Cuban Rice

Serves 4-6 (Consider doubling for our dinner party)

Cuban Rice

Ingredients

2 cups water boiling
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 tomato diced (I prefer Romas)
1 GOYA Powdered Chicken Bullion packet
1 1/2 tsp GOYA Sazon Seasoning with Saffron (or the spice mix below)
1 cup long grain white rice

Method

Bring the water to a boil. Set aside. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in diced onions, chicken bouillon and sazón seasoning until soft, 5 minutes. Stir in diced bell peppers, and tomatoes. Stir to mix and cook 5 minutes more.

Add rice to the pot, stirring to coat. Cook rice a minute or two. Pour in hot water, stir to combine. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium-low and simmer 25 minutes, covered, or until rice is tender and water is absorbed completely.

Remove lid, fluff with fork and add frozen peas and pimentos. Toss to mix in and cover. Allow to rest 5 minutes. Fluff again, season to taste if needed and serve.

Sazon Seasoning Mix

Ingredients

1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp achiote powder (See Note Below)
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp dried cilantro
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

In a spice grinder or food processor add the ground coriander, cumin, achiote, oregano, cilantro, garlic and onion powders, kosher salt and pepper and pulse until a fine grind. Store in an airtight container.

Note

If Annatto seeds or achiote powder (Read more about it here) is not available, you can substitute with a good pinch of saffron threads or same amount of turmeric. If saffron is unavailable or not to your liking my next substitute would be 1 part turmeric to 2 parts paprika.

Cuban Pork Roast

From Cook's Illustrated (July 2006 issue); Serves 8-10

PORK AND BRINE
1 (7 -8 lb) pork shoulder, bone-in skin-on
3 cups sugar
2 cups table salt
2 medium head garlic, unpeeled cloves separated and crushed
4 cups orange juice

GARLIC-CITRUS PASTE
12 medium garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon table salt
1 ⁄ teaspoons ground black pepper
6 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil

MOJO SAUCE
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 TB fresh oregano, chopped
1/8 tsp black pepper

Method

TO BRINE THE PORK:
With sharp paring knife, cut 1-inch-deep slits (about 1 inch long) all over roast, spaced about 2 inches apart. Dissolve sugar and salt in 6 quarts cold water in stockpot or large bucket. Stir in garlic and orange juice. Submerge pork in brine and refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.

TO APPLY THE GARLIC-CITRUS PASTE:
Process garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper in food processor until they reach consistency of coarse paste, about ten 1second pulses. With machine running, add orange juice, vinegar, and oil through feed tube and process until mixture forms smooth, wet paste, about 20 seconds. Remove pork from brine and rinse under cool running water; pat dry with paper towels. Rub paste all over pork and into slits. Refrigerate pork while oven is preheating to 325 degrees with rack in lower-middle position.

TO ROAST THE PORK:
Place pork with skin side down on wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or in roasting pan with rack. Cook, uncovered, 3 hours. Flip roast skin side up and continue to cook until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 190 degrees, about 3 hours more, lightly tenting roast with foil if skin begins to get too dark.
Transfer roast to cutting board and let rest 1 hour. To carve, first remove skin in one large piece. Scrape off and discard top layer of fat, then cut pork away from bone in 3 or 4 large pieces. Slice each piece against grain into 1/4-inch slices. If desired, serve skin: scrape excess fat from underside and cut into strips.

MOJO SAUCE:
Heat olive oil, garlic and cumin over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Blend with hand blender until smooth. Serve with Roast.

TO SERVE:
Drizzle Mojo Sauce over pork just before serving.