Prepare Pot-Roasted Pork

Makes 6 servings, enough meat for 20 good-size tacos.

- 2 medium, about 1 ounce total dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 4 medium, about 1 ounce total dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

- 1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped, plus a couple of slices broken into rings for garnish

- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs such as marjoram, thyme and Mexican oregano.

- A scant 1/4 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground

- A pinch of cloves, preferably freshly ground

- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rich-lasting lard

- Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon

- 3 pounds lean, boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt roast

- or 4 1/2 pounds fresh picnic ham with the skin on just for classic crispy skin.

- 8 leaves romaine leaves, for garnish

- 3 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish

The chile paste. Place the chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let stand 30 minutes to rehydrate, stirring occasionally to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of liquid, then transfer chiles and reserved liquid to a food processor or blender.

Use a blender in order to ensure a smoother puree.

Pulverize the bay leaves in a spice grinder or a mortar, then add to the blender, along with the vinegar, onion, garlic, mixed herbs, allspice and cloves. Process to a smooth puree adding a little more water if needed to keep the mixture moving through the blades; press through a medium-mesh strainer into a small bowl.

Set a large 6-quart pot with a lid preferably a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil or lard. When hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add it all at once.

Stir constantly as the puree sears, concentrates and darkens into a spicy-smelling paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt.

Seasoning and pot-roasting the meat. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. If you are using pork shoulder or butt, cut it into slabs roughly 3 inches thick - try to get them all about the same thickness so they cook evenly.

Leave a picnic ham whole, but make 1-inch-deep incisions every few inches all over the meat. Lay the meat into the pot with the chile paste, then flip it over to cover with the chile slathering with a spoon or spatula to give an even coating.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat, cover tightly and place in the oven.

Baste the meat every 30 minutes with the liquid and rendered fat that accumulates around it. After about 2 1/2 hours, the fresh ham may need another 1/2 to 1 hour, the meat will be fork-tender and will have darkened to an appetizing and crusty, rich, red-brown.

If all the liquid evaporates during the cooking, leaving only chile paste and fat, dribble a little more water into the pan so you can go on basting. If time allows, let the pork stand, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes to reabsorb juices before serving.

Roasted the meat for three hours and let it sit covered on the counter for 30 minutes. That last 30 minutes is crucial to the moistness.

Serving the meat. Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves. With the help of tongs, spatulas or meat forks, transfer the meat to the platter, then taste the pan juices and add a little more salt if necessary.

Spoon the juices over the meat, then scatter the onion rings and radish slices over all, to create a riot of color and texture.

The pot-roasted pork holds well in a low oven for an hour or so before serving. It can be done ahead and rewarmed in a 350-degree oven, though the texture of just-cooked pork is the best.

The chile paste is so deep and smoky. It may work as a marinade for pork chops.


Tourism Observer

Prepare Pot-Roasted Pork

Makes 6 servings, enough meat for 20 good-size tacos.

- 2 medium, about 1 ounce total dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 4 medium, about 1 ounce total dried guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded

- 2 bay leaves

- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

- 1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped, plus a couple of slices broken into rings for garnish

- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

- 1 teaspoon mixed dried herbs such as marjoram, thyme and Mexican oregano.

- A scant 1/4 teaspoon allspice, preferably freshly ground

- A pinch of cloves, preferably freshly ground

- 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil or rich-lasting lard

- Salt, about 1/2 teaspoon

- 3 pounds lean, boneless pork shoulder or Boston butt roast

- or 4 1/2 pounds fresh picnic ham with the skin on just for classic crispy skin.

- 8 leaves romaine leaves, for garnish

- 3 radishes, thinly sliced, for garnish

The chile paste. Place the chiles in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let stand 30 minutes to rehydrate, stirring occasionally to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving 2/3 cup of liquid, then transfer chiles and reserved liquid to a food processor or blender.

Use a blender in order to ensure a smoother puree.

Pulverize the bay leaves in a spice grinder or a mortar, then add to the blender, along with the vinegar, onion, garlic, mixed herbs, allspice and cloves. Process to a smooth puree adding a little more water if needed to keep the mixture moving through the blades; press through a medium-mesh strainer into a small bowl.

Set a large 6-quart pot with a lid preferably a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil or lard. When hot enough to make a drop of the puree really sizzle, add it all at once.

Stir constantly as the puree sears, concentrates and darkens into a spicy-smelling paste, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt.

Seasoning and pot-roasting the meat. Turn on the oven to 325 degrees. If you are using pork shoulder or butt, cut it into slabs roughly 3 inches thick - try to get them all about the same thickness so they cook evenly.

Leave a picnic ham whole, but make 1-inch-deep incisions every few inches all over the meat. Lay the meat into the pot with the chile paste, then flip it over to cover with the chile slathering with a spoon or spatula to give an even coating.

Pour 1/2 cup water around the meat, cover tightly and place in the oven.

Baste the meat every 30 minutes with the liquid and rendered fat that accumulates around it. After about 2 1/2 hours, the fresh ham may need another 1/2 to 1 hour, the meat will be fork-tender and will have darkened to an appetizing and crusty, rich, red-brown.

If all the liquid evaporates during the cooking, leaving only chile paste and fat, dribble a little more water into the pan so you can go on basting. If time allows, let the pork stand, covered, for 20 to 30 minutes to reabsorb juices before serving.

Roasted the meat for three hours and let it sit covered on the counter for 30 minutes. That last 30 minutes is crucial to the moistness.

Serving the meat. Line a serving platter with the lettuce leaves. With the help of tongs, spatulas or meat forks, transfer the meat to the platter, then taste the pan juices and add a little more salt if necessary.

Spoon the juices over the meat, then scatter the onion rings and radish slices over all, to create a riot of color and texture.

The pot-roasted pork holds well in a low oven for an hour or so before serving. It can be done ahead and rewarmed in a 350-degree oven, though the texture of just-cooked pork is the best.

The chile paste is so deep and smoky. It may work as a marinade for pork chops.


Tourism Observer

Enjoy Caribbean Dishes, Spare No Bones

Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, Creole, Cajun, Amerindian, European (French, Portuguese, British, Dutch, Irish, Spanish/Latin American), East Indian/South Asian, Persian, Arab, Chinese and Javanese/Indonesian cuisine.

These traditions were brought from many different countries when they went to the Caribbean. In addition, the population has created styles that are unique to the region.

Ingredients that are common in most islands' dishes are rice, plantains, beans, cassava, culantro, bell peppers, chickpeas, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, coconut, and any of various meats that are locally available like beef, poultry, pork or fish.

A characteristic seasoning for the region is a green herb and oil based marinade which imparts a flavor profile which is quintessentially Caribbean in character.

Ingredients may include garlic, onions, scotch bonnet peppers, celery, green onions, and herbs like culantro, marjoram, rosemary, tarragon and thyme.

This green seasoning is used for a variety of dishes like curries, stews and roasted meats.

Traditional dishes are so important to regional culture that, for example, the local version of Caribbean goat stew has been chosen as the official national dish of Montserrat and is also one of the signature dishes of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Another popular dish in the Anglophone Caribbean is called Cook-up, or pelau.

Ackee and saltfish is another popular dish that is unique to Jamaica.

Callaloo is a dish containing leafy vegetables spinach and sometimes okra amongst others, widely distributed in the Caribbean, with a distinctively mixed African and indigenous character.

The variety of dessert dishes in the area also reflects the mixed origins of the recipes.

In some areas, Black Cake, a derivative of English Christmas pudding may be served, especially on special occasions.

Over time, food from the Caribbean has evolved into a narrative technique through which their culture has been accentuated and promoted.

However, by studying Caribbean culture through a literary lens there then runs the risk of generalizing exoticist ideas about food practices from the tropical.

Some food theorists argue that this depiction of Caribbean food in various forms of media contributes to the inaccurate conceptions revolving around their culinary practices, which are much more grounded in unpleasant historical events.

Therefore, it can be argued that the connection between the idea of the Caribbean being the ultimate paradise and Caribbean food being exotic is based on inaccurate information.


Tourism Observer