PREPARE: Roast Pork With Vegetables

Preparing this roast pork dish is easier than you think. Plus, you can roast the vegetables at the same time! Ask the butcher to prep the crown roast so all you have to do is rub it with a mix of spices and roast it for a couple of hours.

- Prep Time 15 mins

- Cooking Time: 2 hrs 30 mins

- Ready In: 2 hrs 45 mins

- Yield: 6 to 8

- Cuisine: Others

- Cooking Method: Roast

INGREDIENTS

- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

- 1 tablespoon rosemary, fresh

- 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh

- 2 cloves garlic, peeled

- salt, to taste

- ground black pepper, to taste

- 1 2-3 kilos crown roast pork, (ask your butcher to cut and tie the meat for you), at room temperature

- 1 cup yellow sweet potatoes, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 cup sweet potatoes, purple, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 cup squash, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 cup zucchini, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 cup eggplant, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes

- 1 cup carrots, sliced into 1 1/2-inch cubes

- 1/2 cup fresh white mushrooms, halved

COOKING METHOD

Preheat oven to 430ºF.

Pound together 2 tablespoons olive oil, rosemary, thyme, garlic, salt, and pepper with a mortar and pestle.

Rub mixture all over pork, including the cavity. Wrap exposed bones with foil to prevent them from burning.

Place vegetables in a large roasting pan. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place pork on top of vegetables.

Roast pork for 20 minutes. Lower temperature to 375ºF and roast for 1½ to 2 hours or until pork is cooked through and internal temperature registers 150 to 160ºF on a meat thermometer.

Add mushrooms during the last 10 minutes of roasting.

Once pork is cooked through, increase heat to 500ºF and continue roasting for 1 to 2 minutes for a crisp finish.

Watch pork carefully.

Serve with drippings as sauce.

Eat with Matoke (plantains), Cassava, Ugali, Chapatti.


Tourism Observer

KENYA: Hilton Nairobi Introduces New Dishes

Hilton Nairobi is one hotel hidden-in-plain-sight.

The Hilton Nairobi is one of the oldest buildings in the city and serves as a landmark for those unfamiliar with the capital.

Upon entering, one is struck by the vintage bicycle cart design feature, and a reception staff who appear to have worked there for a solid number of years.

The Hilton Nairobi has four restaurants.

Cafe American, located next to the lobby, is the place for coffees, teas, pastries, sandwiches and other light snacks.

Themed around classic Hollywood, pictures of actors and actresses from the 50s to 70s adorn the walls.

The main restaurant, Travellers, serves international cuisine.

Living up to its name, antique suitcases and travel bags decorate the walls as do an assortment of vintage tools which include sewing machines and metal sieves.

Even more nostalgic is a section of the restaurant whose design resembles seats in a train, complete with luggage space on top.

Elsewhere in the hotel, their Italian restaurant, Sale e Pepe comes with a wood oven for pizzas.

On the topmost floor of the Hilton is the Pool Garden restaurant.

The patio setup features hanging flower baskets, flower pots, a bar and a swimming pool.

There were a selection of dishes that Executive Chef John Muriithi intends to include in the new menu.

To start, you are served a Caesar salad with sauteed garlic prawns, asparagus with gribiche dressing and mursik cheese; smoked salmon with crushed avocado on toasted rye bread and fried chicken wings served with tomato and barbecue sauce.

You are likely to clear both the salmon and the chicken wings from our plates in no time.

The main meal is a medium rare beef fillet steak, baked salmon, grilled lemon chicken breast and spiced pork chops, all served with chips or potatoes.

The pork chops, Chef John tells us, are from the shoulder and not the more commonly used loin.

Meat from the shoulder doesn’t dry up. It is a flavourful dish, mildly spiced with a hint of rosemary.

For dessert, we had bite-sized baked cheesecake, chocolate macaroons which we all agree would have been a treat had they been softer, mini lemon meringue pie and home-made chocolate petit fours.


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

PREPARE: Pan Seared Steaks With Red Wine Sauce

Technique is the secret to perfectly cooked steaks. Season them liberally, let them sear, baste them with butter and let them rest.

These easy steps will result in perfectly cooked meat every time. And, you can make a delicious sauce in the same pan while the meat is resting.

Ingredients

STEAK

- Two 8- to 10-ounce sirloin steaks, about 3/4- to 1-inch thick

- Kosher salt

- Freshly ground black pepper

- Canola oil

- Olive oil

- 4 cloves garlic, roughly smashed

- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme

- 1 to 2 sprigs fresh rosemary

- 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, cubed

PAN SAUCE

- 2 shallots, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet or Malbec

- 1/3 cup beef stock

- 3 tablespoons butter

Preparation

For the steak:

1. Remove steaks from the refrigerator and let rest to come to room temperature. Pat them dry with paper towels.

2. Season the steaks liberally with kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper on all sides and press into meat. Let seasoned meat rest for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Place a skillet (large enough to fit both steaks comfortably) over high heat.

4. When pan is extremely hot, pour in approximately 2 to 3 tablespoons of canola oil and shake pan to make sure entire bottom of skillet is coated.

5. When oil begins to smoke slightly, using tongs, carefully lay the steaks into the pan, laying them down away from you (this will avoid oil spatters).

6. Press down slightly on meat. Let steak sear, without moving it, for roughly 2 minutes until a golden brown crust develops, then drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan.

The crust will form and then detach from the bottom of the pan.

7. Using tongs, carefully flip steak and let cook for another two minutes. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil on and around the meat.

8. After the crust has formed, set both of the steaks on the fat strip that runs along the side of the sirloin.

You can set them side-by-side against the edge of the pan if it has a high enough edge, or hold them on their ends using the tongs. Render off this fat for roughly 60-90 seconds.

Tilt the pan towards the steaks so the oil and hot fat will continue to baste and cook the meat. Then set steaks down flat, side by side in pan.

9. Add the smashed garlic cloves and approximately 1½-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Tilt pan to make sure the oil touches all of the meat. Add rosemary and thyme. You can again add an additional drizzle of olive oil.

10. Add butter to the pan, a few chunks at a time, placing them on either side of the steaks, above them, between them and below.

As the butter begins to melt, bubble and brown, give the pan a swirl, tilting slightly towards you so that all of the melted butter and juice collects towards you in the skillet.

11. Using a spoon, thoroughly baste the steak with the butter and juices at the bottom of the pan. Carefully flip the steaks and repeat, basting frequently.

12. While basting, using tongs, periodically brush the steaks with the herbs and garlic from the pan. The steaks can then be basted with the herbs and garlic on top.

Flip the steaks and repeat, brushing the surface with garlic and herbs and basting over them during the basting process, continually check the surface tension of the meat to check the doneness.

Use the palm of your hand as a gauge: soft part of the thumb is rare, moving towards the finger is medium-rare and well done is down by your wrist.

13. When a crust has formed, and you have a soft texture with a little bit of resistance, ideally medium-rare, turn off the heat, and remove the steaks from the skillet, placing them on a cutting board.

14. Place fried herbs and garlic on top of steak, drizzle steaks with pan drippings and cover loosely with foil and let rest for 5-10 minutes. (A good estimate for how long to rest your steaks is half the time you spent cooking.)

For the pan sauce:

1. Using the pan in which the steaks were cooked earlier, pour off all but 2 teaspoons of fat and the flavorful browned bits adhering to the bottom, and place over medium-high heat.

2. Using a wooden spatula, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and, stirring constantly, add finely chopped shallots and garlic.

3. Add 1 cup of red wine and keep stirring and reducing the sauce.

4. Continuing to stir, add beef stock (you can also use a quarter cup of beef stock and add whatever reserved steak juices you have).

5. Add the butter, reduce heat to medium and keep stirring so the butter does not break.

To serve:

Slice the steaks against the grain and serve with pan sauce drizzled over the meat or on the side.



Tourism Observer

Preparation of Baked Chicken Drumsticks

Cover the legs with olive oil and seasoned well with Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning and let marinate while my toaster oven iss pre-heating.

Baked for 30 minutes at the recommended 375°F then turn them over and bake.

Ingredients

Nutrition

- Servings 2-3

- Yield 3 drumsticks

- 9 -12 chicken drumsticks

- garlic powder

- pepper

- salt

- olive oil

- rosemary

- parsley

Directions

- Put some olive oil in the bottom of a 9x13 pan (just enough to put the drumsticks on).

- Add drumsticks (space enough apart so they aren't touching each other).

- Sprinkle generously with pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Add rosemary to the chicken, if desired.

- Bake at 375° F for half an hour. Turn drumsticks over and add more garlic powder, pepper and salt (same as before). Top with the parsley.
- Bake another half an hour, or until cooked until 160°F.

- Serve