I know that many of us in this country don't "deal with the swine", but I do. I eat bacon. I eat my Christmas ham religiously each Yuletide season. I make geera pork. I even have a recipe that was shared with me by my facebook buddy Michael for Hoisin Pork. There are pork ribs stashed in my freezer, waiting to be oven barbecued... yes, I am a lover of "the other white meat" and I make no apologies! An interesting tidbit on pork was seen in the online mag Men's Health recently, which stated that ounce for ounce, pork tenderloin has less fat than a chicken breast, and food scientists are finding ways to make pork leaner and leaner every year. Of course, the downside to this is that fat is what makes pork taste so good-which explains why ham and bacon are far more popular than leaner cuts. (As Emeril Lagasse says, "Pork fat rules."). Now when it comes to purchasing pork, you go by the cut. Different cuts are made for different dishes, and usually when you go to the butcher, you can ask for what you want. Today, however, I want to share a couple of recipes with you that are number one favourites in my book. The first is from the book Eat Caribbean, written by Virgina Burke; Roast Pork stuffed with Plantain. The other is for my go-to Chinese classic, Sweet and Sour Pork.
Have fun cooking!
Pork stuffed with Sweet Plantainand Served with Ajili-Mojili (hot pepper and garlic) sauce
Preparation time: marinating overnight + 20 minutes = 1 ½ hours cooking.
(From the book Eat Caribbean by Virgina Burke)
Ingredients for the pork
1 ½ tablespoons adobo seasoning powder
2 lbs. 2 ounces boneless pork shoulder roll
1 firm ripe plantain, peeled and left whole
Ingredients for the Ajili-Mojili (hot pepper and garlic) sauce:
2 scotch bonnet peppers, de seeded and chopped
6 whole peppercorns
6 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup lime juice
2 tablespoons molasses vinegar or distilled white vinegar
½ cup olive oil
Method
• The day before, rub the adobo powder into the pork, all over.
Cover and place in the fridge overnight to marinate.
• If the cut of meat is solid at one end, slice a hole through it so
that the plantain can be shoved in and lined up in the centre
of the cut. Roll the meat around it and tie it securely with
kitchen string.
• Place on a roasting tray and cover it loosely with foil and
place in a 350°F oven and cook it for an hour.
• Uncover the pork and allow the roast to brown for another
30 to 40 minutes, depending on how well done you like your
pork. Don't overcook it or the meat will become dry.
• While the meat is cooking, make the sauce by placing the
hot pepper, peppercorns, garlic and salt in a blender and
blend the ingredients until it forms a puree.
• Pour in the lime juice, vinegar and oil and blend again.
• Remove the pork from the oven and allow to stand for 10
minutes before carving.
• Serve with the Ajili-Mojili sauce and enjoy.
Sweet and Sour Pork
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. pork tenderloin (cut into bite size pieces)
1/2 green sweet pepper (about 2 oz. and cut into pieces)
1/2 red sweet pepper (about 2 oz. and cut into pieces)
2 stalks chive (only the white part, cut into 2 inch length)
1 piece fresh/canned pineapple rings (cut into small pieces)
1 small carrot (sliced thinly into coins)
1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
Oil for frying
Ingredients for marinade
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon corn flour
1/2 teaspoon rice wine (or dry sherry)
Ingredients for frying batter
1/2 cup water
2 ounces all-purpose flour
1 ounce corn starch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 very small egg (important)
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 small pinch of salt
Ingredients for Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
1 teaspoon plum sauce
1/8 teaspoon Chinese rice vinegar (transparent)
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons water
Method
• Cut the pork tenderloin into pieces and marinate with the ingredients for 15-20 minutes.
• Mix the sweet and sour sauce ingredients well and set aside.
• Strain the dry ingredients of the frying batter and then add in the egg, water, and cooking oil to form a thick batter.
• When the pork is well-marinated, transfer the pork pieces into the batter and make sure they are well coated. In a deep skillet, add in the cooking oil enough for deep-frying.
• Once the oil is hot, deep fry the pork pieces until they turn golden brown (about 3 to 5 minutes). Dish out and drain on paper towels.
• Heat up a wok (or heavy duty frying pan) and add in some cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir fry until light brown. Add the bell peppers, cut carrots and pineapple pieces. Stir fry until you smell the cooked peppers and then add in the sweet and sour sauce.
• As soon as the sauce thickens, transfer the pork into the wok and stir well with the sauce. Add in the chopped scallions, do a few quick stirs, dish out and serve hot.
BASIC PORK CUTS
• Feet/Trotters
We call it 'pig foot'. Possibly the cheapest cut, it has fallen out of favour in many countries, although some high class restaurants internationally are bringing it back to their menus. We Trinis, however, create souse from them. Suitable for slow moist cooking.
• Leg
If you've ever wondered where Christmas ham came from, then we've solved the mystery for you. The leg is considered to be the premium pork joint. Roasting joints from the leg are very lean which makes it a more expensive cut of pork. Steaks and diced meat from the leg are also often sold and are suitable for grilling or stir-frying. This part is also cured into ham, gammon roasting joints, gammon steak and the highest quality bacon.
• Loin
My favourite cut of all, the loin runs across most of the back of the pig. This is where many bone-in chops come from as well as joints which can be bone in or boned which is sometimes stuffed and rolled. It is also cured into bacon and bacon rashers which ranges from lean to streaky.
• Ribs
Because there is a lot of bone in the ribs area, this cut is relatively cheap cut to buy. This is the area where spare ribs come from. These have some meat, but not enough to be classed as chops, however they are excellent roasted or barbecued. When sold as a joint it can be treated like a rack of lamb and is suitable for roasting.
• Shoulder
Suitable for roasting, it has a rich flavour and is often sold cut into cubes for casseroles and kebabs, minced or made into sausages. It can also be bought whole, rolled, stuffed and roasted.