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!

 



Pork tenderloin a la Mexicana

Recipes: Mexican home-style pork tenderloin, Fried black beans, Broiled asparagus

Home-style cooking is the best of any cuisine, in my opinion, and the home cooking of Mexico is no exception. Easy and satisfying, the subtle spicing of "real" Mexican food brings a lot of pleasure. Make this staple with boneless pork loin chops, or get one of those small tenderloin roasts and cut it up. It's also delicious with chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, with chunks of rib eye steak, and with shrimp instead of pork.

I love this dish with fried black beans. You may prefer another kind of beans, or steamed rice. It's all good!

Pork Tenderloin a la Mexicana

Adapted from a recipe in the book that's my bible of Mexican cooking, Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday

• 1 large fresh pasilla or poblano chile
• 3/4 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
• Sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small or 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 2 garlic cloves, pelled and finely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
• 1 small branch fresh epazote*, or a handful of coarsely chopped cilantro

*A word about epazote, which is a green herb used often in Mexican cooking. It's a seasoning that's been used since the time of the Aztecs, and one of its properties is that it reduces gas from eating beans. Epazote is not easy to find in the U.S., although it grows wild in Mexico. If you have grocery stores that carry Mexican products, they may have it. It's easy to grow in mild climates - I have an epazote plant in my herb garden in northern California and so far it's perennial, i.e. it comes back every spring. If you can't find it in your area, just go on without it. There is a certain authentic taste that will be missing, but your food will be delicious anyway.

Roast the pepper over the open flame of your gas burner, or 4 inches below a gas broiler, turning it over regularly until the skin is blistered and blackened all over, about 5 to 10 minutes. If you don't have gas, toast the pepper in a small dry skillet, pressing it down and turning it until the skin is blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with a kitchen towel to steam and cool down.

While the chiles are cooling, pat the meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle all over with salt. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high. Add the pork pieces in a single layer and cook, stirring and turning, until browned, about 4 minutes. Remove them to a plate, leaving as much oil as possible behind.

Rub the blackened skin off the chiles and pull out the stems and seeds. Rinse the chiles to remove any leftover skin and seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch strips.

Reheat the skillet over medium high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until richly golden but still crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chile strips and stir for a minute, then pour in the drained tomatoes, broth, Worchestershire, and epazote, if you have it. If you're using cilantro instead, you'll add it later. Bring it all to a boil and let cook until thickened a little, about 5 minutes. Add the meat (and cilantro, if that's what you're using). Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the pork is cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Taste and season with about 1 teaspoon salt. Remove the epazote sprig, if you used it.

Fried Black Beans

In a small skillet, melt 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Add a 15-oz. can of black beans with its liquid and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid cooks away. Watch it carefully toward the end, as you want to catch it just as the liquid evaporates and before it burns. Add sea salt to taste at the end of cooking.

Serve with nearly anything, including the pork tenderloin above.

Broiled (or Grilled) Asparagus

Asparagus is not necessarily served with this dish in Mexico, but I just thought the green was pretty on the plate. And I had asparagus and wanted to use it. Another green vegetable would be good too, or a salsa.

Cut or break the tough ends off, and wash and dry the asparagus stalks. Lay them in a dish that will withstand the broiler heat and that will accommodate them in a single layer. Drizzle olive oil over and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. Turn the stalks over with your hands to distribute the oil and salt evenly.

Broil on high for 4 minutes (less if the stalks are very thin), or until the stalks are browned a little. Turn them over and broil again for 2 minutes. If you wish, you can sprinkle them with grated Parmigiana or with a little balsamic vinegar. These are good hot or at room temperature.

If you happen to have the grill on, you can lay the oiled and salted stalks on the hot grill for a couple of minutes, then turn them over until browned, instead of broiling.