Dinner, Puerto Rico style
Christmas is a good time to discover and create holiday meals from around the world
Bing Crosby may be Dreaming of a White Christmas, but do people dream about a white Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or solstice? The rhetoric in asking is because December has more religious and cultural celebrations than any other time of the year. So why not embrace the opportunity to explore them and educate yourself about other cultures and faiths which is easily done through food?
You can develop an understanding of the principals of Nguzo Saba while eating West African Peanut Soup and exploring Kwanzaa or discover the significance of Japanese Omisoka and eating the long toshikoshi-soba noodles that represent the crossing over from one year into the next.
Remember Hanukkah while feasting on fried foods like potato latkes and doughnuts. Celebrate winter solstice with a chalice of “Mulsum,” the ancient Roman mulled wine drank in celebration of Saturnalia. St. Lucia Day would not be the same without the braided St. Lucia Sweet Bread adorned with red ribbons and heady orange scent. The greatest Mexican feasting day of the year serves up moles and leche flan during the Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Puerto Rico and other Latin American countries enjoy sharing Pernil with family and friends throughout the holiday season. It is made by slow-roasting a pork leg (ham) or shoulder (butt) and is typically served with rice and peas. It is best prepared using a large pork shoulder. Take the time to prepare this classic Puerto Rican pork roast which is all too easy to prepare and is worth the time it takes to cook as it will make your home smell incredibly delicious and can feed a gathering of 10-15 people easily.
You can use pork shoulders found in the grocery store however pork from some large scale producers often lacks in flavor compared to the way it was raised years ago. I do suggest spending the extra money and use homegrown Berkshire pork from one of our local butcher shops in the following recipe to create a truly flavorful eating experience for you and your guests.
Puerto Rican Pernil
Ingredients:
1 bone-in pork shoulder, 6-8 pounds 6-10 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large onion, quartered
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. mild chili powder
1 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 3-4 tbsp. cooking oil
1 tbsp. cider vinegar
Juice of four limes
Lime wedges for serving
Method:
Rinse pork in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Using a sharp knife, cut a cross-hatch pattern into the skin of the pork about a ¼ to a ½ inch deep. Next using a food processor, pulse together the garlic, onion, oregano, cumin, chili, salt and pepper with the oil until it forms a paste before adding the vinegar and lime juice.
Set the pork into a roasting pan and vigorously massage the paste into the pork, making sure that it gets into the cross-hatch cuts. Place the pork in the fridge, covered with plastic and let it rest overnight.
When it comes time for cooking, add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and wrap the pan with foil before placing it into a preheated oven at 300°f. A smaller sized shoulder around 4 lbs will take about 4 hours to cook. Larger shoulders in the 8-10 lbs range can take up to 7 or 8 hours to cook. Once an hour you will need to remove the foil and turn the pork over while topping up the water as needed.
Once the meat is cooked and tender you will remove the foil and crank up the heat on the oven to 400°f. Let the roast cook skin side up for 45-60 minutes until the skin becomes crisp which will create chicharrone so long as you watch it closely and don’t burn the skin.
Let the Pernil rest for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting it. The meat should be so tender that you won’t be able to slice it as it will just want to fall apart which is why it is best served cut into chunks allowing everyone to get a piece of the crisp cooked skin. Serve with plenty of lime wedges and peas and rice.
Lakefield area chef Brian Henry owns and operates Chef Brian Henry Private Chef Services: www.chefbrianhenry.com.