A thread about cooking

[Torofamily Profile]

How to Make the Best Lechón Asado

(Roast Pork)

Jorge Castillo: When we don't have the time...

Raúl Musibay: ...or enough hungry Cubans around...

Jorge Castillo: ...to roast a whole pig, we make our Lechon Asado using a fresh, bone in ham.

Glenn Lindgren: Many butchers in other parts of the United States call this a "green" ham. Just make sure you ask for an un-smoked or un-processed ham with the skin still on.

Raúl Musibay: That's the most important part - you need the skin and the layer of fat underneath.

Jorge Castillo: You can cook your lechón in the oven or outside on the grill. A covered grill (such as the Webber kettle) where you can bank the coals to the side, leaving an empty space beneath your ham, works best.

Glenn Lindgren: I've had good luck with a gas grill. Just turn off the middle burner and adjust the front and back burners to keep the grill at the right temperature.

Raúl Musibay: Finally, you can also make this on top of the stove in a large Dutch oven. Adjust the heat to low, cover and cook until completely done.

Jorge Castillo: My sister Esther usually adds a fresh ham or two when we do our pig roasts, just to make sure there's plenty of lechón for everyone!

Option 1: One "fresh ham" with bone in (or have your butcher butterfly it for you!) and skin on.

Option 2: One Pork shoulder -- you can sometimes get these with the skin on.


Mojo Marinade

20 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups sour orange juice
(If you can't get sour orange juice in your area, use two parts orange to one part lemon and one part lime)
1 cup minced onion
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups Spanish olive oil

Mash the garlic and salt together with a mortar and pestle.

Add dried oregano, onion, and the sour orange to the mash and mix thoroughly.

Heat oil in small sauce pan, add the mash to the oil and whisk. Pierce pork as many times as you can with a sharp knife or fork.

Pour garlic mixture (save a little for roasting) over pork, cover and let sit in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or preferably overnight.

Oven

To roast in the oven, preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place the pork, fattest side up, in an open roasting pan. Place pan in oven and reduce temperature to 225 degrees F. Spoon extra marinade over the roast occasionally as it cooks. Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 195 degrees F. -- for fork tender, "pulled-pork" quality. (If you want a roast you can slice, remove when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.)

Immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Grill

Use a covered grill, such as the Webber kettle or a covered gas grill. Bank the coals to each side, leaving an empty space beneath your ham. If using a gas grill, use front and rear burners only. The idea is to cook with indirect heat. You want a low heat, so do not over do it with the coals!

Spoon extra marinade over the roast occasionally as it cooks. If not using a gas grill, add charcoal to the sides as needed to maintain roasting temperature. Using a meat thermometer, roast should be removed from the grill when the temperature reaches 195 degrees F. -- for fork tender, "pulled-pork" quality. (If you want a roast you can slice, remove when the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees F.)

Immediately cover with foil and let rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. The roast will continue to cook after you remove it from the heat.

[Shaggietrip Profile]

I must confess the only tv I do watch are cooking programs. Every Sunday I try to cook something new or just a good damn meal. Seeings how we starve every other day of the week.




I made Wellington for the 1st time yesterday.I thought it was delicious. I like rare so I found it almost perfect. Others may want to cook 10-15 min longer [my after thought is the Duxelles keep the interior from getting heat to fast]. I cut the time short because I used Venison. Not sure if they are errors or how it is but juices did flow out through bottom of puff pastry wrap so bottom was not crispy like the top.I am not sure if it was from not reducing the Duxelles enough. The sear was good. Now plz keep in mind this is a modified recipie from off the internet. But never having actual Beef Wellington I can not say the taste comparison. But we all loved it. In the pics you will see two other pieces cooked. One was baked with out the puff pastry. The other with out puff pastry and pan fried.

Here is the recipie I used if your interested. Like I did you can add or cut things out. But the one posted is what I actually used after modifying this one.

Original http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/the-ultimate-beef-wellington-recipe2/index.html







For the Duxelles:

3 pints (1 1/2 pounds) white button mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


For the Venison:

1 (2 lb) center venison tenderloin , trimmed
Extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 thin slices prosciutto


Directions

To make the Duxelles: Add mushrooms, garlic, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped [I have no food proccessor so I putt the mushrooms and garlic accross a grater and finely chopped the rest]. Add butter and olive oil to a large saute pan and set over medium heat. Add the shallot and mushroom mixture and saute for 8 to 10 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

To prepare the beef: Tie the tenderloin in 4 places so it holds its cylindrical shape while cooking. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper and sear all over, including the ends, in a hot, heavy-based skillet lightly coated with olive oil - about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile set out your prosciutto on a sheet of plastic wrap (plastic needs to be about a foot and a half in length so you can wrap and tie the roast up in it) on top of your cutting board. Shingle the prosciutto so it forms a rectangle that is big enough to encompass the entire filet of beef. Using a rubber spatula cover evenly with a thin layer of duxelles. Season the surface of the duxelles with salt and pepper and sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves. When the beef is seared, remove from heat, cut off twine and smear lightly all over with Dijon mustard. Allow to cool slightly, then roll up in the duxelles covered prosciutto using the plastic wrap to tie it up nice and tight. Tuck in the ends of the prosciutto as you roll to completely encompass the beef. Roll it up tightly in plastic wrap and twist the ends to seal it completely and hold it in a nice log shape. Set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to ensure it maintains its shape.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the puff pastry out to about a 1/4-inch thickness. Depending on the size of your sheets you may have to overlap 2 sheets and press them together. Remove beef from refrigerator and cut off plastic. Set the beef in the center of the pastry and fold over the longer sides, brushing with egg wash to seal. Trim ends if necessary then brush with egg wash and fold over to completely seal the beef - saving ends to use as a decoration on top if desired. Top with coarse sea salt. Place the beef seam side down on a baking sheet.

Brush the top of the pastry with egg wash then make a couple of slits in the top of the pastry using the tip of a paring knife - this creates vents that will allow the steam to escape when cooking. Bake for 30 minutes until pastry is golden brown and venie registers 125 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.[ I did not do the thermometer thingy]Remove from oven and rest before cutting into thick slices.








Despite what I feel was wrong everyone loved it. I am a bit of a perfectionist. I would use another word but the peanut gallery would be all over it.



I had baked potatos and wild rice with the main course. Seemed fitting.




I call it Robin Hoods Wellington due to using Venison.

[Slith Profile]

Holy shit Shaggie! That's awesome

[domdabears Profile Website]

Anyone have a good pasta sauce recipe? I wish I told my grandma to write down hers before she died. I'll never taste good food again. Sucks.

[Slith Profile]

Anyone have a good pasta sauce recipe? I wish I told my grandma to write down hers before she died. I'll never taste good food again. Sucks.

I do. Plain tomato, Bolognese or alfredo?

[Malogg Profile]

Anyone have a good pasta sauce recipe? I wish I told my grandma to write down hers before she died. I'll never taste good food again. Sucks.

If it is an Italian spicy tomato pasta a wee secret I was told by this Italian chef was to add the garlic at the last minute and not to over heat it or the garlic goes sour .

[domdabears Profile Website]

Anyone have a good pasta sauce recipe? I wish I told my grandma to write down hers before she died. I'll never taste good food again. Sucks.

I do. Plain tomato, Bolognese or alfredo?

I always like meat in my sauce, so Bolognese would be best.

[Slith Profile]

Anyone have a good pasta sauce recipe? I wish I told my grandma to write down hers before she died. I'll never taste good food again. Sucks.

I do. Plain tomato, Bolognese or alfredo?

I always like meat in my sauce, so Bolognese would be best.

Okay mon ami. Gimme a bit. Cooking ribs with honey garlic mango/papaya/pineapple sauce. Will get back to you shortly

[domdabears Profile Website]

Okay mon ami. Gimme a bit. Cooking ribs with honey garlic mango/papaya/pineapple sauce. Will get back to you shortly

That's cool. We just ordered some Beef Villa. So I'll be eating soon. My girl is going to pick it up now.

I don't know if this chain is anywhere else but Chicagoland, but this is what it is.

[domdabears Profile Website]