Cuban Roast Pork

This was *almost* there. The flavors were really reminiscent of my favorite dish (roast pork with sour orange mojo) at our favorite Cuban spot, Cafe 28. However, cooking a pork roast all day in a slow cooker rendered the meat pretty dry. Ok, very dry.

If I were making this again, I would either use a pork shoulder or I would use the pork roast, but make it in a Dutch oven on the stove top and cook for far less time. This recipe has great potential, so I will definitely be trying again.

I will post the ingredients and what I did this time. If anyone tries this will modifications that work, let me know!

Cuban Roast Pork
1 pork roast or pork shoulder
1 c. lime juice
1 c. orange juice
2 yellow onions, thickly sliced
6-8 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet until hot. Season pork with salt and pepper and brown well on both sides (about 5 minutes per side).

Add to slow cooker, pour juices over the top, top with garlic and onions and add the bay leaf.

Let cook on low for about 5 hours (not the 10 hours that it ended up cooking for by the time I got home from work).

Slice pork and spoon onions and juices over the top. Serve with black beans and rice.

Maple Glazed Salmon with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This was a very...ummm...orange meal. Mr. Foodie nicknamed it "George Hamilton Salmon."

I got the recipe from my Williams Sonoma Grilling and Roasting Cookbook. It sounded simple enough, so I thought I'd give it a try. It was good. The salmon didn't wow me, but the sweet potatoes were really, really yummy. I'd maybe squeeze some lemon over the salmon after cooking for some additional flavor.

2 servings
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced (not too thick)
1 tbsp. melted butter
Fresh ground pepper
A pinch of cinnamon
2 salmon fillets
salt and pepper
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss sliced potatoes with butter, pepper and cinnamon.

Place a sheet of foil over a rimmed baking sheet (unless you like cleaning carmelized sugar off of pans). Place potatoes in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring syrup and Worcestershire to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low and let it reduce by about half (about 5 minutes).

Crank up the oven to 450.

Turn potato slices over and move closer together. Top with salmon that has been seasoned with salt and pepper. Brush with 1/2 the glaze. Roast for 10 minutes.

Take fish out of the oven, baste with the remaining glaze and roast for about 7 more minutes.

DEFINITELY serve with a green salad to break up the monochromatic-ishness of it all. I would squeeze a lemon over the salmon for some extra flavor.

This deposition is making me HONGRY!

All of my cases seem to hit the same point in litigation at the same time. For a solid 8 months, all I did was serve and answer discovery requests. Now, thankfully that is over, and I've moved into the deposition phase. I had two deps last week, one today and I leave tomorrow for South Carolina for yet another. Later this month, it's off to Santa Barbara, L.A., Beantown and NYC for more depositional fun.

At any rate, all this question-asking and cross-examinationing really works up an appetite. I decided to try a hearty chicken parmesan recipe from Mario Batali. Normally, I am not a fan of anything that pairs chicken and cheese. However, this was really delicious, even if it took awhile. I skipped his sauce recipe and made my own Quick Chunky Veggie Pasta Sauce!

Chicken Parmesan
Serves 4 (we heart leftovers!)

4 chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten
Italian-style breadcrumbs
Olive oil

1 recipe Chunky Veggie Pasta Sauce (see blog entry)

1/4 c. Parmesan, grated
1/4 c. Pecorino Romano, grated
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, grated (bonus points for fresh mozz, sliced)

Preheat oven to 350.

Place chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap
Pound to 1/3- 1/2 inch thickness with a meat mallet or rolling pin (beat that meat!)
Season chicken breasts LIGHTLY with salt and pepper

Heat small amount of oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet
Dip each chicken breast in egg, then coat in breadcrumbs
Cook 2 chicken breasts in the oil for 2 minutes on each side
Repeat with the remaining two breasts
**NOTE** Chicken will NOT be cooked through. This is OK. I swear I wouldn't give you salmonella, at least not on purpose.

Spread 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of a glass 9x13 baking dish. If you're lazy, you could use jarred marinara, but this won't be as good.
Place chicken breasts on top of the sauce
Top with the remaining sauce
Top with the cheeses - mozz first, then pecorino/parm combo

Bake for 20 minutes, make a nice little green salad (pasta would be too much), open that vino, and prepare yourself for the cheesy goodness.