Tuesday’s Cupful: Background on Pernil Pork

Well-seasoned Latin American fare

Look for several versions of this dish on the internet.  Most recipes link this meal item to Puerto Rico but you’ll also discover more than a few recipes that are Cuban in origin.  Warm seasonings, such as chili powder, ground cayenne pepper, and ground cumin, work well to enhance the pork shoulder’s natural flavors.  Minty oregano and coriander serve to round out a yummy recipe.  Meanwhile, a slow roasting time is paramount in producing tasty and tender cuts of meat.      

Monday’s Bread Bowl: Puerto Rican Pernil Pork

A spicy and satisfying pork roast

Crave a different kind of pork roast?  The mixed Stew crew made this Puerto Rican favorite and loves it.  The combination of seasonings and spices really do make for a distinct roast.  Here’s the recipe:

What you will need:

1 blender

1 large bowl w/ lid

1 large metal roasting pan (must be able to hold standing water)

1 (7 ½ to 8 lbs) pork shoulder roast

1 metal roasting rack (must be able to keep roast above water)

1 large onion, quartered

4 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tbspns dried oregano

1 tbspn ground coriander

1 tspn ground cumin

1 tbspn chili powder

½ tbspn ground cayenne pepper

1 sprinkle cinnamon

1 tbspn white vinegar

1 tbspn salt

2 tspns freshly ground black pepper

½ cup olive oil

Cooking & Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Score skin side of roast in cross-hatch pattern.  Combine garlic, onion, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, chili powder, coriander, salt, pepper and olive oil in blender.  Pulse ingredients until a ingredients reach a paste-like consistency.  Blend in vinegar.  Rub spicy paste into sides of pork.  Work the paste into crevices then let the pork sit for at least 1 hour -- longer is probably better.  Set pork on rack in pan with about a half-inch of water below in preheated oven.  Let pork roast, skin side up, at 3 hours per 4lbs.  Check water in pan every hour to see if it needs replenishing. Pull out pork roast once baking time has elapsed.  Let roast rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving with lime wedges.

Friday's Last Spoonful: Food Surf

Do-it-yourself fruit canning, etc.

Food Surfing will feature fun food links from around the Blogosphere, including leads to hardcover helpers. These recommended links may give you other interesting ideas for making your life taste better. The Mixed Stew crew likes hunting through cookbooks for a good recipe or three.

Have you thought of preserving the fruits or veggies growing in your backyard?  Mother Earth News provides instructions on how to successfully can your own fruits and veggies.

Hobbyfarms also features information about do-it-yourself canning that you may find useful. 

Finally, TLC offers the “10 Best Items to keep onhand” on its site.  Everything from beans to canned tomatoes and fruit cocktail get a blurb in this fun piece.

Thursday’s Side Dish: Embellish This Upside Down Cake

Go ahead and slice it up

How can you jazz up this cake?  We suggest serving slices of this cake with whipped cream topping or ice cream.  If those desert staples are not available, then drizzle this cake with sweetened condensed milk, chocolate syrup, or even chocolate shavings.  Also, try studding this cake with walnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries.  Finally, remember that you prepare this cake using other fresh fruits, such

as peaches, apples, or even canned fruit.        

Wednesday’s Helping: Bartlett Pears

Juicy bell-shaped fruits

The fruit we used in this week’s upside-down cake happen to be Bartlett pears (aka Williams pears or Barts).  This type of pear is very popular among consumers in Europe and the United States.  Bartlett pears, with their typical bell-shaped fruits, are native to Europe.  Enoch Bartlett brought the pear to the American colonies and began selling trees in the late 1700s.  Expect a very sweet and crisp flavor from a ripe Bartlett pear.  Farmers also use these pears in making canned pears.  Select fruit specimens with golden skin and an aromatic scent.  You can also purchase green Bartlett pears and then wait for them to ripen at home.  Remember that pears are a good source of fiber.         

Tuesday’s Cupful: Background on Sweet Pear Upside Down Cake

A fancy yellow cake in a pinch

The beauty of this cake is that the end product tastes and feels like a cake that took hours to prepare.  This cake reminds the Mixed Stew crew of our buttery brojas cake.  Expect buttery sweetness combined with the natural flavors of thinly sliced pears in every piece of this upside down cake.  We recommend making this sweet treat as a suitable and satisfying alternative to the usual baked fruit pies or loaf-style tea breads.  Meanwhile, you can experiment with arranging and layering the sliced pears to create a a more or less aesthetically pleasing cake top. 

Monday’s Bread Bowl: Sweet Pear Upside Down Cake

A yummy and dense pear cake

The Mixed Stew crew decided to try and make this upside down yellow cake and really liked the results.  Here’s the recipe. 

What you will need:

1 baking spatula

1 (9 inch) round cake pan with deep sides

1 medium bowl

1 standing mixer w/ bowl

10 tbspns butter (1 ¼ whole stick), softened

3 - 4 pears cored and sliced thin

1 ½ cup flour

½ cup brown sugar

½ tspn salt

½ cup milk

1 ½ tspn baking powder

1 tspn cinnamon

½ cup sugar

2 eggs

½ tspn vanilla

Cooking and Directions:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and all sides of cake pan with 2 tbspns butter.  Pour brown sugar on bottom of pan.  Spread brown sugar evenly.  Arrange and pile pear slices evenly on top of brown sugar layer.  Next, combine baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in medium-sized bowl.  Set aside.  Cream sugar and rest of butter in mixer until light and fluffy then add the eggs and vanilla until mixed well.  Now, add milk and flour to the batter in alternating intervals until ingredients run out.  Toss in cinnamon mixture and incorporate well.  Pour and spread the finished cake batter evenly over the pears.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour.  Sides of cake will pull away from edge of pan while baking.  Pull out done cake and let it rest for 30 minutes.  Then quickly and carefully invert on to a serving plate.