Feeding 200 people

Last year Calvin & I were approached by our pastor to see if we would cook the meal for our church's big fall party. We were given a budget, told to expect 200 people and given "make it cooler than burgers" as the only guidance. It went great so this year we did it again!

We did a pulled pork taco bar. 

A number of people asked for our recipes so I want to include them (roughly) below. The desserts were made by my mom but perhaps with enough requests we can get her to share her secrets. 

Pulled pork

Buy raw pork shoulder from your butcher. About 1/2 lb per person you're serving. Rub it generously with a mixture of cumin, paprika, Chili powder, brown sugar, fresh garlic and sea salt. Pour about an inch of Apple cider into the roasting pan you'll be using. Cook at 250degrees for 13 hours making sure the liquid doesn't evaporate. Remove any strings and shred. (If you're using this a main you should toss with a BBQ sauce but for our taco bar we kept it unsauced.)

Serve on authentic corn tortillas with the following:

Slaw

Shred purple cabbage and carrots. Toss with an oil and red wine vinegar dressing. Add red pepper flakes, mexican oregano and sea salt. 

Corn bean salad

A 1:1:1 ratio of corn, rinsed black beans and diced bell peppers. Add lots of fresh squeezed lime, cilantro and sea salt. 

Pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa)

Mix a few diced tomatoes with diced white onion, cilantro, lime juice and sea salt. Usually I would add jalapeños too. 

We also had out: jalapeño, red onion, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, hot red salsa, salsa verde, guacamole, Nacho chips and a veggie tray. 

Butternut squash soup

In an oiled baking dish roast 1 butternut squash cubed, a few onions chopped, a few bell peppers chopped and sea salt. Set a handful of each veggie aside raw. Once soft (15 minutes) cook in chicken stock. Use a hand blender to purée til smooth. Add reserved veggies plus corn and rinsed black beans. Cook half an hour longer.