Tantalisingly Delicious Pork Served 2 Ways
- yemiking
- Oct 2, 2018
- 3 min read
Before returning to England, I used to spend heaps of time in the kitchen. From savoury to desserts, creating dishes or following recipes and tweaking them was always the highlight of the day.
This summer I have been able to get back in the kitchen, and with two tweens in the household, I have played around with different flavours to get away from dull, cook quick foods the kids have become accustomed to due time constraints and distractions.
Time always being an issue I really had to discipline myself and make an effort to create something that wasn't going to be ready in between, bathtime and homework time. I entered the world of marinading, OVERNIGHT!
How did I get here?
I found an app, Yummly, and it has been great in giving ideas and new challenges in the kitchen. The app has thousands of recipes in a sort of Pinterest style layout. Very pleasing to the eye and gets those taste buds salivating.
An image of a Cuban pork dish appeared on my screen, and I was hooked. The recipe, Cubano sandwich, was actually from the 2014 movie Chef, starring Jon Favreau, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson It looked terrific on the screen it had to be given a whirl.
This post is actually 2 in one. The main ingredient, Pork, needs to roasted first to execute the sandwich.
Roy Choi's Mojo marinated Cuban Roast Pork
Ingredients
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup lightly packed coriander, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
3/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup lightly packed mint leaves, finely chopped
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
Kosher salt
Pepper
3 1/2 lb (1.5kg) boneless pork shoulder, in one piece
Whisk all the all ingredients except for the pork in a bowl. Pour the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag add the pork to the bag and place in a bowl. Keep it refrigerated for 12- 24 hours.
My tweak!
I love tangy lime and coriander combination, so to maximise this, I placed all of the ingredients, except the pork(!), into the food processor and added one extra lime peeled and sliced into the food processor.
I took the liquified marinade and poured the gorgeously fragrant mixture into the resealable bag with the pork and kept it refrigerated for 24 hours.
THE ROASTING
Remove the pork from the Marinade and bring to room temperature. Reserve the Marinade.
Preheat oven to 170C/325F.
Place the pork on a rack in a roasting dish (or on a couple of onions have, to elevate the pork). Cover with a lid or double layer or foil, slightly tented, so it is not pressed tightly against the pork.
Place in the oven and bake for 2 hrs 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes to brown.
Remove from the oven and place on a plate, loosely covered with foil. Rest for 20 minutes before serving with the Mojo Sauce on the side.
Mojo Sauce
Place the reserved Marinade, Mojo Sauce ingredients and 2 tbsp of the roasting pan drippings into a small saucepan. Bring to boil and add salt and pepper to taste. You might also want to add more lime juice or even a touch of sugar. Turn the heat down and simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the stove and set aside.
The Cubano Sandwich!
Ingredients
2 thin slices baked leg ham
4 large, thin slices Roy Choi's Mojo marinated Cuban Roast Pork
2 pieces of white baguettes, 6 inch/15 cm in length, cut in half
Melted butter, for brushing
American mustard
2 thin slices Swiss cheese
2 or 3 dill pickles, thinly sliced
Instructions
Heat skillet over medium heat. Add ham and pork slices, and cook each side until slightly browned then remove to a plate.
Butter cut sides of baguettes then place in the skillet, cut side down, for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Remove onto work surface.
Layer the bottom of the baguettes with pork, ham, then cheese and pickles. Cut, break or fold the ham, pork and cheese, so they fit. Spread the cut side of the bun tops with mustard then place on the sandwich.
Butter the bottom AND top of the outside of the baguettes.
Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Place the baguettes in the skillet, top with a sheet of baking paper then weigh it down with a heavy skillet or pot (use cans if necessary for extra weight, so the sandwich is compressed). Cook for 3 minutes on each side, until dark golden brown and crispy, and the cheese is melted.
Let sandwiches stand 1 minute before cutting in half. Serve IMMEDIATELY.
Yummly App: Itunes / Google Play
Recipes slightly adapted from original posts (see relevant links)
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