Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Mangalitsa Pork Carnitas and Almond Salsa

Recipe by Michelle Tam

Ingredients

• 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt,
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoons crushed dried oregano
• 1 medium orange
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon lard
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
• 1 pkg tortillas
• 2 Hass avocados, peeled and sliced
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 limes, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Grab your boneless pork shoulder roast (a.k.a. Boston butt) and cut it into 2-inch cubes.
2. Plop the pork in a large bowl and sprinkle on the salt, cumin, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Toss well to coat. Then, transfer the seasoned pork to the Instant Pot insert.
3. Use a vegetable peeler to peel wide strips of zest off the orange. Stay close to the surface, making sure you don’t peel into the white pith, ’cause that stuff is bitter. Add the strips of orange zest to the Instant Pot, along with the garlic, quartered yellow onion, and bay leaf.
4. Cut the orange in half and juice it. Pour the juice into the Instant Pot insert and stir to distribute.
5. Place the insert into the Instant Pot and lock the lid. Make sure the valve on the lid is pointed at the “Sealing” position. Press the  “Manual” button (or “Pressure Cook” if you have the new IP-DUO Plus60) and cook on high pressure for 35 minutes.
6. If the pressure hasn’t completely released after 20 minutes and you’re hungry, manually vent the pressure by turning the release valve on the lid. Open the lid and discard the garlic, onion, and bay leaf. Taste for seasoning and add salt if needed. You can shred and serve the pork as-is, or store it in the fridge (with all the liquid/fat) for up to 4 days (or in the freezer for up to 3 months).
7. If you prefer crispy carnitas, heat up a large cast iron skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of your favorite cooking fat.
8. Grab the pork out of the fridge and dig out the pieces of carnitas. Shred the meat up with your fingers.
9. Once the pan is hot, add the pork and fry, stirring occasionally, until it reaches your desired crispness.
10. While the pork is getting crispy, combine the diced white onion and cilantro in a bowl and slice up the avocados. Grab your favorite salsa, and cut up some lime wedges and assemble tacos.

Almond Salsa

recipe by Wes Avila

Ingredients

• 1 red capsicum
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 ounce (28g) chiles de árbol, stems removed but left whole
• ½ to 1 habanero pepper, split lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 3 tablespoons sliced almonds
• 1 pound (453g) small tomatillos, rinsed and peeled
• 2 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
• 1 cup water
• salt
• 2 to 2½ tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

Char the capsicum over a burner or under a broiler until it is well-blackened on all sides. Wrap in a plastic bag and set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel and seed the capsicum. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the chiles de árbol and habanero and toast until fragrant, about 3 minutes; toward the end of toasting, add the pine nuts and almonds and toast until fragrant.

Add the tomatillos, tomatoes, water and three-fourths teaspoon salt, and cook over high heat until the tomatillos are tender, about 5 minutes.

Purée in a blender until smooth, add the red wine vinegar and adjust seasoning. The salsa should be thick enough to generously coat the back of a spoon. This makes about four cups of salsa, more than enough for the recipe. The remainder will keep, covered tightly, in the refrigerator for a week.