Pierna Criolla a Lo Caja China

Recipe by Roberto Guerra

STUFFED PORK SHOULDER "A LO CAJA CHINA"

1 8 lb. pork shoulder 8 slices bacon
1/2 lb. ham 1 bottle Malta
1 cup guava shells
1 cup Mojo
1 cup prunes 4 tbs. Adobo
2 cups brown sugar
2 tbs. salt

Remove bone and flatten meat so that it may be rolled. If the pork shoulder is very fatty, a small amount may be removed. Score fat well and marinate for a minimum of 12 hours in the Mojo , and Adobo . Line meat with ham slices, bacon slices, prunes and guava shells. Roll meat carefully to keep the filling inside the roll. Tie firmly with a butcher cord. Cover with brown sugar and 1/2 bottle of Malta.

Cooking Instructions for the oven:

Cook for one hour in the oven at 325. At this point, turn the meat, cover with the remaining Malta and cook for an extra hour, or until you reach a meat temperature of 180. Allow to cool and cut into fine slices. Pour the drippings over the meat after slicing the meat.

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GARLIC MOJO

8 garlic cloves 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour orange juice or
1/4 cup sweet orange juice and
1/8 cup of fresh lime or lemon
Juice.Chop up the garlic very thinly or crush using a mortar and pestle or food processor with
Salt to form a thick paste. In a mixing bowl, combine the garlic paste and juice, and let the mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes or longer.

FRIED GREEN PLANTAINS (TOSTONES DE PLATANO VERDE)

Peel the plantains and cut into 1 inch pieces. Fry at 365 F for 5 mins. Or until they begin to brown. Drain them on paper towel. Flatten them using a Tostonera or the bottom of a metal can and fry again at 385 F for approximately 3 mins. Drain again and sprinkle with salt and garlic mojo. For softer fried plantains, soak for a few minutes in salted water after the first fry, drain and fry again.

WHITE RICE ( Berta's Style )
ARROZ BLANCO

3 lb. rice 6 cloves garlic
9 cups water 9 tbs. oil
3 tbs. salt

Heat oil in a shallow casserole and brown garlic. Take it off the heat and remove garlic from the oil. Add water and salt to the oil and bring to a rolling boil. Add the washed rice and stir. Bring to a rolling boil again, cover and cook over low heat for approximately 30 minutes.
Serves 20.

BLACK BEANS ( Berta's Style )
FRIJOLES NEGROS

2 lbs. black beans 2 bay leaves
20 cups of water 8 tsp. salt
1 green pepper 1 tsp. pepper (optional)
1 cup olive oil 1 tsp. oregano
1 large onion 4 tbs. vinegar
8 garlic cloves 4 tbs. olive oil
1 cup red dry wine
4 tbs. sugar

Wash the beans and soak in water. When the beans swell, cook in the same water until soft. (45 minutes approximately). Heat the oil in a frying pan, add onion, chop up or mash garlic and chop up green pepper. Add 1 cup of the beans to the pan and mash. Add this to the beans together with the salt, pepper, oregano, bay leaves and sugar. Allow to boil for a 1 hour then add the wine and vinegar allowing to cook uncovered for a while. Add 4 tbs. of olive oil just before serving.

Serves approximately 20.

Pierna Criolla a Lo Caja China