What is it about chicharrones that gets people so excited? For a 5 de Mayo weekend wine-tasting, I picked up some chicharrones and queso fresco from Los Piños market in Cloverdale for the occasion. I served these up with aguacate y queso fresco.
On Saturday's the first batch comes out around 10am/11am. They were hot and fragrant when I got them back to the house and perfumed the air. The first guest to arrive stepped in the door, sniffed a few times, and said, "are you making carnitas? chicharrones?" When I pointed to the pile of fried pork rinds with meat on the kitchen counter that I needed to cut up, she volunteered for the task to get her hands on them. Then nearly all the other guests did an "omigod, chicharrones!" when they saw them on the table and dove right in. The table was loaded with lots of other things to eat, but the emotional draw was definitely these porky bites.
So, if you want to have happy guests, get yourself some fresh chicharrones from your favorite carniceria.
Recipe for aguacate y queso fresco con chicharrones -
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/30572
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Los Pinos Deli & Market
3 Tarman Dr, Cloverdale, CA
Last weekend I took advantage of the sunny skies and warm weather to take a seat outside Los Pinos Market (aka Corner Deli) to enjoy a couple tacos. The deli department had recently reopened and now has outdoor seating. The carne asada was too dry, but the carnitas was quite good. Very spicy roasted tomato salsa too.
Last month I stopped at Los Pinos to grab some tacos to go. Two carnitas and two carne asada with perfectly sweated corn tortillas dressed with everything including a very good salsa verde. I've been enjoying the carne asada in torta form as well. Los Pinos uses tri-tip and grills it over charcoal.
A photo from this summer of the warm carnitas torta from Los Pinos Market. Gussied up with a smear of avocado and adobada cheese along with the usual garnishes of tomato, shredded lettuce, freshly sliced red onion, pickles and mayo on a Dutch crunch roll. No refritos.
Great sandwiches are as much about proportion and tight construction as they are the ingredients. This one has it all.
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