These recipe will be in featured in Ann Hazard’s
newest book, Cooking With Baja Magic Dos. It will be available in Fall
2005 throughout Baja and California. The new cookbook will have over 60
new recipes with corresponding stories and all new art. Whether or not you
have Ann’s original cookbook, you will want a copy of Baja Magic Dos! For
more information on Ann and her Baja books, visit
www.bajamagic.com.
Our first two Baja recipes come from author Ann Hazard. Ann is author of the books, Cooking With Baja Magic,
Cartwheels in the Sand
and Agave Sunsets, is a writer who is passionate
about all things Mexican. She’s a third generation Baja Aficionada who has
followed her father and grandfather’s footsteps up and down the world’s
longest peninsula since she was nine. She, her sister and parents flew in
converted World War II cargo planes, landing on dirt roads in obscure
places. The family also took to the roads (dirt, usually) in their camper
and stayed at deserted beaches and in lush palm oases where they were the
only gringos around.
Here are two of Ann's favorite recipes. We have a few
more yummy items on the back burner, so you can check back for more magic
from the Baja kitchen.
Hotel Buena Vista's World Famous Nachos
 I spent 33 years as tourist in the East Cape village of
Buena Vista, midway between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas on the Sea of
Cortez. Last fall, my husband Terry and I sold everything in the States
and moved to Buena Vista. In honor of our favorite hotel in our new home,
we’re sharing their most celebrated recipe. Hotel guests rave about these
Nachos, and eat them by the plateful. In fact, reading the recipe alone is
guaranteed to give all former guests swim-up bar flashbacks.
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Carnitas
 I love to cook carnitas for any sized crowd. It
requires little preparation time, which is a big plus and actually, I’d
have to say, it’s my favorite birthday party fare. The pork is tangy,
crispy but not greasy (the way I do it) and makes a terrific fiesta dish.
As a buffet, serve a platter of steaming carnitas with corn and flour
tortillas, and have your guests make their own burritos filled with the
succulent pork and the condiments listed below. On the side, serve a fruit
or vegetable salad. This recipe for carnitas serves eight to ten. And it's
to die for!
1 4-5 pound lean boneless pork loin roast, with excess fat removed
1 cup salsa verde
1 large onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp seasoned salt
2 tsp pepper
On the side, buffet style:
2 dozen warm corn and/or flour tortillas
1 cup frijoles negros
1 cup thick sour cream sauce
1 can sliced olives (optional)
2 cups Chihuahua or Jack cheese, grated
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 avocados, sliced and sprinkled with lime juice
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and diced
2 bunches of whole radishes, stems removed
1 cup salsa fresca
1 cup salsa verde
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Yeah … it’s about 4:00 in the afternoon and you’re
perched on an underwater barstool. In front of you is a Piña Colada,
Margarita or cold cerveza. Up comes Ricardo with a huge plate of Nachos.
You and three new best friends dig in. Heaven on earth!
2 –3 cups Tortilla chips
1 can refried beans: heat on stove with 1 tbsp bacon fat and 1 tsp milk
sliced jalapenos (to taste)
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
guacamole: 1 avocado, 1 tbsp canned salsa verde and garlic salt to taste
pico de gallo: 1 chopped tomato, 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, ½ chopped white
onion, salt & pepper to taste
On serving platter, place a layer of tortilla chips. Scoop hot refried
beans over chips. Put on as many sliced jalapenos as your palate can
handle. Sprinkle cheese over everything. Nuke for one minute. Top with
guacamole and pico de gallo. Ay, yay yay!
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Place pork roast in 9 x 14 pan. Rub garlic into the roast. Sprinkle with
salt and pepper. Cover with salsa verde and onions. Loosely cover the pan
with aluminum foil. Bake at 300 degrees for four and a half hours, or
until fork tender.
Remove roast from oven. Cool until you can touch the meat comfortably.
Remove from pan and place on cutting board. Skim fat off pan juices. Using
two forks, shred the pork. Remove fat from meat. When all meat is
shredded, return it to the pan and mix the pan juices thoroughly into the
pork.
Return to oven. Cook, uncovered for 30 minutes or until pork is crispy on
top. Remove from oven. Turn pork. Return to oven and cook another 20
minutes, until pork is crispy on top and there is almost no liquid left in
the pan. Serve as suggested above.
Thank you to
Author Ann Hazard from BajaMagic.com for this contribution
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