortillas (sorta)

I haven't had pork in awhile, which is why this dish was appealing to me. OK, that was a lie. I've probably consumed an entire pig in the last two weeks thanks to visiting Jess in NYC and Momofuku's Bo Saam meal. However, a carnitas style of pork sounded good to me and the pork butt was too cheap to pass up. I simmered in water with paprika, cumin, chile powder, and a cinnamon stick after being quickly seared. I've been serving the pork on some bhutamese rice, but I thought it'd be nice to mix up dinner a bit and go to Whole Foods to pick up some mini tortillas I spotted earlier this week to make tacos. While I was there I spotted a red onion and decided that a quick pickled onion would be a nice addition to the sweet tasting pork. Then I remembered seeing Maseca (instant tortilla mix) and thought that if I was already pickling something for the tacos I might as well make the tortillas, too (my train of thought doesn't always make sense). THEN, I saw the Hatch chiles were in season. I've never seen these in a store and they are apparently, according the native New Mexicans, amazing when roasted. So, of course, I had to buy some. Went to WF for tortillas and left with an onion, Maseca, and Hatch chiles (oh, and some kale)...I never seem to remember that WF is dangerous.



I usually use the quick pickled red onions for fish tacos, but them seem to work on most tacos with a sweet or fried component. They also work well on burgers. The recipe is simple enough and they can be pickled for as little as 5 minutes before serving.

1 onion - halved and sliced thinly
White vinegar (enough to cover onion container of choosing)
Sugar (optional)

I know this is vague, but how sweet these turn out is really up to you. I like them slightly sweet so I usually use about a tablespoon of sugar for one small onion. Just heat the vinegar and sugar (if using) to a boil, remove from heat, and pour over the onion. This can sit from 5 minutes to 6 hours to even overnight before serving.



Homemade tortillas are fantastic. But, fresh masa and lard is not always easy to come by. Maseca, an instant tortilla flour, is a great alternative and actually turns out very well. All it takes is the flour, water, and a little bit of salt. Oh, and a tortilla press of some sort. Given my love for all things tacos I do in fact have a tortilla press, but you could just as easily use the under side of a frying pan. These are very easy, take less than 10 minutes, and are fresh so I urge you to try it. Of course you could always mill your own corn to make masa from scratch (ha).