Tag: pork shoulder

Recipe: Chef Hugo’s Maple & Orange Carnitas

Posted on by Sharman

Chef Victor Hugo‘s mission is simple: bring traditional Mexican cuisine using fresh Alberta ingredients to the people of Edmonton. If you’ve been lucky enough to see chef Victor in a food demonstration, you know this charismatic chef is eager to share the flavours from his native country. He has proudly shared his passion for Alberta pork in his recipes as a repeat presenter on the Taste Alberta food stage at Porkapalooza, and while sharing his taco making secrets at Get Cooking. Chef Victor Hugo has added a bit more Canadian flavour to this taco recipe – this version of Maple & Orange Carnitas serves six:

What you’ll need…

Carnitas
2 kg Pork shoulder
1 orange, sliced
1/2 cup orange juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 L  cold water
8 garlic cloves
1 white onion
2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp black pepper

Salsa Verde
6 Tomatillos
2 Garlic Cloves
1 Jalapeño
1 Tbsp salt

Garnish and assembly
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 cup cilantro leafs
4 limes, cut into quarters
250 g Cheddar cheese, grated
18 corn tortillas

Directions:

For the Carnitas

  1. Cut the pork shoulder in four parts place into an oven-safe pot or roasting pan.
  2. Mix the rest of the ingredients for a minute add use to marinate the meat. Cover with aluminum foil or a lid, and place in in the oven at 300 °f for 3 hours.
  3. Remove the pan use shred the pork – it should be fork tender and pull apart easily. Add a little of the juices left in the roasting pan or pot to the pork mixture, reserving any leftover juices for the garnish (see below).

For the Salsa Verde

  1. Add two cups of water to a medium pot and put on the stove over high heat until boiling.
  2. Add the tomatillos and jalapeño pepper and cook for 5 minutes. remove from the water and add them to a blender with the other ingredients grind for one minute.

For the Garnish and assembly

  1. Grind the cilantro leaves in 1/2 cup of the reserved roasting juice from the pork (see above) with the coriander leaves, until the mixture is thick.
  2. Using a skillet over high heat, warm each tortilla for 30 seconds per side.
  3. In a non stick frying pan over medium high heat, add some cheese (12 g approximately) and place the tortilla on top. Cook for 45 seconds,and remove with the help of a spatula.
  4. Flip the tortilla so the cheese is facing up. Top with carnita mix, onions and cilantro. Serve alongside salsa verde and a lime. Enjoy!

 

Recipe: Chef Jiju Paul’s Black Pork Curry

Posted on by Sharman

Not loving the weather forecast from old man winter? Warm your belly with the heat from this recipe for black pork curry courtesy of the Edmonton Expo Centre‘s Executive Chef Jiju Paul. While this can be served immediately with rice or naan bread, like any good soup or stew, this dish tastes better the next day once the flavours have had a chance to mellow.

Since returning to Edmonton from a stint with the Fairmont Ajman in the United Arab Emirates, chef Jiju has been eager to meld both his culinary passion and love of local ingredients at the Edmonton Expo Centre, especially through the launch of his Winery Spotlight Series. Chef Jiju, who has more than 16 years of experience in five-star hotels across India, the United Arab Emirates, and Canada, will be sharing his passion for Alberta pork with a Swine and Dine dinner at the Edmonton Expo Centre. Stay tuned for details on the event to take place March 2020.

What you’ll need…

1.5 lb pork loin chops or shoulder (a pork cut with some fat is preferable for this curry)
4 tsp black pepper
6 whole cardamom pod seeds, crushed (only use the seeds)
1 heaping teaspoon of Sri Lankan Roasted Curry Powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp tamarind paste
3 tbsp oil
2-3 bay leaves
1 inch of peeled ginger, minced
½ medium onion, chopped finely
2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (or 2 serrano peppers if you prefer more heat)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp sugar
½ cup water
Additional salt and lemon juice to taste

 

Directions:

  1. Cut the pork into ½ -1-inch cubes. If the pork chops have bones you can add those to the curry as well, as they add more flavour. Set aside once cubed.
  2. Crush the cardamom pod seeds into a powder and mix with the black pepper, curry powder, salt, cinnamon, cayenne pepper. Crush and mix using a mortar and pestle.
  3. Combine 2 tbsp of the mixed spices, the tamarind paste, and 1 tbsp oil to coat the cut pork. Leave pork in fridge to marinate for 8-10 hours or overnight if possible.
  4. To cook, heat 2 tbsp of oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the bay leaves, ginger and onion. Sauté until the onions become translucent. Add the garlic and sliced jalapeno peppers and sauté for another 30 seconds.
  5. Stir in the marinated pork and sugar. Add about ½ cup of water and bring this to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 1 hour.
  6. Check on the curry and add extra water if it dries out. Add salt or lemon juice if desired. You can serve this curry immediately, but it tastes better after it has rested for a little while. Even better the next day!

 

Recap: Swine and Dine at The Common – 2018 Edition

Posted on by Sharman

For the 4th year in a row, chef Jesse Morrison shared his passion for Alberta pork by creating a Swine and Dine dinner at The Common. The annual event is an opportunity for Jesse and his culinary team at The Common Edmonton to get creative with the one-off menu featuring Alberta pork from appetizer to dessert. The price is always phenomenal, $40 for four courses this year, and each time I leave I find myself saying ‘that was better than the last one!’

When The Common hosts their annual Swine and Dine dinners their regular menu is not available, and the kitchen is fully committed to the all-Alberta pork menu. On Thursday, May 31, 2018, the culinary and service team served up 59 Swine & Dine covers, proving that all-pork menu is hip and desired by The Common’s hip and desirable clientele.

My favourite dish was the 3rd course, but the feedback was split among dinners at my table. There were several votes for the appetizer, but I think the winner may have been for the dessert. As one diner at my table said ‘I think we all need more maple brandy pork fat ice cream in our lives.’

This year’s innovative Swine and Dine menu at The Common featured:

1st course: spring Bouchee a La Reine with asparagus and dried ham


The gluten free option on the first course swapped puff pastry for a crispy baked potato

2nd course: Char Siu pork with pickled schezuan salad & lemongrass milk bread

3rd course:  Pork Shoulder with hominy, jus and shaved green bean salad

Dessert: Maple brandy pork fat ice cream with apricot jelly roll & pork soaked apricots

Chef Jesse Morrison prepping his Swine & Dine dessert – Maple brandy pork fat ice cream with apricot jelly roll & pork soaked apricots

 

Chef Jesse Morrison’s Maple brandy pork fat ice cream with apricot jelly roll & pork soaked apricots

Less than 24 hours after he hosted his 4th Swine and Dine dinner, Chef Morrison told me he was already looking forward to creating next year’s menu.

For those who missed it, but still want a bite, chef Jesse Morrison always has an assortment of pork dishes on his menu at The Common. Check it out:

The Common
Cool, contemporary gastro-lounge offering elevated local comfort food, cocktails, DJs & dancing.
9910 109 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5K 1H5
Menu: thecommon.ca
 (780) 452-7333

Recipe: Steve Furgiuele’s Porchetta

Posted on by Sharman

In addition to being a chef and meat artisan, Steve Furgiuele is also an excellent photographer, which helps make his Fuge Fine Meats instagram absolutely drool-worthy.

I recently liked a photo Steve shared of porchetta, which is a savoury, fatty, and moist boneless pork roast of Italian culinary tradition. Since it is not something that Steve is selling at the markets this summer, I asked if he would share the recipe and his photo, which he graciously agreed to do.

It is no secret that Steve has a passion for Alberta pork farmers, which you can taste with every bite of sausage and salumi he creates. Fuge Fine Meats will be available at the 124 Street Grand Market and occasionally at the City Market this summer. To learn more about where you can buy Fuge Fine Meats visit www.fuge.ca. And if you happen to be a pork-belly addict like I am, you’re going to love his porchetta recipe:

What you’ll need…

1 whole pork belly, skin on

1 coppa, shoulder cut

Handfuls of your favourite herbs (I used thyme & rosemary), fresh garlic and sea salt

Extra virgin olive oil

Baking sheet with rack

Butcher twine

Directions:

Lay down the belly with the meat side down. With a sharp knife, add a series of cuts the length of the belly, just enough to pierce the skin. This will be critical for getting that crispy skin. Flip the belly over and season liberally. Spread minced garlic and fresh herbs all over the belly. Set aside.

Take the coppa cut and proceed to cut it open as you would prepare a roulade. Take your time and carefully cut lengthwise, while allowing the meat to roll open. Generously season the meat on both sides and apply more herbs, garlic and pepper, if you desire. (I marinated mine in hot Calabrese pepperonceno paste, wine and herbs). Roll the meat back up and place in the center of the belly.

Roll the belly over to wrap the coppa cut. Using a butchers’ knot, secure the porchetta firmly. About 6 across the belly and two lengthwise (to create an X) should do the trick. If you need help with this knot, view this YouTube video. 

Once tied up, rub the porchetta with the extra virgin olive oil and apply more salt to the skin. Place on the racked baking sheet seam side down. Allow to rest overnight, uncovered. This step will allow the skin to dry out.

* I cooked mine using a wood pellet smoker, the Louisiana Grills LG900 with Tennessee Whiskey Barrel pellets. With the internal temperature probe set to 140F, this is how I proceeded to cook the porchetta.

550F for 20 minutes

315F until the internal temperature was reached, approximately 3 hours

180F for an additional 2 hours for smoke flavour development

After proper resting, the porchetta probe read about 166F. The skin crackled just right and it made some damn good sandwiches!