Puerto Rican Pork Roast

1 (4 1/2 to 5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast
12 medium cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tablespoon dried powdered oregano
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar or freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil

Rinse pork shoulder under cold running water. Pat it dry with paper towels. Cut shallow slits with a small sharp knife all over the pork shoulder.

Make an adobo, a garlic-spice rub. Purée the garlic with the oregano, salt, black pepper and vinegar or lime juice in a food processor or electric blender. Pour in the olive oil and blend well. You can also make the adobo the old-fashioned way by crushing the garlic, oregano and slat and pepper with a mortar and pestle, and then combining the crushed garlic mixture and the vinegar and oil.

Place pork in a shallow roasting pan, then pour the adobo over it. Rub the adobo into the pork with your fingers, forcing it into the slits. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and marinate it in the refrigerator overnight.

Roast the pork at 350 degrees F, basting regularly with pan juices, until tender, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the pork from the pan to a carving board and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve the pork hot or warm, with accompaniments of your choice.

Roast Pork a la Criolla (Puerto Rico)

Criolla (also known as Creole throughout Latin America) refers to the first generation born in a new country. This dish was probably fixed by the first generation of Spanish born in Puerto Rico, using oregano which was brought to the islands from the Mediterranean. This pork roast is traditionally made with fresh ham.

1 (3 pound) boneless pork single loin
    roast or boneless fresh ham roast
    (inside round), netted or tied
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon salt

In a small bowl, mix together all seasonings, then rub this mixture on all surfaces of the pork roast. Place roast in shallow pan and roast at 350 degrees F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer inserted reads 160 degrees F. Remove roast from oven; let rest 5 to 10 minutes before slicing to serve.

Serves 8.

NOTE: Use leftovers for Cuban Sandwiches.

Masitas de Cerdo (Puerto Rico, Cuba and Central America)

These chunks of pork are traditionally made with pork shoulder and are fried. They are similar to carnitas, the braised pork cubes found on Mexican menus.

1 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin, cut into 1-inch cubes
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 cup sour orange juice (or use 1/4 cup orange
    juice and 1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Place pork cubes in a self-sealing plastic bag; mix together remaining ingredients and pour over pork cubes; seal bag and refrigerate overnight.

Remove pork from marinade, discarding marinade, and place pork cubes in a shallow baking pan. Roast at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, until pork is tender. Remove to serving platter and serve hot.

Serves 6.

Mango-Marinated Beef Kabobs

1 small ripe mango
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 drops red pepper sauce
1 pound beef boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 large firm bananas, each cut into 6 pieces
12 (1 1/2-inch) cubes fresh pineapple

Pare and remove seed from mango; place mango in blender container. Cover and blend on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.

Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender. Mix onion mixture, mango, brown sugar, curry powder, vinegar, salt and pepper sauce in a non-reactive bowl. Stir in beef. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours.

Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade. Alternate beef, banana and pineapple pieces on each of four 14-inch metal skewers. Brush marinade over all sides of fruit. Set oven to broil or 550 degrees F. Broil kabobs with tops about 4 inches from heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Turn; brush with marinade. Broil until beef is of medium doneness and fruit is brown, 7 to 8 minutes longer. Heat remaining marinade to boiling. Serve kabobs with marinade and hot cooked rice, if desired.

Yields 4 servings.

Jamaican Stewed Chicken

5 to 6 pounds chicken pieces (your choice)
1 litre bottle catsup
2 to 3 large onions
2 to 3 medium tomatoes diced (optional)
Black pepper, to taste
Oil (for frying)

Clean chicken and place in a large bowl. Slice the onions into thick slices and separate into rings; add to the chicken. If using tomatoes, dice them and add to chicken. Add the bottle of catsup and the black pepper (at least 1 teaspoon is recommended). This dish should be spicy, but you can use less without affecting the taste. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

Heat oil; brown chicken on all sides, then place in a covered oven dish. Add about 1/2 litre of water to the catsup mixture, until you have a smooth, but not thick, consistency. Pour over the chicken. Bake at 325 degrees F for about 2 hours or until the chicken just falls off the bones.

This is good served with steamed rice.

Jamaican Chicken with Sweet Potatoes

8 skinless chicken thighs
2 large sweet potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup canned, unsweetened pineapple chunks
    (reserve the liquid)
2 bananas, cut into chunks
1/2 cup chopped unsalted peanuts
2 tablespoons or more vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides over medium-high heat, adding more oil if necessary. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces to taste.

Cut the potatoes into quarters. Add the potatoes, the orange and pineapple juices, and the bay leaf to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, partially covered, turning the chicken once. The potatoes should be tender and the chicken pieces cooked through.

Remove the chicken and potatoes and keep them warm. Discard the bay leaf. The pan juices should be thick and syrupy. If not, cook over high heat until they’re reduced to a sauce consistency. Add pineapple chunks and bananas. Heat through. Pour the fruit mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle the peanuts over the top.

Jamaican Beef Patties

Dough
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
5 tablespoons cold water

Mix together dry ingredients thoroughly in a medium size mixing bowl. Add vegetable shortening and cold water; rub them into the seasoned flour with your fingers until you have a stiff dough. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add more cold water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling.

After the filling is made, roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to 1/8-inch thick. Cut the dough into circles 5 inches in diameter. This is easily accomplished by pressing the edges of a 5-inch diameter plate or bowl into the dough, and then following the outline with a sharp knife to cut the circles. Roll out the scraps and cut more circles until all the dough is used.

Assemble beef patties by spooning about 1 1/2 tablespoons filling on one side of a pastry circle. Fold the other half of the circle over the filling so the edges meet, forming a half-moon. Seal the edges by pressing lightly with your fingertips and then with the tines of a fork. Place the beef patties on a baking sheet. Brush the tops of the beef patties with the beaten egg and bake them on the upper rack of a preheated 400 degree F oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the beef patties from the oven and transfer them to wire racks. Serve them while they are still warm.

Makes about 1 dozen.

Filling
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian link
    sausage, removed from casing
1 medium yellow onion, finely minced
1 large clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 Scotch bonnet chile or 1 jalapeño,
    seeded and finely minced (optional)
1/2 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water
2 medium scallions, root ends removed, minced
1 large egg yolk, beaten

Sauté ground beef, sausage, onions, garlic and chile in a large skillet over medium-high heat until brown, about 15 minutes, breaking the meats up with a fork as they cook. Reduce heat to low; add bread crumbs, curry powder, thyme, sage, salt, pepper and water. Cook the filling, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Stir in the scallions. Remove from the heat and allow the filling to cool to room temperature.

Cuban Tamales

24 dried corn husks (hojas)
2 cups corn kernels (may use frozen
    sweet corn kernels, defrosted)
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter (at room temperature)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Salt, to taste
1/3 to 1/2 cup cornmeal

Soak the corn husks in hot water for 1 hour.

Purée the corn kernels with the milk and butter in food processor; then add the sugar, salt and 1/3 cup cornmeal; blend quickly. Add more cornmeal only if the batter seems too liquid. Transfer to a bowl. Wash and dry the processor bowl.

Chicken Sofrito Filling
1/2 to 1 habañero chile, stemmed, seeded
1 red or green jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded
8 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
10 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, diced tomato
1 small cooked potato, diced
1/4 cup raisins (plumped in hot water)
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

With the food processor running, drop the chiles and garlic through the feed tube; they should be finely minced. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick sauté pan. Add the onions and cook until softened; push to one side and add the chicken. Sauté until lightly browned.

Add the garlic-chile mixture; sauté 1 minute. Add the tomato, potato, raisins and capers. Season with the cumin, salt and pepper. Remove from heat.

Combine the filling and the corn batter. Place about 1/2 cup of the mixture in the middle of a corn husk. Wrap the husk around the mixture and tie on both ends with string. Continue with remaining tamale mixture and corn husks.

Steam the tamales over barely simmering water for 1 hour. Check on the water level from time to time; add boiling water, if necessary.

Yields 10 tamales.

Cuban Roasted Pork

1 small (3 to 4 pound) pork shoulder or loin roast
Juice of 2 lemons or 1 cup sour orange juice
4 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons black pepper
3 teaspoons dried oregano
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced

Marinate pork roast in sour orange or lemon juice for 2 to 3 hours.

Remove pork from juice. Season with salt, pepper, oregano and garlic. Place in roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake 300 degrees F for 2 1/2 hours or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F.

Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Remove foil and bake 15 minutes to brown meat. Remove from oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Cut into 3/4-inch slices. Top with sliced onions for garnish.

Makes 6 servings.

Chicken and Vegetable Stew (Saucochi di Gallinja)

1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) broiler-fryer chicken, cut up
6 cups water
2 tablespoons instant beef bouillon
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, cut into 1/2-inch slices
3 ears sweet corn, cut into 3 pieces
1/4 pound winter squash, pared and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 cup)
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
1 small hot chile pepper, stemmed, seeded and sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Chopped chives

Heat chicken, water and bouillon to boiling in Dutch oven; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Skim off fat. Add remaining ingredients except chives. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until thickest pieces of chicken are done and vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Garnish each serving with chives.

Yields 8 or 9 servings.