Havana on my mind

Recipes: Little pork tenderloin with orange marmalade, Black beans with slow-cooked onions, Plantains

 

All the recent talk about travel and improved relations with Cuba has been very exciting. Cuba is high on my list of places I'd like to visit, and it seems like it might actually be possible to go before too long. I already have books about the wonderful clubs that were once popular in Havana, and the cocktails that made them famous. I have CDs of the music of Cuba, and it seems so fun and carefree, although the music of a place can be deceptive - sometimes it is more indicative of the spirit of the people than the reality they live in. Regardless, there are many things about Cuba that interest me, and food is definitely one of those things. I suppose that goes without saying.

 

Occasionally I cook meals that might be similar to food you'd find in Havana. They are things I've had in Cuban restaurants here in the U.S., and of course that doesn't mean they are authentic. Authentic or not, a Cuba-inspired meal I made the other day was delicious - a combination of sweet-tart pork, savory black beans, and fried plantains - so I guess that's really what it's all about.

 

Black Beans with Slow-cooked Onions

 

Start these before the meat, as the onions take longer to cook.

In a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat a tablespoon olive oil. Add 1 medium onion, sliced very thin, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt. Stir well and then turn the heat down very low and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft and just beginning to brown. This may take 20 or 25 minutes. When the onion has cooked for 10 minutes or so, you can add a chopped or thinly sliced hot pepper and 3 or 4 sliced cloves of garlic. Stir a bit, then re-cover and continue stewing until onion is finished.

 

When the onion is finished, add a can of black beans including the liquid. Stir to mix well and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes over medium low heat. Turn off the heat and hold, covered, until you are ready to serve.

 

Little Pork Tenderloin with Orange Marmalade

 

• A 1 or 1.5 pound pork tenderloin (I usually use Trader Joes)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons orange marmalade

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

 

Pat the pork tenderloin dry with paper towels and salt and pepper it. In a skillet that can go into the oven, heat the oil and then brown the tenderloin on all sides over medium high heat.

 

With a tablespoon, slather the top of the tenderloin with the marmalade.

 

Put all in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, turning the roast halfway through the time.

 

Take the roast out of the oven and let it settle on a cutting board for at least 10 minutes before cutting it.

 

Fried Plantains

 

Buy a plantain that is as black as possible - the blacker it is, the sweeter it will be. A plantain that looks like it is way over-ripe (if it were a banana) is perfect. One plantain is enough for two people.

 

Peel the plantain and cut it into slices about 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal.

In a small skillet that will hold the slices in one layer, melt a tablespoon of butter. Arrange the plantain slices in the butter and saute over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the bottom starts to brown. This happens faster than you think! Turn the slices over and brown the other side. You're done.

Cut the pork tenderloin into slices and serve with black beans and fried plantain. This dinner would be even better with a Cuba Libre! - Bacardi rum and Coke over ice with a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!