The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook (35 page)

BOOK: The Sugar Mill Caribbean Cookbook
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Olive and Orange Roasted Veal

In the garden at our home on Tortola we have what we call "the citrus walk," along which we have planted a sweet orange tree, a blood orange, a tangerine, and a grapefruit. Although newly planted, one tree last year bore two—count them—
two
oranges. We're patiently waiting for the trees to mature so we can use our very own citrus in this dish.

 

Olive Relish
¾
cup pitted black olives
1
teaspoon minced garlic
1
tablespoon drained capers
¼
cup olive oil
1
tablespoon chopped parsley
Veal Roast
1
3-to3½-pound veal loin
¼
cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, or 2 tablespoons dried tomato paste
2
tablespoons orange marmalade
¾
cup dry red wine
¾
cup water
About ⅓ cup chicken broth
Greek or Italian black olives
1
tablespoon cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons water
Garnish
Red and yellow cherry tomatoes lightly sautéed in garlic-flavored butter
Cooked broccoli spears

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To make the olive relish, put the olives, garlic, and capers into a food processor, and process for a few seconds. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, and process until the mixture is smooth. Transfer it to a bowl, and stir in the parsley.

If the roast is in netting, remove it. Cut eight to ten slits ½ inch deep in the surface of the roast. Combine ¼ cup of the olive relish, the sun-dried tomatoes or paste, and the marmalade in a small bowl. Spread the mixture over the roast, pressing it into the slits. Retie the roast with string.

Place the veal in a roasting pan, and pour in the wine and water. Roast the veal for about ½ hours, basting every 15 minutes and adding water if necessary. Remove the roast from the oven when its internal temperature reaches 165° to 170°. Allow the roast to sit at room temperature, tented with foil, for 15 minutes before you slice it.

While the roast is resting, pour the pan juices, plus enough chicken broth to make 2 cups, into a small saucepan. Stir in the olives, orange zest, and 1 tablespoon olive relish. Heat the mixture to a simmer. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce, bring the sauce back to a simmer, and simmer it until it is thickened. Slice the veal very thin, and serve it with the sauce. Surround the slices of veal with the sautéed cherry tomatoes and cooked broccoli spears. Serve at once.

 

Makes 6 servings

Pork Chops Martinique

Martinique's cooks, inspired by the rich cultural mix of their island, have long been touted as the best in the Caribbean. French cuisine, of course, is their touchstone, but they also borrow freely from Spain, Africa, India, and Asia.

 

 
Juice of 4 limes
4
garlic cloves, minced
 
Salt and pepper to taste
1
jalapeño pepper, minced
8
6- to 8-ounce loin pork chops
¼
cup sugar
3
tablespoons vegetable oil
1
packet Sazón seasoning (see
[>]
)
6
parsley sprigs
6
green onions, chopped
2
teaspoons dried thyme
½
cup hot water

Combine the lime juice, garlic, salt, black pepper, and jalapeño. Add the pork chops, and turn them to coat them well. Marinate them in the refrigerator, covered, for at least 40 minutes.

Combine the oil with the Sazón seasoning. Heat a skillet until it is very hot, and carefully add the sugar. Let it melt and turn golden brown (no darker), then pour in the oil mixed with Sazón seasoning. When this becomes bubbly, add the pork chops, and brown them. Cook them on each side for about 2 minutes.

Add the parsley, green onions, and thyme to the skillet, and stir. Slowly add the hot water. The water may splatter and sizzle for a few seconds, so be careful, and stand back! Let the sauce simmer over low heat until it is thick and the chops are cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes, then serve the pork chops with the sauce spooned over them.

Ginger

This knotty rhizome of a tropical orchid-like plant is a favorite flavoring in the Caribbean. But ginger had a long and colorful
history
before reaching our island shores.

It's said that Confucius enjoyed the flavor of ginger, and, indeed, it
was
Chinese traders who carried the spice to the Greeks and Romans. Trading brought the spice north in Europe. In the Middle Ages, one of the spice markets in Switzerland was called Ginger Alley.

When ginger finally arrived in the Caribbean, it became an instant favorite, and found its way into many spicy dishes
as
well as the much-beloved ginger beer.

Pecan-Crusted Pork Cutlets with Ginger Aïoli

Pork has been a popular meat in the islands since the Arawak Indians hunted hogs, introduced by the Spanish, and smoked and dried the meat on wooden grills. We'll bet this standout dish is considerably more toothsome than Arawak jerky.

 

2
pounds boneless pork cutlets, trimmed
⅓
cup sherry
⅓
cup soy sauce
4
green onions, minced
3
tablespoons minced peeled gingerroot
Ginger Aioli
1
1-inch piece gingerroot, peeled
1
large garlic clove
2
egg yolks
4
teaspoons sherry vinegar or cider vinegar
¼
teaspoon salt
1
cup vegetable oil
1½
tablespoons sesame oil
4
drops hot chile oil
1
tomato, seeded and diced
1
green onion, minced
2
cups fine dry bread crumbs
1
cup minced pecans
 
Flour, for dredging
2
eggs, beaten lightly with 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Pound the pork between sheets of waxed paper to ¼-inch thickness. Blend the sherry, soy sauce, green onions, and ginger in a glass or ceramic baking dish. Add the pork. Cover the dish, and refrigerate it 2 hours.

To make the ginger aioli, finely mince the ginger and garlic in a food processor. Add the egg yolks, vinegar, and salt, and blend until the mixture is smooth. Combine the oils. With the food processor running, add the oil mixture in a slow stream, and mix until the aioli is thickened, about 1½ miutes. Transfer it to a bowl, and stir in the diced tomato and chopped green onion. Cover the dish, and refrigerate it at least 1 hour.

Drain the pork, and pat it dry. Mix the bread crumbs and pecans. Dredge the pork in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip it into the beaten eggs, then coat it in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing so the coating adheres to the meat.

In a large skillet, heat the oil. Cook the pork over medium-high heat, turning it once, until the coating is crisp and brown, about 3 minutes per side.

Arrange the cutlets on plates with dollops of aïoli on the side, and serve at once.

 

Makes 8 servings

Pork Medallions with Peanut Sate Sauce

Peanuts and pork have always been a wonderful combination, and this smooth, rich sauce with faint fiery underpinnings is an especially welcome partner to the often bland taste of pork.

 

Peanut Sate Sauce
2
tablespoons oil
½
cup chopped green onions
1
teaspoon minced garlic
2
cups chicken broth
½
cup peanut butter
1
tablespoon strained lime juice
¼
teaspoon minced peeled gingerroot
¼
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2
pounds boneless pork tenderloin, cut into 1½-inch pieces
 
 
 
Flour, for dredging
 
Salt and pepper to taste
2
tablespoons butter
1
tablespoon vegetable oil
Garnish
Chopped roasted peanuts
Chopped green onions

To make the sauce, sauté the green onions and garlic in the oil for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown. Pourin the chicken broth, and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Add the peanut butter, lime juice, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 10 minutes, or until it is thick enough to coat a spoon heavily. Strain the sauce; reserve it.

Place the pork pieces cut side down on a work surface, and pound them until they are about ¼ inch thick. Season the flour with the salt and pepper, and dip each piece of pork in the mixture. In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Cook the pork pieces, turning them once, until they are golden brown.

If the sauce has thickened too much while standing, thin it with chicken broth or water. Reheat it. To serve, spoon a ribbon of sauce over the pork medallions, and garnish with a sprinkling of chopped roasted peanuts and chopped green onions.

 

Makes 8 servings

Pork Roast Calypso

The island zest of ginger, nutmeg, cloves, bay leaves, and rum give this pork a distinctly Caribbean flavor.

 

1
5- to 6-pound pork loin roast
½
teaspoon ground black pepper
1
teaspoon salt
1
teaspoon ground ginger
½
teaspoon grated nutmeg
½
teaspoon ground cloves
2
garlic cloves, minced
¼
cup brown sugar
2
bay leaves, crumbled
¼
cup lime juice
1
cup dark rum
1
cup orange juice
2
cups (or more) chicken broth
2
teaspoons arrowroot combined with 1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Cut the fat on the pork in a diamond pattern. Mix together the pepper, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and garlic, and rub the mixture into the meat. Sprinkle on the brown sugar, and sprinkle the crumbled bay leaves on top. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan, and pour into the pan the lime juice, rum, orange juice, and 2 cups chicken broth. Roast the pork for 30 minutes per pound, adding more broth to the pan as necessary.

When the roast is done, remove the bay leaves. Spoon off the fat from the pan juices, and add more broth if it is needed to make enough sauce. Add the arrowroot paste to the pan, and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, and serve it with the sliced pork.

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