Description
Healthy Leftover Pulled Pork Tacos are another use for your Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Shoulder. And a stunning one too with charred sweetcorn, zingy coleslaw, marinated and fried zucchinis and a Peach BBQ Sauce. Topped by orange lime marinated beets, acting like fruity salsa and crunchy hazelnuts on top. No one will ever notice this was made from leftovers.
Ingredients
Sourdough Whole Wheat Tortillas
- 1/2 cup sourdough (or discard)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 whole wheat flour
- 1 cup hot water (or more, if needed)
- 1/3 cup shortening (or vegetable oil)
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Hazelnut Orange Lime Dressing
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts. (Soaked for 1h in hot water or overnight in cold. Drained.)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 limes (zest, and juice)
- 4 oranges (3 zested and juiced. Divided.)
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced. Divided)
- 1 tbsp oregano (fresh, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried))
- 3 tbsp maple syrup (divided)
Salad
- 1 lb pulled pork / (https://forthepleasureofeating.com/slow-roasted-cuban-pork-shoulder)
- 1/4 red cabbage (stalk removed, shredded thinly)
- 1/4 white cabbage (stalk removed, shredded thinly)
- 2 carrots (roughly grated)
- 1 fennel bulb (Inner stalk removed, finely shredded across the grain)
- 2 corn on the cob (leaves and silk removed)
- 2 zucchinis (sliced thinly lengthwise)
- 1 head Romaine lettuce (shredded to your preferred size)
- 1/2 lb (1 pack) steamed mini beets
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp oregano (fresh, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried))
- 1/2 cup hazelnuts (toasted in the oven for 8min, the roughly chopped)
- BBQ Sauce (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Tortillas:
- If you are making your own tortillas, start by making the dough. Just mix all the ingredients and knead (I used a stand mixer) until you have a smooth dough. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rest in the fridge until you are ready to use it. I made mine the evening before, to let the flavours develop and the sourdough do its thing over night.
- Once ready to fry, divide into about 12 pieces and either use a tortilla press or roll them out thinly, while stacking between sheets of cling film or baking parchment.
- Pre-heat a pan to medium high heat (no oil) and fry your tortillas until bubbly and golden. This should take about 30 seconds on the first side. If yours fries much faster or slower, adjust the heat.
- Flip and fry for another 30-40 seconds.
- Keep them stacked on a plate, wrapped into a towel and topped by another plate. The moisture and heat will keep them soft and pliable while you prepare them all.
Hazelnut Orange Lime Dressing:
- If using pre-soaked nuts, add all dressing ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until creamy. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Set aside. If using Nut butter of any kind, you can just stir them together in a bowl until smooth.
Zucchini:
- Mix 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp maple syrup, zest and juice of 1/2 orange, chopped oregano (or dried), and minced garlic for the zucchini marinade. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini slices to a container with a tight-fitting lid or a freezer bag and pour the marinade over them. Close the lid or bag and shake to coat the slices. Set aside.
- When ready, heat a pan on medium-high heat, add the zucchini slices in one layer, and fry until browned on the edges. Turn and fry for another few minutes until both sides have some colour. These can be served warm or cold.
Coleslaw:
- Use a food processor with a slicing blade for red and white cabbage and fennel, and a grater for the carrot.
- Alternatively, thinly slice and grate by hand. In a large bowl, combine the shredded red cabbage, white cabbage, grated carrots, and finely shredded fennel.
- Add ¾ of the hazelnut dressing to the bowl and massage the coleslaw with your hands until the cabbage softens and absorbs the flavour. Refrigerate the coleslaw to allow the flavours to meld.
Sweetcorn:
- Rub the corn cobs with a little olive oil. Heat a pan over fairly high heat, add the corn cobs, and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides. Let them cool.
- Once cool enough to handle, slice the kernels from the cob into a larger bowl.
Beets:
- Use pre-steamed mini beets or marinate them by mixing 1 tbsp maple syrup, juice and zest of ½ orange, salt, and pepper.
- Let them sit to enhance the flavours.
Oranges:
- Cut off the top and bottom of your last 2 oranges. Then, following the curve, slice off the skin and pith, leaving you just with the juicy insides.
- Cut them into slices across.
Pork:
- If using Slow Roasted Cuban Pork Shoulder, slice off the crackling and fat, and re-crisp them in the air fryer, oven, or a pan.
- Pull apart the rest of the pork using two forks.
Assembly:
- Lay your warm tortilla on individual plates, create a bed of shredded Romaine lettuce along the middle, leaving space for rolling on both sides and the bottom. Top the lettuce with the coleslaw and drizzle with some of the remaining hazelnut dressing.
- Arrange the zucchini, sweetcorn kernels, beets, and orange slices on top of the coleslaw. Place the pulled pork on top and sprinkle with the toasted, chopped hazelnuts.
- Optionally, drizzle a little BBQ sauce over the pork.
- For rolling: Either use them in a U shape like in the pictures. Or, if you have bigger soft wraps, fold one side over, then the bottom, finishing with the third side and you have yourself an easy to eat wrap. It will still be drippy, but very delicious.
Notes
The equipment section may contain affiliate links to products I know and love.
Meal Prep
Due to the various parts in this that actually profit from marinating and resting, these Healthy Leftover Pork Tacos are perfect for meal prep. Coleslaw, dressing, beets, zucchinis, and tortillas do all particularly well when made the day before, as they flavours can mingle.
For the rest: I tend to prepare everything on a weekend day, the store the separate parts in lidded containers in the fridge. That way, I just have to assemble and maybe briefly heat pulled pork and tortillas in the microwave and I have a fabulous workday meal ready in 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Main Course
- Method: Chop/Fry
- Cuisine: American, Fusion
Nutrition
- Calories: 413
- Sugar: 19
- Sodium: 570
- Fat: 18
- Saturated Fat: 3
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 8
- Protein: 13
- Cholesterol: 16









