A Taste of the Islands, Cuban Mojo Pork Loin Roast

Here you go, 
if you’re craving a spicy taste 
of the islands…

Most Cuban’s make Cuban pork roast, Lechón Asado con Mojo, by roasting a whole pig that has been slow-coked in a pit or a Caja China over charcoal, with skin that is nice and crispy. 

For most of us, it is much easier to use a smaller cut of pork, such as the traditional pork shoulder or picnic cut and roast it in the oven.  

I went even further and swapped the fatty pork shoulder with a boneless pork loin roast to cut the large amount of fat and roasted it on a roasting pan rack in the oven.  

The flavor here comes from the mojo, the citrusy sauce, marinade…  

This mojo is a great combination of tangy and savory flavors.  It’s a mishmash of several different, similar recipes I saw while surfing the internet ~ basically citrus juices, spices and oil.  

It’s Cuban mojo pork loin roast with unbelievably tender meat and crisp, crackly skin!

Make Cuban sandwiches out of the leftovers!

Yield: 4-6 servingsAuthor: Pam

Cuban Mojo Pork Loin Roast

Try this pork recipe for a taste of the islands.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds boneless, pork loin roast
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup sherry

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place pork roast in a zip top bag.
2. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, pour mixture over pork.
3. Marinate in refrigerator for a couple of hours, or overnight.
4. When ready to roast, place meat in roasting pan or rack, reserving marinade.
5. Roast until completely cooked (145°), about 1½ hours, basting occasionally.
   Let roast rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
6. Serve

Enjoy!

Cuban Picadillo Sloppy Joes plus Tetrad with a Blood Moon and a Happy Anniversary…

I’m envious of our good Canadian friends who vacation in Cuba frequently ~ this recipe is about as close as we will get to it!

Anyway, I love picadillo!  (Say peek-ah-DEE-yoh.)  It’s derived from the Spanish verb “picar,” which means to mince into small pieces.  The basic ingredients are ground beef, onions and tomatoes, with each Latin American country having its own rendition, but its heart belongs to Cuba.

What makes the Cuban-style hash especially appetizing is the addition of green olives, capers and raisins or currants ~ it’s a great mixture of salty and sweet, with different textures and various flavors, blending together to form the distinctive Cuban dish. 

I took it one step further, and turned the picadillo into sloppy joes.  This makes a lot:  if there is any left over, you are the lucky one, as it’s even better then!  It’s comfy, home-style cooking at its best!

Cuban Picadillo Sloppy Joes

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1½ cups onion, chopped

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

2 pounds 90% lean ground beef

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 (15-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes, undrained

1/3 cup tomato paste

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ cup dried currants

½ cup green olives with pimento, chopped

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained

Hamburger buns

Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add onion and garlic, sauté 3 minutes.

Add beef to pan, crumble and brown.

Stir in ingredients through brown sugar.

Reduce heat to low; simmer about 20 minutes, until liquid reduces, stirring occasionally.

Stir in currants, capers and olives, cook for 5 minutes.

Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Makes 10-12 sandwiches

Buen provecho!

By the way…

 

Tonight and tomorrow, kicks off a tetrad:  the first of four lunar eclipses in a row ~ the only such quartet in a span of 28 years.   A full lunar eclipse in North America will occur, presenting a blood moon.  Mars will be closest to Earth for the year.  It’s around 1:00 a.m. CST, and will last 78 minutes.  I hope to see it!  Will you be watching?

And it’s our 47^th wedding anniversary tomorrow!  Our anniversary, a total lunar eclipse, income tax day, what a day!

 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DEAR BILL!!!

   

Cuban-Style Spicy Grilled Salmon

I was deciding how to cook the salmon fillets I bought, when I came across this good recipe.

It’s adapted from a Three Guys from Miami recipe.  The marinade infuses the salmon with delicious spices.  This recipe works great with about any type of fish fillet ~ any fish you like with the skin on.  The skin will keep the fillets from shrinking and will keep the fish from sticking to the grill. 

This is a keeper and my go-to marinade for fish! 

Cuban-Style Spicy Grilled Salmon 

Ingredients:

2 (6-ounce) fillets of salmon
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley (or cilantro)
½ teaspoon oregano
3 green onions, sliced
1 scant teaspoon red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper

Method:

Place marinade ingredients in a large plastic bag and mix well.
Add salmon to mixture and marinade for up to 2 hours, no longer.
Place on hot grill, skin side up, just long enough to put grill marks on the flesh.
Flip and move to cooler side of grill, and cook on low heat until the salmon flakes with a fork.
Serve 


ENJOY!

Stuffed Cuban Pork Tenderloin

We definitely have a fondness for Cuban food resulting from our first visit to Key West years ago.   While vacationing, we enjoyed our first Cuban sandwich at the Roof Top Café and were instantly hooked on the great flavors!

Our Canadian friends make us envious by telling us about their trips to Cuba ~ about the beauty of Cuba and the delicious spicy cuisine.  However, until Americans can easily travel there, Miami and Key West are about as close as we can venture to Cuba so all I can do is recreate those spicy flavors in a sandwich or roast for now.

This recipe for was in Cooking Light magazine.  The pork is tangy with just the right amount of spice.  I swapped 1/3 cup of cilantro for dried oregano.   

The pork is tender and just melts in your mouth.  We really like how flavorful it is from the first bite to the last. 

Off the subject ~ I’d like to share with you the view out my back door this morning.  As I am writing this, the sliding door is open to a cool breeze and the only sounds to be heard are the birds chirping and the gas from the hot air balloon.  There’s nothing like early morning peace and quiet and a cup of strong black coffee!

Now, back to the pork:

Stuffed Cuban Pork Tenderloin

Adapted

Ingredients:

1 (1-pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed

2 tablespoons whole-grain Dijon mustard

3 thin slices Swiss cheese, halved

1/3 cup chopped bread-and-butter pickles

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Method:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of the tenderloin two-thirds of the way through the meat. Open halves, laying tenderloin flat.

Place tenderloin between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or heavy skillet.

Spread mustard evenly over pork and sprinkle with cilantro.

Arrange cheese and pickles over pork in a single layer.

Roll up, starting with long side; secure pork at 1-inch intervals with twine.

Combine salt, pepper and oregano and sprinkle over pork.

Place the pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray.

Grill 22 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°, turning after 11 minutes.

Remove from grill.

Let stand covered for 5 minutes.

Cut into 12 slices.

Que rico!  Buen apetito!

Cuban-Style Roast Pork

I like Cuban food so when I see a recipe for it, I am attracted like a moth to a flame. This pork recipe definitely has a Cuban flair and delivers a succulent roast with a punch that is adapted from a recipe in the Chicago Tribune a while back. 

This is a full flavored-combination of garlicky citrus-infused pork that becomes fork tender after roasting.  Although I made this in the oven since it has been so chilly and rainy here for grilling, it would be just as good (better?) if done on the grill.  Then I let it marinade at least 4 or 5 hours and hand it over to Bill who is the master of our grill.  

By the way, are any of you familiar with pork roast supreme?  I’ve roasted a lot of pork over the years but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a “supreme” roast.  The butcher told me that it is similar to a loin roast but has more fat which keeps the meet from drying out.  He was right; it was very moist and tender.

This is not really food related but I just want to share with you a photo of the lilacs I picked from one of our lilac bushes yesterday.  They are definitely one of my favorite flowers and now their intoxicating smell drifts through the house just like it’s clinging in the air outside.  To me there is absolutely nothing like the heavenly scent of lilacs in the spring time!  Here’s hoping you too can take time to smell the lilacs!!!

Cuban-Style Pork Roast 

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cups lime juice
2/3 cup orange juice
1½ teaspoons ground dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 pork roast supreme boneless, about 3 pounds
1 onion, sliced into rings

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except the pork, onion and garlic sal
in a bowl.
Using a long think knife, make deep gashes all over the flesh.
Season the pork with garlic salt and place in a deep bowl.
Pour marinade over the pork, spreading onion rings over the
top.
Cover well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 
hours.
Remove pork from marinade and transfer to a baking dish.
Place the marinade in a saucepan and add the onions.
Heat to a boil, cook 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and arrange onions over roast and spread
some marinade over the roast.
Reserve remaining marinade for a basting sauce.
Place roast in 350 degree oven.
Baste every 15 minutes or so.
Bake for 1 hour or more until meat thermometer registers 150
degrees.  (The meat temperature will rise another 10 degrees while it rests.)
Slice and serve.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Cuban-Style Picadillo

Have you ever eaten Cuban Picadillo? If you haven’t, you’re in for a treat! 

Picadillo, also known as Cuban meat sauce, is a thick, stew-like dish of ground beef, tomato sauce, garlic, raisins and capers that is simmered over low heat to combine the flavors.  Serve it over rice or even corn bread, with black beans on the side.  It isn’t a fancy company dish but, it is great for a week night dinner and it will make your mouth water as it is cooking and fills your house with a fragrant aroma. 

This dish is eaten in many Latin countries but, the Cuban and Puerto Rican versions contain olives.  The briny, salty taste of the olives and capers is mellowed out with the sweetness of the raisins.  If you like, you could add chopped apples to the mixture also. 

Cuban-Style Picadillo is not spicy and other than the chopping of vegetables, it can pretty much take care of itself once you start it cooking.  It can set until you are ready to eat and in fact, is better if allowed to set for a few minutes. 

It can be on your table in half an hour!  Comfort food all the way!

Cuban-Style Picadillo

Printable recipe

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, diced

2 tablespoons garlic, minced

4 to 6 ounces tomato sauce

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ green bell pepper

1/3 cup olives, sliced in half

¼ cup red wine, optional

2 tablespoons raisins, depending on taste

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Brown meat, onions and garlic.

Add remaining ingredients and cook for about 20 minutes, till mixture is moist but, liquid has evaporated.

It should be on the dry side, not saucy, soupy or “ tomatoey” at all.

Serve on top of rice, cornbread or black beans along with a salad dressed in vinegar and oil and you’re ready to eat! 

Enjoy!

Cuban Sandwich

Have you ever had the pleasure of eating a Cuban Sandwich? It is the Latin variation of ham and cheese that is believed to have been first served in restaurants in Cuba in the 1930’s. 

The sandwiches were very popular with the workers in the Cuban sugar mills and later when the workers immigrated to South Florida to work in the cigar factories; it became daily cafeteria fare there. The traditional flattened and toasted Cuban sandwich was made using a special press called a plancha. 

The first time I had ever heard of or eaten a Cuban sandwich was in Key West several years ago and I was amazed with how delicious a sandwich can be.  It is a flat sandwich consisting of layers of ham and roasted pork; both sliced very thinly, cheese and pickle, spread with mustard on Cuban bread or French bread.  It is never served with lettuce, mayonnaise, tomatoes, onions or bell peppers!  Cuban sandwiches are served pressed and warm.

The key to a great, versus good Cuban sandwich is the manner in which it is grilled.  It takes a heavy hand on the press or it can be weighted down on the grill or in a skillet to infuse the cheese and meat juices, thereby making it flat and giving it the great crunchy crust.  It is one of the best sandwiches you will ever eat!

Cuban Sandwich

Ingredients:

1 loaf Cuban bread or Panini type bread

1 pound ham, cooked and sliced thinly

1 pound roasted pork, cooked and sliced thinly

½ pound Swiss cheese, sliced thinly

Dill pickles, sliced

Mustard

Method:

Use a Panini press or preheat a griddle or skillet on medium heat.

Cut the loaf of bread into quarters, slice each quarter in half lengthwise.

Spread mustard on the bread.

Layer ham, pork and cheese.

Lightly coat the cooking surface of griddle or skillet with butter or cooking spray.

Place one sandwich onto the hot surface.

Put a clean, heavy skillet on top of the sandwich to flatten it.

Press the bread down to about 1/3 of its original size.

Leave the skillet on top of the sandwich and grill for one to two minutes.

Lift the heavy skillet, flip the sandwich over repeat process for the other side of the sandwich.

Cheese should be melted and bread golden brown and crisp.

Slice each sandwich in half diagonally and serve.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Once you’ve had a Cuban Sandwich, you will be craving them!