Brined Pork Shoulder Cooked In A Caja China With Sour Orange Dipping Sauce Food

STUFFED PORK SHOULDER "A LO CAJA CHINA"

Steps:

• Remove bone and flatten meat so that it may be rolled. If the pork shoulder is very fatty, a small amount may be removed. Score fat well and marinate for a minimum of 12 hours in the sour orange juice, garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• Line meat with ham slices, bacon slices, prunes and guava shells. Roll meat carefully to keep the filling inside the roll. Tie firmly with a butcher twine. Cover with brown sugar and 1/2 bottle of Malta and cook for 1 hour in the preheated oven. At this point, turn the meat, cover with the remaining Malta and cook for an extra hour, or until the pork reaches a temperature of 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Allow to cool and cut into fine slices. Pour the drippings over the meat after slicing the meat. Serve with the Fried Green Plantains, White Rice, and Black Beans.
• Preheat oil in a fryer or Dutch oven to 365 degrees F. Peel the plantains and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place into preheated oil and fry for 5 minutes or until they begin to brown. Drain them on a paper-towel lines plate. Flatten them using a Tostonera or the bottom of a metal can and fry again at 385 degrees F for approximately 3 minutes. Drain again and sprinkle with salt and garlic mojo. For softer fried plantains, soak for a few minutes in salted water after the first fry, drain and fry again.
• Yield: 8 servings
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Chop up the garlic very thinly or crush using a mortar and pestle or food processor with the salt to form a thick paste. In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic paste and juice, and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer.
• Heat oil in a shallow casserole and brown garlic. Take it off the heat and remove garlic from the oil. Add water and salt to the oil and bring to a rolling boil. Add the washed rice and stir. Bring to a rolling boil again, cover and cook over low heat for approximately 30 minutes.
• Yield: 20 servings
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Wash the beans and soak overnight in the water. When the beans swell, cook in the same water until soft, about 45 minutes. Heat 1 cup oil in a frying pan, add onions, garlic and green peppers. Add 1 cup of the beans to the pan and mash. Add this to the beans together with the salt, pepper, if using, oregano, bay leaves and sugar. Allow to boil for a 1 hour then add the wine and vinegar allowing to cook uncovered for a while. Add the 4 remaining tablespoons olive oil just before serving.
• Yield: about 20 servings
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Inactive Prep Time: 12 hours

PORK SHOULDER LETTUCE WRAPS WITH KIMCHI

Steps:

• Whisk the cola, cilantro, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar pepper and garlic in a large baking dish. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover the baking dish and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
• Prepare the grill for indirect grilling, with part of the grill at high heat. Remove the pork from the marinade 30 minutes before grilling to take the chill off.
• Grill the pork until charred, about 3 minutes. Flip the pork and grill for another 3 minutes. Both sides of the pork should be nicely charred. Move the pork to indirect heat, cover the grill, and cook for about 5 minutes until a meat thermometer inserted in the pork registers 150 degrees F. Remove the pork from the grill and set aside, loosely tended with foil, about 10 minutes.
• Cut the pork, against the grain, into thin strips. Fill the lettuce leaves with some of the pork, a drizzle of the Gojuchang Sauce and top with the Quick Kimchi.
• Put the cabbage in a large bowl. Make an ice bath in a larger bowl.
• Combine the vinegar, fish sauce, gochujang, honey, ginger, garlic and chiles in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a simmer and immediately pour over the cabbage. Set the bowl of cabbage in the ice bath and cool, tossing occasionally. When the cabbage is cool, add the cilantro and onions.
• Whisk the gochujang, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, seeds, sesame oil, garlic and onions in a small bowl.

PARCHMENT-STEAMED GROUPER WITH MARTINI RELISH, CRISPY HERBED COUSCOUS AND SOUR ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the sour orange sauce: Bring the orange juice to a boil in a small nonreactive saucepan (nonstick is best) over high heat. Cook, whisking occasionally and skimming any foam that rises to the top, until very thick, about 20 minutes. Lower the heat as the orange juice reduces to avoid burning. Whisk in the honey about 15 minutes into cooking, or whenever the foaming subsides.
• Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and let cool slightly. Whisk in the lime juice, olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Taste -- it should be sour but balanced; whisk in a bit more honey if needed. Let sit at room temperature while you make the rest of the dish. (The sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before serving.)
• For the martini relish: Combine the olives, peppers, shallots, jalapeno, dill, parsley, olive oil, vinegar and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. (The relish can be made up to 1 day in advance without the dill and parsley; store in the refrigerator. Add the herbs just before serving.)
• For the crispy herbed couscous: Put 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Heat the oil in a medium nonstick pan until it shimmers. Add the cooked couscous and press into an even layer. Cook without stirring until the couscous becomes lightly golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes. Flip the couscous with a spatula; it will break up, but that's OK -- you want to get as much of the crispy bottom on top now. Cook, pressing occasionally, to crisp the second side, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss in the pan to break up the crispy bits, then remove from the heat. Toss with the dill and parsley.
• For the parchment-steamed grouper: Remove the fish from the refrigerator 15 minutes before baking. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut four large parchment paper circles or hearts. Place each piece of fish slightly off-center on a piece of parchment. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, scatter with parsley leaves and torn dill, and drizzle with olive oil and white wine.
• Fold the parchment over the fish and crimp the edges tightly in 1/4-inch folds to create a half-moon shape. Make sure you press as you crimp and fold to seal the packets well; otherwise, the steam will escape. Arrange the packets on a baking pan and bake for exactly 7 minutes.
• Using oven mitts, place each packet on a dinner plate. Let sit for 1 minute, then carefully open the parchment. Drizzle with sour orange sauce and top with martini relish, followed by a touch more of the sauce. Sprinkle couscous around and on top of the fish. Serve immediately.

BRINED ROAST RACK OF PORK WITH APPLE CHUTNEY AND SOUR MASH SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring the water, apple juice concentrate, salt, sugar, onion, peppercorns, mustard seeds, thyme and bay leaves to a simmer in a large stock pot and cook until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Let cool completely. Submerge the roast in the brine by placing a plate on top, then cover with plastic and refrigerate for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Season the pork all over with salt and pepper and cook on both sides until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the pork to a baking sheet and finish cooking in the oven until cooked to an internal temperature of 150 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil, for 10 minutes.
• While the pork is roasting, add the whiskey to the saute pan that the pork was cooked in, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, and cook until almost completely reduced. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to a sauce consistency. Whisk in the butter, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the parsley.
• Cut pork into chops, top each chop with some of the Apple-Ginger Chutney, and drizzle a little of the sauce around the pork chop and over the chutney. Garnish with parsley sprig.
• Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 minute. Increase the heat to high, then add the orange juice, brown sugar, and honey and bring to a simmer. Stir in the apples, allspice, and salt and pepper, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the apples are soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Serve with the pork.