Happy Mexican Independence Day!

It's fiesta time! It's Mexico's bicentennial. To help celebrate it's 200 years of independence, on behalf of US Importers of Avocados from Mexico, Roberto Santibanez, an award-winning chef and Mexico City native, and owner of Fonda in Brooklyn, stopped by with some recipes from South of the Border.

Guacamole Recipe
From www.theamazingavocado.com
Ingredients
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons finely chopped yellow onions
2 teaspoons minced jalapeno or Serrano chilies, seeds and membranes removed, if desired
kosher or coarse salt
2 large ripe Avocados, peeled and seeded
2 tablespoons cored, seeded, and finely chopped plum tomato (1 small tomato)
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
warm tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
-Mash together 1 tablespoon of the cilantro, 1 teaspoon of the onion, 1 teaspoon of the chile, and ½ teaspoon of salt in the bottom of a molcajete or medium-size bowl.
-Add the Avocados and gently mash with a fork until chunky-smooth. Fold the remaining cilantro, onion, and chile into the mixture.
-Stir in the tomato and lime juice, adjust the seasonings to taste, and serve with a basket of warm corn tortilla chips. Yields 4 servings

Carnitas
From Chef Roberto Santibañez of Fonda Restaurant.

To make tacos with Carnitas you first need to make the Carnitas. Here is a simple version for home cooks to produce tender pieces of pork that will be the closest thing in flavor and texture to the traditional Carnitas, which are cooked in the enormous cooper pots in Mexico with the whole pig in the pot.

Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 2 hours
Serves 8 regular portions, or enough for 24 to 32 tacos or around 10 Tortas

Ingredients:
4 lb fatty pork butt (shoulder), cut into 2-inch pieces
2 oz pork lard or vegetable oil
3 cups water
½ orange, cut into 2 pieces
1 medium white onion, thinly sliced
8 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons dried oregano, preferably Mexican
2 teaspoons fine salt (or 4 teaspoons coarse salt)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk

Method:
Put all the ingredients in a wide 6- to 7-quart heavy pot (don't worry if pork is not completely covered) and bring to a boil, skimming surface as necessary. Simmer vigorously over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pork is tender and the liquid has completely evaporates, about 1 ½ hours. Discard the orange and bay leaves.

Lower the heat to medium and continue frying the pork in the fat left in the pan, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Carnitas keep in the refrigerator 3 days. If you prefer, you can do the browning in the oven (right away or when you reheat the carnitas) Preheat the oven to 450°F and cook until browned, 20 to 30 minutes.

TACOS DE CARNITAS
Method:
Shred the meat and serve warm in corn tortillas along with any salsa you like, like “salsa verde” extra chopped onion and cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice are always appreciated.