Cuban Mojo Chicken Food

CUBAN MOJO MARINATED PORK

Steps:

• If you have a food processor: Add the orange juice, cilantro leaves, mint leaves, and smashed (not minced) garlic cloves, and pulse until everything is finely chopped. Add this mixture to a ziplock bag, along with the rest of the oil, zest, lime juice, oregano, and cumin.
• If you don't have a food processor: In a large ziplock bag, combine olive oil, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, chopped cilantro, chopped mint, minced garlic, oregano, and cumin. Shake it around a bit to mix it up, then add the pork shoulder.
• Place the zipped up bag in a baking dish, and put it in the fridge overnight, or several hours at least.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a wire rack (I used a cooling rack) over a rimmed baking sheet.
• Place the pork on the rack and discard the marinade. Salt and pepper the pork well.
• Roast the pork for 30 minutes. It should be lightly browned.
• Turn the oven down to 375 degrees F. Roast for another 1 hour and 20-30 minutes, or until a meat thermometer reads 160.
• Transfer to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and let rest at least 20 minutes.
• Carve against the grain and serve.

MOJO CUBAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the mojo marinade: Trim the pork shoulder, removing any excess fat, and tie. Make the mojo marinade by combining the citrus juices and zest, oregano, cilantro, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the garlic and the cumin in a large mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil. Place the tied roast into a resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for 30 to 40 minutes at room temperature. Once marinated, remove from the bag and wipe away any excess liquid. Reserve the marinade.
• For the pork roast: Preheat a 6-quart pressure cooker over medium-high heat. Add the canola oil to the pressure cooker pot and turn to high heat. Sear the roast on all sides. Then add the chicken stock, bay leaves, onions and the reserved marinade. Replace the lid and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the roast is tender, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Remove the roast, transfer to a cutting board and rest for 5 to 7 minutes. Slice thinly.
• For the Cuban sandwiches: Using a serrated knife, halve the Cuban loaves. Begin building the sandwiches. First, spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard onto the bread. Add 5 pickle slices, about 3 ounces of ham and a few slices of roasted pork. Top with 2 slices of the cheese. Finish with the top half of the Cuban loaf. Repeat with the remaining sandwiches.
• To serve: Heat a flat-top griddle pan to medium heat with the olive oil. Place the sandwiches on to the griddle pan and place a weighted cast-iron pan on top to press. Press the sandwiches until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and cut in half. Secure with bamboo skewers and serve immediately.

CUBAN MOJO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Remove the chicken giblets. They can be discarded or saved for other preparations like stocks or gravies. Rinse the chicken inside and out and remove any excess fat. Pat dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper (the marinade has salt and pepper as well but a whole chicken needs quite a bit of seasoning).
• In a small bowl, mix all the Cuban Mojo marinade ingredients. Place the chicken in a large bowl and pour the marinade over the chicken. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for 4 hours or overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrange a rack in the lower third part of the oven.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and place in a large roasting pan. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken.
• Bake the chicken for 1 hour. If the breast is getting too golden, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the breast. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh.
• Remove from the oven and tent with aluminum foil. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. Garnish with lemon and lime slices (optional)

CUBAN MOJO CRIOLLO (MOJO MARINADE RECIPE)

Steps:

• In a mortar and pestle, add the garlic cloves and salt. Mash both until you get a smooth paste.
• In a large mason jar, add the garlic paste, minced onion, black pepper, oregano, cumin, sour orange juice, and olive oil. Close the jar tightly with the lid and shake it until well combined. Be sure to shake well before every use.
• Feel free to taste and adjust seasoning. If you're not a fan of garlic, you can add less (maybe 5 or 6 cloves). This marinade should taste garlicky, fresh, tangy, citrusy, bright, and slightly sour. Never sweet nor spicy.
• This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of mojo marinade which will last approximately up to 3 weeks in an airtight container/mason jar. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

MOJO SAUCE MARINADE

Steps:

• Start by taking apart the garlic head into cloves and remove the papery skin. Next, place the garlic cloves and white onion into a food processor or blender and blend into a finely chopped mixture.
• Then, pour the garlic and white onion mixture into a mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix everything well with a whisk or spoon and let the marinade sit for 45 minutes before using or storing inside the refrigerator.

TRADITIONAL CUBAN RECIPE: CUBAN MOJO (CUBAN MARINADE)

Steps:

• Mash garlic, salt and peppercorns, using a mortar and pestle or use food processor.
• Stir in juice.
• Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes or longer at room temperature.
• *If making it without the oil - stop at this point and this makes a perfect marinade for seasoning, chicken, fish, pork &/or beef.
• Continue with preparing the mojo with oil - after you have stirred in juice add onion & oregano.
• Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes or longer at room temperature.
• In a saucepan heat olive oil to medium hot & then remove from heat.
• Whisk oil in garlic-juice mixture, until well blended.
• Stores for at least a week in the refrigerator.

CUBAN MOJO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven at 350°F
• Add to the food processor, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, lime zest, cumin, oregano, salt, and black ground pepper.
• Process for 10 seconds. You don't want the sauce to become too creamy.
• Add the olive oil and process for 5 seconds, just to combine ever so slightly.
• Add the chicken and chopped onion in a large bowl.
• Pour half of the mojo sauce over the chicken and onions. Cover with cling film, and marinate in the fridge for 3 hours.
• Set aside the remaining half of the mojo sauce for later use.
• When the chicken is done marinating, add chicken and onions the the baking tray, together with the sauce it marinated in.
• Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop up the pineapple, avocado, and cherry tomatoes into small pieces and add them in a small bowl. Mix in the remaining half of Mojo sauce you saved earlier. Your salsa is ready!
• Drizzle pineapple-avocado salsa over baked chicken, serve with steamed rice and beans, and enjoy!

SPICY CUBAN MOJO CHICKEN WITH MANGO-AVOCADO SALSA

Steps:

• Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Place the cumin seeds, garlic, chile pepper, salt, olive oil, orange juice, and lemon juice into the bowl of a blender; grind to a coarse paste. Toss the chicken with the marinade, then place into the refrigerator, and allow to marinate for about 2 1/2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until browned. Place into the oven, and cook until the juices run clear, about 8 minutes. When the chicken is done, remove, cover with foil, and allow to rest for 3 to 5 minutes.
• While the chicken is in the oven, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, lime zest, honey, and soy sauce in a skillet over medium-high heat. Simmer until the orange juice has reduced to 1/3 of original volume and is beginning to get thick and syrupy. Once thick, remove from heat, and whisk in the butter pieces one at a time until melted; set aside.
• To serve, place chicken on the plate and sprinkle with mango and avocado. Drizzle with the sauce, and garnish with cilantro and parsley.

CUBAN MOJO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Place the marinade ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the cilantro is finely chopped.
• Pour the marinade over chicken in a large bowl. Cover with cling wrap and marinate for 12 - 36 hours.

CUBAN MOJO WINGS

Steps:

• Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Dredge the wings in the flour mixture and fry until browned and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, orange zest, lime zest, and 2 teaspoons salt in another large bowl. Mix well.
• Transfer 2 teaspoons of the mojo seasoning to a small bowl and add the sour cream, orange juice and lime juice. Mix to combine.
• Add the melted butter to the remaining mojo seasoning and whisk to combine. Toss the fried wings in the mojo butter. Serve with the sour cream dipping sauce.

CUBAN MOJO CHICKEN WITH MANDARIN-BLACK BEAN SALAD

Steps:

• Combine first 7 ingredients in zip-lock bag, add chicken, seal, and let stand for 20 minutes.
• Remove chicken, reserving marinade. Pat chicken dry with paper towels.
• Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.
• Wipe skillet clean. Add reserved marinade and bring to a boil. Boil 2 minutes, stirring often.
• Cut cooked chicken diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Spoon Mandarin-Black Bean Salad in center of 4 serving plates. Arrange chicken slices around salad, and drizzle chicken evenly with warm marinade.
• Mandarin-Black Bean Salad:.
• Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl. Let stand until ready to serve, tossing occasionally.