The big guy kept me safe and out of the kitchen yesterday - hey, there's been a run on ice and BandAids the last couple of days so he's really thinking about the budget too. He did absolutely all the cooking and waited on me hand and foot - literally. He even did all the clean up too - there's no way he was letting me anywhere near a knife.
Last night's dinner was inspired by a cookbook the big guy brought back from the Sunshine State on his last visit there. The book "Miami Spice" is loaded with specialties celebrating the new Florida cuisine including treats from Latin America, Cuba and the Caribbean.
Cubans love their pork and this shoulder roast spent 24 hours marinating in a Mojo made of copious amounts of garlic as well as orange, lemon and lime juice before it hit the heat. A slow roast outside on the barbecue resulted in extremely moist, tender and absolutely delicious slices of meat with a pleasant tangy citrusy finish. Accompanied by some Florida Slaw loaded with shredded cabbage, bell, poblano and jalapeno peppers, carrot and mango in a creamy orange flavored mayonnaise along with some traditional Tostones (fried, mashed green plantains), dinner was relatively healthy, definitely flavorful and a perfect end to a rather long week.
Cuban Style Roast Pork
(Lechon Asado)
3 to 4 pound pork shoulder or loin of pork
15 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups fresh orange juice (about 4 oranges)
1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 5 lemons)
1 cup fresh lime juice (6 to 8 limes)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
2/3 cup olive oil
Combine garlic, salt, citrus juices, onion, oregano and olive oil in a large zip top container. Add pork and marinate overnight. Preheat oven to 325. Place pork and some marinade in a roasting pan and roast until internal temperature reaches at least 155 degrees. Spoon marinade over roast as needed. (Alternatively, slow roast in a disposable foil pan on the barbecue over indirect heat for approximately half an hour per pound or until meat thermometer registers a minimum of 155). Let roast sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Download Cuban Style Roast Pork
Dressing:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup orange juice concentrate
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
5 cups thinly shredded cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 poblano thinly sliced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 ripe mango, diced
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped
Cilantro leaves, chopped (optional)
Combine dressing with vegetables and serve. Download Florida Slaw
Love pork! Love citrus! Love to try this! hehehehe I bet you Loved the break!
Posted by: Nanan | 08/30/2010 at 07:56 AM
Lea - it is delicious and I can hardly wait for leftovers. Yes, the break was nice and I'm a lucky lady to have a big guy that loves to cook!
Posted by: June | 08/30/2010 at 10:25 AM
Oh man am I drooling right now. This looks so delicious.
The big guy is really racking up the brownie points, isn't he? Enjoy the rest, and take care of yourself.
Posted by: Jessica | 08/30/2010 at 12:47 PM
He's racked up so many points this weekend I may never catch up. Ha.
Posted by: June | 08/30/2010 at 01:33 PM
Oh my gosh this sounds fantastic! And I'm behind on my blog reading so I don't know what the ice and bandaids were for!
Posted by: pam | 08/30/2010 at 02:19 PM
Kitchen accidents Pam. The klutz was at it again.
Posted by: June | 08/30/2010 at 02:57 PM
(small part of me thinks you injured yourself on purpose so you could get out of cooking...am I right big guy?)
Hee!
Posted by: Mags | 08/30/2010 at 03:59 PM
Wah, I'm shattered you'd think that Mags. lol
Posted by: June | 08/30/2010 at 05:35 PM