Paige Harris What do you get when you mix mouthwatering pork, zesty slaw, and crispy naan in one quick and easy recipe? DELICIOUSNESS!
Okay guys, hear me out. What if you took elements from Indian, Italian, and Hispanic cooking, and threw them all together?
You’d get this masterpiece.
I definitely can’t go around taking all of the credit for this recipe. It was the brainchild of both Jordan and myself. I was craving both pork and Hispanic/Mexican-style flavors, but Jordan refused my pleas for tacos or taco salads. Instead, he suggested we turn it into something a little more interesting.
Thus, the Knife & Fork Carnit-za was born.
We knew that a pizza couldn’t be a pizza without some kind of cheese. And queso fresco was the first to pop into my mind! I knew that I wanted a cheese that would be mild and creamy, and this one definitely fit the bill.
Next, a layer of mouthwatering carnitas. I used my Instant Pot to whip up a tried and true version of the stuff quickly and easily, but I’m sure that you could use a slow cooked version as well. That’s the beauty of these thrown-together recipes: they’re perfect to use up some leftovers!
And of course a pizza needs a sauce — or a salsa verde! Don’t ask me to choose between green and red salsa: I don’t think I’ll ever be able to choose a favorite. But I do have to say, the salsa verde really enhanced the flavor of the pork and onions.
Once the pizzas got all nice and toasty, Jordan decided that they needed a bit more of a crunch — so we added some pizazz with a Trader Joe’s Mango Jicama Slaw plopped right on top. Since we weren’t planning on having to pick up the pizzas, why not pile on the toppings as high as can be?!
I do have to caution you a little bit, though: there’s a reason why it’s called a “Knife & Fork” Carnit-za. Since you’re using salsa instead of a more traditional pizza sauce, the crusts on these babies get a bit soggy in the middle. Not enough to detract from the amazing taste, but definitely enough that I wouldn’t recommend trying to pick up a slice and bite into it!
I’m sure the amount of liquid would also depend on the kind of salsa you use, but I’m too invested in Trader Joes’ that I refuse to buy anything else!
And I mean, come on now, look at this thing. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good these carnit-zas turned out. Give them a try and be sure to let me know how they taste!
Knife & Fork Carnit-za
What do you get when you mix mouthwatering pork, zesty slaw, and crispy naan? DELICIOUSNESS!
Ingredients
Carnitas (Adapted from 40 Aprons’ Recipe)
- 1½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 lb pork loin roast cut into 1-2 inch cubes
- 1 onion sliced into eighths
- 4 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice about 4 medium oranges’ worth
- ⅓ cup lime juice
Pizzas
- 4 pieces of Trader Joe’s Tandoori Naan OR your favorite naan
- 5 oz half a wheel of Cacique Queso Fresco, sliced
- 12 oz jar Trader Joe’s Salsa Verde OR your favorite green salsa
- 1 tub Trader Joe’s Mango Jicama Slaw OR 4 ounces each of shredded green cabbage mango, and jicama
Instructions
-
Combine the first five ingredients in a small bowl to make a rub and smear over your pieces of cubed pork. If you have the time, let the pork marinate up to 2 hours — if you’re in a hurry, move on!
-
Set your Instant Pot to Sauté mode and drizzle a bit of olive oil to coat the pan. Once sizzling, add the pork tenderloin and sear until brown on all sides.
-
Add in the rest of the Carnitas ingredients listed above to the Instant Pot and close the lid. Set to Manual and cook at High Pressure for 15 minutes.
-
When the timer goes off, perform a Quick Release, remove the pork and onions from the pot, and shred. Set aside for now.
-
Preheat your oven to 375*F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
If using frozen naan, quickly thaw the pieces either in your oven or in a toaster oven, just to room temperature. (Skip this step if you’re using fresh!)
-
Lay out a quarter of your sliced Queso Fresco on each piece of naan. It’s okay if they’re a bit spread out. Follow the cheese with a layer of shredded carnitas meat and onions, and top it off with a few spoonfuls of salsa verde.
-
Put into the oven and bake about 10 minutes, or until the pork starts to crisp.
-
Remove from the oven and top generously with your mango jicama slaw.
-
Dig in!
Recipe Notes
Enough ingredients for 4 personal pizzas; I make two at a time since I cook for Jordan and me, (and that’s all that fits on my baking sheet), so feel free to play around with timing so that you can serve 4 correctly if need-be! If you have an oven with two racks, this should be no problem!
