Moroccan Cubanos

Date Prepared: 03/27/11

Source: Top Chef: The Cookbook. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2008. 106. Recipe originated from Dave Martin and Tiffani Faison.

Pulled Spice Rubbed Pork with Pickled Carrots, Red Onion, and Jalapeno

 *Recipe:

Pork

One 4- to 5-pound bone-in pork butt, trimmed

Salt

2 Tablespoons ras al-hanout

1 cup low-sodium veal stock

1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Pickled Vegetables

3 cups red wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon fennel seeds
4 carrots, cut into julienne
1 red onion, cut into julienne
3 fresh jaleapeno chiles, thinly sliced

To Serve

4 fresh flatbread pieces ir fresh corn tortillas

For Ras Al-Hanout seasoning, mix 2 teaspoons each of ground cumin, ground ginger, and salt and 1 teaspoon each freshly ground black pepper, ground cayenne, ground coriander, and ground cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves.

For the pork, Preheat the oven to 275F. Season the pork generously with salt and ras al-hanout. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the pork and cook until well browned on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Put the pork in a large roasting pan and pour in the stock and 1/2 cup water. Roast for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is tender enough to pull apart with a fork. Remove the pork to a cutting board and pour the cooking juices into a small sauce pan. Cook the juices over high heat until reduced to about 3/4 cup; shred the pork into bite-size pieces, discarding the bones. In a large bowl, toss the pork with the reduced juices.

For the pickled vegetables, combine the vinegar, sugar, fennel, and 3 cups water and bring to a boil in a non-reactive pot. Put carrots, onion, and chilies in a large heatproof bowl. Pour the hot vinegar mixture into the bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let the vegetables steam for 20 minutes. Pour out all but about 1 cup of the liquid. Keep the vegetables, covered, in the refrigerator; bring to room temperature when ready to serve.

To serve, warm pitas one at a time in a skillet over medium-high heat. Serve pork on pitas with pickled vegetables.

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Difficulty: Easy - This recipe was of the bake-and-bail variety. The most difficult part of the recipe is getting a good julienne on the vegetables used for the pickling. There are no advanced techniques required in this preparation.

Accessibility: Common to Limited Specialty - The ingredients used for this recipe should be available at most grocery stores. Ras Al-Hanout can likely be found in Middle Eastern markets otherwise it can be prepared with the spice mixture described in the recipe above. I was unable to locate veal stock at the basic grocery store but could likely find it at a natural or specialty store.

Visual Appeal: If you consider all the elements of this sandwich, there is a significant visual appeal to entice the appetite. Beginning with the flatbread. Briefly toasted in a dry pan, the bread has a touch of crispiness but is still soft and foldable. Stuffed in the soft and crispy pita, the pork tender and moist; the juices give the meat a succulent sheen and drip of the end of the sandwich. Topping the juicy pork is a pile of pickled vegetables. The carrots are bright orange and the red wine vinegar enhances the vibrant pink of the red onion enhancing the presentation of this otherwise dull pork sandwich.



Red Onion, Carrot, and Jalapeno pickled in a mixture of Red Wine Vinegar, Sugar, and Fennel Seed

Overall Taste: The taste of this preparation was a pleasant deviation from my typical meat and bread combinations. First the pork is juicy and has the right amount of jus and salt. To my surprise the pork alone was not particularly spicy (as expected from the cayenne and black pepper). The aroma of the cinnamon and clove were the most prevalent. After a day or so in the refrigerator, the julienne carrot and onion and sliced jalapeno has a nice mellow but bright acidic flavor. The heat was not overwhelming and was enjoyable for my taste. I suspect the vinegar cut the flame from the pepper. Fennel seed provides a familiar flavor to me and makes me think of Italian sausage. The complete combination is rich and acidic and spicy all at once. Even recalling the flavor and aroma has made my mouth begin to water again!

Overall Experience: This recipe has been on my list to make for better than a year. Having just been in New York, I suppose I was inspired to try something new and exciting. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy this preparation the same day it was made. However, I would hazard to say that it was better a day or two after -the pickled vegetables at least. The payoff for some relatively brief preparation work and patience is well worth the wait and effort.

Additional Notes: I was unable to easily find veal stock and substituted beef stock instead.

*The recipe and instructions for this recipe have been reported to maintain the original instruction and is not an original recipe and belongs to the source indicated. This post has been prepared as a review only and with no intention to take credit for this recipe. This recipe has been reviewed without instruction or influence by the parties or companies mentioned therein.

Eating NYC

The point of my amateur food blog was to expand my culinary horizons. To explore, think more creatively, and over all eat more "good" food. I would hazard to assert that it does not really matter what the means is if the end goal is achieved. So, I have decided to briefly abandon my typical style for something less rigid.

Recently, I had the profound opportunity to visit one of the most diverse cities in the world: New York City. I spent 4 eventful and tasty days in the Big Apple and wanted to reflect on the more exciting points.

Much of my time was spent walking around the city exploring various landmarks (e.g. the Brooklyn bridge, Time Square, Central Park, etc.). However, naturally, my focus was on each meal. Before coming to the city, I did some "research" and made a list of places I wanted to see and/or experience, most of which were restaurants or culinary-related sites. With that I present my recap of my New York City food experience:

Wednesday March 23, 2011

I took a mid-morning flight into the city to meet my girlfriend, Kendal. After settling in at the Hotel on 40th street near Time Square we took off for the day. Unfortunately, the weather was cold and rainy with a good bit of wind. We did what we could to stay dry and Kendal provided me with the best tour she could. We visited Time Square where street vendors sell hot dogs, grilled kabobs, and soft pretzels. We walked along Broadway and up to Central Park. On our way from the hotel, our route took us past a deli called Guy and Gallard. Having no particular plans for afternoon sustenance, it was our first meal together in NYC. The deli offer an eclectic "menu" of paninis (very prevalent in New York City), fresh salads, soups and desserts. We both had paninis, which were good. Personally, I had their "Alpine" panini, which was a Reuben with turkey and spinach. It was different and relatively healthy. The chicken and corn chowder I had with my sandwich was hot! It was not as thick as I might have otherwise liked but it provided some warmth for my already cold bones.

After trekking around in the cold and rain for a few hours, making stops at FAO Schwatz, Dylan's Candy Bar, and Pop Burger we headed back to Time Square to meet a friend for dinner at The Counter. It is a small restaurant featuring made-to-order burgers. Essentially, you choose a burger (veggie or one of several proteins) and add various toppings and condiments to make it however you like. It was a fun concept and the veggie burger with goat cheese spread, tomatoes, sprouts, grilled onions, and mixed greens was a welcomed deviation from the expected beef hamburger.

Dylan's Candy Bar - New York City

Pop Burger

On the recommendation of the same friend we shared dinner with, Kendal and I took the "Uptown" NRQ subway to a place called Serendipity. We waited a short period of time before sitting down to share a "Frozen Hot Chocolate." This dessert beverage is just what it sounds like: hot chocolate blended with ice and topped with whipped cream. It was somewhat ironic to order because of the cold outside but it was quite the enjoyable treat, providing the necessary chocolate fix without the heaviness of some more traditional chocolate desserts. Unable to resist the temptation, we left with a piece of acclaimed chocolate cake, which we ate back at the hotel. And so ended our first day together in the city and the first "chapter" in my food journal.

Thursday March 24, 2011

Breakfast is, undoubtedly, my favorite meal of the day. Ironically, we skipped my favorite meal on the second day in New York City. After a late start, we headed straight away to Little Italy. Kendal had visited earlier in the week and had good reviews about a place called Sofia's. Instead of cereal and croissants we enjoyed veal cannelloni and fresh lasagna. It was rich, hearty food that gave us good fuel for the day. After making stops in SoHo we wandered around lower Manhattan visiting the Brooklyn bridge and running into Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. We stopped into Starbucks for an obligatory hot beverage before reaching Battery Park and for my first, distant glances at the Statue of Liberty. I really thought it was a behemoth of a landmark and was disappointed at the small stature of this national symbol, however unreasonably skewed my expectation was. Our sightseeing was necessary but more-or-less a way to make the time pass before making our dinner reservation at Mesa Grill.



Mesa Grill - New York City

There are a lot of great restaurants in New York with a lot of highly acclaimed Chefs. It was the most difficult decision I had to make during my preparations for coming to New York City. After balancing the names and the actual food, I decided that Mesa Grill would be the most interesting. Craft and WD50 were on my list too but didn't make the cut for various reasons. The restaurant is rather quaint with a relatively small dinner room. The Menu offered a good variety of entree options with a lot of appeal. Look at the full menu; there are a lot of mouthwatering dishes. I was prepared to make this a memorable meal and indulged with all three courses.

We started with the Rough Cut Tuna Nachos and the Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale. These appetizers were much different flavors we were used but really enjoyed both. The nachos were fresh tortilla chips served with a tuna tartar and dressed with a avocado crema and habanero hot sauce. It was not too spicy and the avocado was rich and flavorful. I don't like raw fish much, but it quickly grew on me. The tamale was moist and the shrimp were perfectly cooked. The cream sauce was not too thick and combined nicely with the sweetness of the corn. 

Rough Cut Tuna Nachos

Shrimp and Roasted Garlic Corn Tamale

In addition to the starters we were served a unique basket of rolls: traditional white rolls, sweet potato and rosemary rolls, and fresh corn bread with chiles. The bread was a welcomed change from a traditional bread selection.

Mesa Grill Bread Basket

It was a difficult decision for each of us to choose only 1 entree, but we did exhibit some restraint and limit our selection to a single dish each. Kendal's entree was the Ancho Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon, which consisted of a good size filet of salmon served with a blackbean puree and tomatillo salsa, among other things. It had some heat and didn't last long on her plate. She also selected a wild rice tamale to accompany her fish. To me the tamale didn't have much special to offer, but she enjoyed it. In contrast, I chose a Spice Rubbed New York Strip Steak with a twice-baked potato with creme fraiche and horseradish. The steak was cook perfectly for me medium-rare to medium. The spice rub was subtle and really let the beef shine. The horseradish in the potato was an excellent accompaniment. In hindsight, I probably would have ordered something more interesting, but the homemade steak sauce was unique enough for that day. When I think of Bobby Flay I think of his grilling skills and use of sauces.

Ancho Chile-Honey Glazed Salmon

Spice Rubbed New York Strip Steak

We ended the meal with an Apple and Red Grape Pot Pie, which was just as it was described: baked apples and red grapes in a rich syrup covered with a flaky pastry dough and served with carmel apple ice cream and a simple sprig of mint. It was a clean dessert and had good flavor, however ununique.

Apple and Red Grape Pot Pie

We did catch a glimpse of the great Bobby Flay through the windows of the swinging kitchen doors but were not so lucky to meet the chef himself. I didn't even get a good opportunity to embarass myself by waving frantically at the food celebrity...

Our culinary adventure for the day ended with dinner but not our adventure for the day. We laughed and marveled at Blue Man Group at the Astor Place Theatre. The theatre was small which made our seats in the back row of the balcony bareable. It was an interesting experience to say the least.

Friday March 25, 2011

Late nights equal late mornings. Another late start took us rushing into another cafe near our hotel to grab bagels, muffins and yogurt parfaits for breakfast on the way to Grand Central Station to meet another friend and venture uptown to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. We at our modest fare on the subway and spent a few hours wandering around the museum and catching up with each other. We opted to leave the museum for lunch and stopped at an italian deli called Hot and Crusty. The atmosphere was rushed and my lunch selections were a bit on impulse. The stromboli with chicken and peppers was a bit dissapointing but only because I didn't understand what a stromboli was. I was expecting cheese and marinara sauce to accompany the other fillings but found none. The orange soda -though canned- was not as orange as I remember. The garlic bread "knots" were not as soft and enjoyable as I hoped. Oh well. We had a good time hanging out, even if the food was not up to my ambiguos standards.

We parted ways at Grand Central Station, Kendal and I heading back toward Time Square. Our tour took us to several shops to collect some obligatory souvenires before returning to the hotel to change and prepare for the evening festivities. We ate dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp in Time Square - Kendal a fish and shrimp dish with mashed potatoes and a bourban sauce and me a shrimp and sausage dish with jasmine rice and the same bourbon cream sauce. A "hypothetical" suggestion to our server about a possible birthday got Kendal out of her chair and dancing for a scoop of ice cream but got me some icy glares too. Lesson learned.

The food and drink were good, but I had one major critique. Unfortunately, I have to suspect that MSG is used to some capacity in the seasoning of the dish. It wasn't long after our meal that the same tasty food did not sit well in my stomach. Unfortunately, it hit at the most inconvenient time, which was just after the first scene of Disney's The Lion King. I was stricken for almost half of the first act catching bits on a screen in the atrium of the theatre. Fortunately, my sickness was temporary, and I survived through the second half of the performance without any incident.

Although I liked the music of Wicked better, the costumes in The Lion King were ingenious and very intricately detailed. A couple of the characters were played superbly and really stood out for the show. The show was worth the money, if not just to say I went.

It seemed only right to spend as much time experiencing New York City as possible. Immediately after leaving Lion King we headed over to HA! Comedy Club just off Time Square for a dueling pianos performance. Generally, the music was good and we had a good time. Ironically, it was in the basement of a comedy club that we had our first piece of New York cheesecake. I wonder at the authenticity of the dessert as it did not have a layer of sour cream on top as I expected New York cheesecake to have, but it was creamy and just what we were looking for at midnight. We stayed until about 1am before walking back to the hotel a collapsing in bed.

Saturday March 26, 2011

Our last day in New York was pretty uneventful. The cleaning lady woke us up earlier than we had hoped even though we had scheduled a late check-out. Kendal opted to eat a blueberry muffin from the day before while I stepped out to visit the deli one more time for yogurt and a muffin of my own. Fearing I might be chastised for not experiencing pizza in New York, I gave into impulse and stopped at a pizza shop near the deli and picked up a floppy piece of pizza. It was actually exactly what I wanted right then and would have traded my yogurt and muffin for another slice if I hadn't paid for them already. Expecting a long commute we left the hotel early and ended up spending a few hours in the airport waiting for our plane back to Milwaukee. Having eating enough for a couple of meals just hours before, I did not pursue any meal opportunities at the airport.

Our plane took off in good weather and landed without incident. I came to New York without much fanfare and left in a similar style. I wish I could have eated more but there just was not enough time in our visit or room in my stomach.

Get out and eat...and then tell people about it!