My love affair with pork continues. Roasted pork shoulder is amazingly rich and practically melts in your mouth, especially when bathed in its own succulent juices while roasting. I like to cut through that richness with a little pop of citrus. In this recipe, I used a combination of grapefruit and lime but feel free to substitute any combination of citrus fruit that you like. Tangerine and lime is also quite delicious. Just make sure that you have enough fruit to yield at least one cup of juice for the marinade. This pork shoulder is served with Latin American influenced side dishes because the pairing of citrus and pork is a hallmark of that part of the world, especially Cuba. The best way to enjoy this meal is with friends, mojitos and the music of The Buena Vista Social Club. Don’t forget to make a toast in memory of Cachaito Lopez, one of Buena Vista’s original musicians who passed away this week.
CITRUS ROASTED PORK SHOULDER
5 pounds smoked pork shoulder, bone-in
1 medium grapefruit
1 lime
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Zest the grapefruit and lime. Put zest into bowl of food processor. Juice fruit and add juice to bowl.
Coarsely chop onion and garlic. Add to bowl and pulse until very finely chopped.
Add cumin, salt, adobo seasoning, pepper and ginger. Pulse a few times to combine.
With a sharp knife, score sides of the pork about 1/3 inch deep through the rind. Do not score the flat, cut side.
Place pork shoulder in a very large zip top bag. Pour in marinade and coat pork. Use your hands to really rub the marinade into the score marks.
Marinate at least 24 hours, up to 48 hours. Turn over the bag once or twice a day to ensure that all sides of the pork are coated in the marinade.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place pork cut side down in a baking dish. Pour marinade in the pan around the pork.
Roast for 4 hours. You may need to add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan every hour or so to prevent the pan from scorching. Also, at the 3 hour mark, you may cover the pan loosely with tin foil if the pork is becoming too dark.
Remove from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving into slices.
SPICY PICKLED ONIONS
2 small yellow onions
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup very cold water
4 tablespoons kosher salt
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Use a mandoline to very thinly slice the onions or use a very sharp knife to slice the onions less than 1/4″ thick.
In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients.
Add the onions to the bowl and marinate in the refrigerator for four hours.
Drain before serving.
BLACK BEANS
15 ounce can black beans, partially drained
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
6 big garlic cloves
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 chopped tomato
1 teaspoon oregano
1 smoked chili
Place the garlic cloves on an 8″x8″ square of tinfoil. Sprinkle with one teaspoon of the olive oil. Close tightly and roast in the oven at 350 degrees for half an hour. (Tip: Prepare the garlic when you roast the pork shoulder. Put the garlic in the oven at the beginning of the pork’s cooking time. The roasted garlic can rest in the foil until you are ready to prepare the black beans.)
Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the tomato and saute until the tomato begins to breaks down, about 10 minutes.
Add the beans, oregano, smoked chili and roasted garlic.
Turn up the heat to medium and simmer for a few minutes, until warmed through completely.
Remove the chili before serving.
Serve hot.
SAFFRON RICE
1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice
3 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
very big pinch of saffron
In a small saucepan, bring broth, olive oil, salt and pepper to a boil.
Add saffron.
Add rice and bring back to a boil.
Low heat to low and cover tightly.
Cook for 25 minutes or until broth is completely absorbed by rice.
Fluff rice with a fork before serving.
Serves 4 very generously, with leftovers.
Revel & Feast 