Pork Tinga with Tostadas

These are excellent served in a variety of ways: tacos, tostadas or over rice. I truly enjoy serving them with diced avocado or guacamole. Because you need about 1 1/2 hours to cook down the pork, this is a great weekend family meal.

You will need:

• Tostadas (hom-eade or storebought).
• 2 lbs boneless pork butt roast, trimmed, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 onions – 1 quartered, 1 diced
• 5 garlic cloves – 3 peeled & smashed, 2 minced
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 tbs minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 avocado, halved, pitted, diced
• 2 oz queso fresco, crumbled
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• lime wedges
• salt and pepper

Step one:

In a large sauce pan, bring 6 cups water, pork, quartered onion, smashed garlic, thyme and 1 tsp salt to a simmer over medium-high heat. Skim off foam that rises to the surface. Reduce heat to medium low, partially cover, cook until pork is tender (1.5 -2 hours).

Step two:

Drain the pork, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Throw away onion, garlic, thyem. Return the pork the saucepan and mash it with a potato masher or shred with two forks.

Heat oil in a  skillet over medium-high heat. Add oregano, shredded pork, chopped onion and cook until the pork is brown and crisp (around 7 minutes). Stir in minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, chipotle, bay leaves, reserved pork liquid and simmer until the liquid has evaporated, 5-7 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with avocado, queso fresco, cilantro and limes.