It feels like summer in Montreal and what goes hand in hand with hot, sunny weather, is picnicking, and dining outdoors! We spend so much time indoors during our colder months that when the weather is warm, we want to spend as much time outside as possible and soak up as much rays of sunshine as we can. The thing we look forward to in Montreal is the siting of food trucks this time of year! Food trucks are all the rage these days. On the food networks, we see food truck competitions and festivals. Every year, Montreal hosts a first Friday food truck festival right outside the Olympic Stadium. On the first Friday of every month, all the food trucks in Montreal gather in one spot along with DJs, games and picnic tables. This year, unfortunately, for the safety of the pubic and to help stop the spread of the virus, these events have been cancelled. We still do, however, have food trucks around the city to get a really yummy dish to enjoy, in private, in a beautiful Montreal park. Montreal has several Mexican taco trucks, which are my personal favourites! Grumann ’88 is one of them! They make the most delicious tacos, pairing unusual combinations.
In honour of Montreal’s taco trucks, I am happy to share one of my favourite Mexican dishes from the Yucatan peninsula. It is Cochinita Pibil tacos. You can get most of these ingredients in one of the many Latin grocery shops in Montreal. I usually go to Marche Andes, located at 436 Belanger, close to the Jean-Talon metro station. There you can find so many wonderful Latin products; fresh meats, vegetables and even baked goods like donuts and churros!
For my version of Cochinita Pibil tacos, you will need the following ingredients:
1 kilo of cubed pork shoulder
1 package of banana leaves
1 bottle of liquid achiote
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of lime juice
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1/2 cup of white tequila
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 teaspoon of seasoned salt
salt and pepper to taste
To turn this mixture into tacos, you will need:
corn tortillas
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of white vinegar
1 cup of water
1 bunch of cilantro
several limes
hot sauce or fresh habanero peppers
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine the cubed pork and all the ingredients. Line a large baking pot with aluminium foil. Next, line the same pot with the banana leaves. Place the pork mixture on the banana leaves and wrap the leaves completely over the pork, tightly. Cover the entire pot with more aluminium foil so no steam can escape. Roast the pork in the oven for 4 to 4.5 hours. There is no need to keep checking it. Simply leave it be and go about your day. Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest for at least 20 minutes. While the meat is resting, you can heat up your corn tortilla in a skillet and make your pickled onions for the tacos. In a small saucepan, place the sliced red onion along with 1 cup of water and the 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce it to low heat. Cover the saucepan and let it stew for a few minutes until the onions are translucent and a beautiful shade of pink.
Uncover your baking pot and remove the foil and unwrap the banana leaves. With a fork, gently tear apart the pork. It will shred very easily. If it doesn’t shred easily, you have not roast it long enough. Once all the meat has been shredded, pour it into another bowl along with all the juices left behind in the pot. Mix it well and let it stand for a few more minutes so all the juices get soaked into the meat.
Take one of your corn tortillas and place a small portion of meat into it. Top the meat with the pickled onions and fresh cilantro. Squeeze some fresh lime and hot sauce to the top.
You can serve these tacos with a fresh corn or green salad.
I hope you will take the time to make these delicious tacos.
We will be posting the recipe on Microsoft Teams where you can access your French or English online lessons.
