Make these vegan jackfruit carnitas

Like most things that are good for me – exercise, “moderate” drinking – my vegetarianism can be a struggle to maintain. Sure it’s easy to blame bacon (drool). But that bored, heavy sigh when it’s dinner-making time is the saboteur of selective eaters. Friends, I am just one seitan recipe away from strapping on a feed bag full of ribs.

A recent round of this soy-induced ennui sent me to the food blogs seeking inspiration. I found the same-old same-old. But then I stumbled onto CleanGreenSimple.com and found its gorgeous, brilliant recipe for Carolina pulled “pork” sandwiches made from … fruit! Jackfruit, to be precise. It’s a staple in south and southeastern Asian cuisine and your new BFF.

Looking at a fresh jackfruit, you wouldn’t expect it to inspire anything. In fact, if one snuck into your house, you’d probably whack it with a baseball bat. A fresh jackfruit is humongous, oblong and yellowish green. Like an 80-pound alien booger with tumors. But the inside, ah, the inside of this gentle giant is interesting. Crack open a jackfruit and you’ll find pale yellow, fibrous flesh that vaguely resembles a pineapple. With tumors – er, seeds. OK, the jackfruit is not going to win any beauty prizes, but those fibers and seeds are where the magic happens. They soak up the flavors of the sauce you cook them in. And, yes, when you tear it up, braised jackfruit has the exact look and mouth feel of pulled pork.

Intrigued, I wondered what other off-limit goodies could be vegetized by jackfruit. Could it really replace the pork in my Mexican dream dinner, carnitas?

The good news is that canned jackfruit is available at many Asian grocery stores, so I didn’t have to make 80 pounds of anything. For this recipe, I used the jackfruit labeled “in brine.” (It’s also available “in syrup,” which would probably make a fun dessert or jam, if you’re feeling adventurous.) It would be easy to braise the jackfruit in a barbecue sauce, but I wanted to make something lighter and brighter.

A friend of mine makes a fantastic savory pork dish. Her secret ingredient: orange juice concentrate. So I whipped up a batch of jackfruit using a bit of concentrate for flavor and tomato paste for color. The color part worked, but the jackfruit soaked up so much of the flavor that my carnitas tasted like baby aspirin.

I tried again using freshly squeezed orange juice instead of concentrate. I also added a little molasses and agave, whose crazy alchemy makes anything taste pleasantly smoky. And, yes, this time it worked. Finally, a delicious vegan carnitas recipe that’s as fun to cook as it is to eat.

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Vegan Carnitas
Inspired by a recipe originally published on CleenGreenSimple.com
6 carnitas

• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¹∕⁸ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 20-oz. can Young Green Jackfruit in brine*, drained
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. minced garlic 
  
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup water 
  
• 1 Tbsp. lime juice 
  
• 1 Tbsp. orange juice 
  
• 1 Tbsp. molasses
• 2 tsp. amber agave nectar
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
• 6 small flour tortillas
• ³∕⁴ cup salsa
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced
• ¼ cup freshly chopped cilantro

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

• Add the cumin, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper to a quart-sized Ziploc bag. Seal and shake to combine.

• Place the jackfruit in a colander and rinse off any remaining brine. Pat dry. Using a sharp paring knife, cut the core out of the jackfruit pieces and discard. Cut the fruit into 1-inch wedges. Place the wedges and any seeds that have fallen out into the bag of spices. Seal and shake until all of the pieces are well coated. Set aside.

• Heat the oil in a medium-size skillet. Add the onion and saute until brown and glossy, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

• Add the tomato paste and stir until the onions and garlic are coated. Add the water, scraping up any burned bits on the bottom of the pan.

• Add the lime juice, orange juice, molasses, agave nectar and vinegar. Stir, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.

• Heat a second skillet over medium heat. Add the jackfruit and spices to the dry skillet. Toast the jackfruit, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is slightly dry to the touch and the spices are fragrant, about 5 to 10 minutes.

• Add the jackfruit to the onion mixture and continue to simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 to 25 minutes. Use 2 forks to shred the jackfruit.

• Spread the jackfruit mixture evenly onto a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, watching to make sure it doesn’t burn.

• Divide the jackfruit mixture evenly among the tortillas. Top each tortilla with 2 tablespoons of salsa, avocado slices and chopped cilantro.

* Available at Olive Supermarket, 8041 Olive Blvd., U. City, 314.997.5168, stlouissupermarket.com