Urban Cravings Menu

The Best Roast Pork in the World

It was raining cats and dogs. The huge, brand new, 1972 Buick Electra smoothly rode the narrow mountain road. At times it felt like the car would be too long for the next sharp turn and its wheels would skid off the wet road. The dark clouds made noon seem like four in the afternoon; the dense foliage added a couple hours to that. It was dark, chilly, and crowded in the car. And noisy. Seven kids and Mom and Dad in a cacophony of laughter, tears, happiness, discomfort, and above all, hunger. Closed lechonera after closed lechonera we passed by. No succulent pigs roasting on spits could be seen, no crunchy pork cracklings could be tasted, and no smoky aromas tantalized our senses.

Puerto Rico is known for its lechoneras, small open restaurants that roast pigs on spits, serve rice and pigeon peas known as gandules, spicy blood sausage, plantain or yucca pasteles, and many other goodies. Most of them are located right along the winding mountain roads that join the southern and the northern parts of the island. Today, stricter food safety codes have taken away a bit of the rustic feel, but lechoneras continue to be, not only a tourist, but a local attraction. When we were kids, there was no highway to get from the south of the Island, where we lived, to the north where we went to visit our grandma. We had to drive for almost two hours on the narrow, dangerous, mountain roads that snaked up, up, up, and then down, down, down. This particular day, the rain would not stop, and the notion of finding an open lechonera was quickly fading away. Finally, when we had just started the descent from the huge mountain that reached into the dark clouds, we found one. Dad drove the huge car as close as he could to the man who was sitting by the huge roasted pig on the spit, barely opened his window and asked for a few pounds of the obvious and some other tasty treats to go with it. Mom leaned over his shoulder and added, "Make sure you throw in some ribs too." Dad solemnly announced that there would be no eating inside the new car. We would wait until we got to grandma's. We all looked at each other ready to either bawl or re-enact "Mutiny on the Bounty." Mom looked back and without saying a word settled down the uprising of the tribe.

That day I got to taste the best roast pork in the world. Mom spent the rest of the trip picking with her fingers pieces of hot, savory, fall-off-the-bone, delicious pork and feeding us like an Imperial Eagle feeding her gawking open mouthed fledglings, being very careful not to dirty the pristine Electra. I could have said, "like a hen feeding her chicks", but for some reason I can't think of Mom as a hen. Yes, definitely an eagle is more in tune. I must have been no more than twelve at the time, but I can still savor the moment. Did I mention that Papa Eagle was also being fed as he expertly drove down the mountain.

And so it comes to be, that today, some forty years later, I will share with you the recipe for the best roast pork in the world. I am not modest when it comes to my roast pork; I know. And when you cook this recipe for your friends and family, I think you shouldn't be either.

First, the cut of meat. Most Puerto Ricans will tell you that it has to be the picnic. And the truth is that for many years that is the cut that I used. That is, until I moved to Miami and fell in love with the Boston butt. So that's your cut of meat, Boston butt, bone in or bone out, it doesn't matter. For best results, a seven to eight pound butt would be perfect.

And now, the wet rub. Take one whole head of peeled garlic and pound it into a paste with a mortar and pestle. No, do not use minced garlic. No, do not use prepared garlic in a jar. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, improvise, or better yet, go buy one; you will use it all the other times that you will cook this pork dish. To the garlic add two tablespoons of dry oregano leaves and one half cup Balsamic vinegar. I know a couple Puerto Ricans just rolled their eyes, but yes, I find that Balsamic gives the roast a nice darker caramelized color and better flavor than the customary apple cider vinegar. You can use fresh oregano if you wish, but it is my experience that using the dry leaves will give you a more consistent flavor. Some fresh oregano can smack you in the face with flavor, while others are so mild you barely notice them.

Rinse and pat dry the butt and place on a roasting pan. Salt and pepper freely, preferably with fresh ground pepper and Kosher salt. Then smother it with the wet rub, making sure most of the garlic stays on the pork and not on the pan. Preheat the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roasting pan on the rack above the one closest to the bottom. Close and do not open until an hour has gone by. Lower the temperature to 325 and place aluminum foil over the top to prevent it from getting too dark. Roast for three more hours until the meat falls off the bone. You will need some tongs to pull the meat instead of a knife to carve it.

At home, now that we live in Texas, we enjoy our roasted pulled pork with fresh corn tortillas, Oaxaca cheese cream, pico de gallo, and salsa verde. When we lived in Miami, we enjoyed turning our roasted pulled pork into a Cuban sandwich, with buttered grilled rolls, Swiss cheese, pickles, and yellow mustard. I'm sure you will come up with your own ideas on how to eat the best roast pork in the world. Enjoy and brag about it, because it is the best. Buen provecho!

Menu for Yesterday's Dinner Party

Chilled shrimp and lobster ananato wonton
sweet chile aioli
gingered edamame, and basil toast

Baby greens, honey-glazed roasted beets, blood oranges
toasted pecans chèvre cheese and passion fruit vinaigrette

Pan seared beef tenderloin medallions
balsamic grilled wild mushrooms

roasted shallot Yukon Gold potato and baby spinach mash

Coconut whisper flan with fresh cream and lime caramel sauce

Indian Samosas

“In India, after a meal, we eat fennel seeds to help digestion. They have put some sugar crystals with these to make them more pleasing to the taste.” Andy explained this while scooping some seeds and sugar crystals with a spoon and placing them on the palm of my hand as we left the fancy Indian restaurant. He scooped some for himself and took his hand to his lips, captured the seeds in his mouth all at once and started chewing them. I wasn’t so sure of what I wanted to do with the seeds, so I adamantly placed the tip of my tongue over them and took to my mouth only the few that stuck to it. I started to chew. I recognized the strong fennel licorice taste and something a bit sour; the sugar definitely made it more pleasing, or should I say less displeasing. “I don’t think I can eat them all.” Like a patient father to a daughter in distress, he took my hand and placed the seeds in his. My seeds joined those in his mouth and he continued to chew absentmindedly. Watching him eat those fennel seeds was simply the perfect ending to what had been our first Indian dinner together.

When I first met Andy, he made fun of me when I told him of the ordeals I went through to find fresh curry leaves while I was a chef in South Florida. He was passionate about his native cuisine from northern India. To my amazement, he remembered vivid details of his childhood and the cooking that took place at home. Our first dinner experience was the best lecture in Indian cooking any chef could attend. “True samosas are done with potatoes; that is the Indian way, any other filling is used to impress foreign guests.” I told him many countries had their original versions of samosas, but folded some other way and with different names. Of course, he insisted that samosas were the best and proceeded to meticulously show me how to fold a samosa using his huge napkin as example. It was endearing to watch such a handsome and well known international business executive painstakingly explain and demonstrate how his mother cooked the many different dishes we were sampling that evening. His passion for his native food and culture were so obvious in his recollection, that it was impossible not to feel the need to know more about Indian cuisine. Dinners with Andy were the springboard for many hours researching online and more than a few trips to the library and local Indian markets.

I had been shy about experimenting with Indian cuisine before meeting Andy, but after Andy, Indian cuisine has joined my realm of favorites. In this chapter I have gathered recipes for some of my favorite dishes from India. Some are faithful to their origins, some I have taken the liberty to play around with. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do and that you are able to share them with the people you love. Namaste.

Samosas are savory turnover or emapanada style fried or baked pastries stuffed with vegetable or meat mix. The traditional samosa is stuffed with potatoes, green peas, and seasoned with bold spices. Today there are enough good quality, ready-made dough products in the market that will produce a good samosa. My favorite product is the emapanada pastry shells made by La Salteña, an Argentine brand that is distributed in the United States by General Mills. They have different types of ready made rolled and cut out pastry shells for frying or for baking. You can find more information at www.lasalteña.com.

If you are making the pastry, this basic recipe for frying your samosas, which I believe is the best way to cook them, will produce a good dough:

2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 4 tablespoons vegetable lard or chilled vegetable oil, 6 tablespoons cold water

Mix the dry ingredients and add the lard/oil. Rub between your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cold water one tablespoon at a time while you continue to knead for about 10 to 15 minutes until you have a smooth textured dough. Lightly oil the bottom of a bowl and place the ball of dough in it, turn over once, and cover with a kitchen towel. Set the bowl aside in a warm spot in the kitchen for at least an hour.

Following is the recipe for the mix I use when I make traditional potato stuffed samosas:

5 medium red or Yukon potatoes, 4 tablespoon oil, 1 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion, 1 tablespoon grated ginger, 1 cup frozen green peas, 3 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro, 1 ½ teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons curry powder

Boil the potatoes with the skin on in salted water. When tender, peel and small dice. Heat the oil in a skillet on medium heat. Saute the onion until light golden, add the ginger and continue to saute for another minute. Add the cilantro, the diced potatoes, the salt, and the curry powder. Cook on low heat for 4 or 5 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble the samosa, knead the dough one last time and divide in 12 balls. Roll each out into 6 inch rounds. Cut each round in half and holding them in your hands, fold one side of the semi circle side over the other to make a cone. Seal the overlap with a little water. With a small spoon, fill the cone with the potato mix without reaching the top completely. Wet the inside of the dough with your fingertips on the open side of the dough and pinch to seal the mixture inside. Cool the samosas in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before frying in 2 inches of 350° F oil. Fry them until they are golden brown and crispy; drain on paper towels. You can eat them hot just out of the fryer or serve at room temperature.

There are many dipping sauces you can serve with your samosas; the traditional one seems to be a tamarind chutney. I like mine with sweet chili sauce that you can find at most Asian food markets. My favorite brand is, without a doubt, Mae Ploy. I usually mix a cup of Mae Ploy sweet chili sauce with a cup of plain yogurt.

I hope you enjoy your samosas.

Corporate Breakfast

On Site Corporate Breakfast Buffet

Menu

Fresh Seasonal Fruit

fresh berry yogurt and cottage cheese

Juices

orange, tomato, apple

Morning Pastries and Breads

butter, cream cheese, jams and jellies

Buttermilk Pancakes and French Toast

fresh berries, bananas, baked apples, walnuts, whipped cream, raisins,
shredded coconut, three different syrups, and much more

Build Your Own Flat Grill Omelets and Eggs to order

the Chef’s suggestions…

bacon, fresh spinach, button mushrooms and Swiss cheese omelet

shredded potato, chorizo, and jalapeño omelet

Huevos Rancheros

two eggs your style, sofrito, and cheddar cheese
in between two grilled corn tortillas topped
with black bean salsa and sour cream

Bacon, Ham, Pork Sausage

Home Fries

Enjoy!

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