Mojo Pork with Plantains

Ever have one of those recipes where everything seems to go just perfectly? Well I found one in Food Network Magazine.


Mojo Pork Chops with Plantains
Yields 4 servings

Mix the juice of one orange and half of a grapefruit (I used the pomelo seen above because it's like a sweet grapefruit) with olive oil, white wine vinegar, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Immerse the pork chops in this mixture and let them marinate (I let them go for about an hour).

To make the mojo, juice another orange and the other half of the grapefruit and mix in the zests of your citrus, more vinegar, olive oil, oregano, garlic, and freshly chopped parsley.

Boil three skinned and quartered plantains in salted water until they are tender. Drain them and mash with some of the cooking liquid and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Pat pork dry and cook in a skillet over medium-high heat until they are golden on both sides. To plate, drizzle mojo on pork and add the side of mashed plantains.


The marinade tasted just okay when I made it. But after it sat for a little bit and was drizzled on the warm pork, the flavors came to life. The citrus and oregano and garlic stood out and zinged my tongue. I thought using plantains more or less like potatoes to make the plantain mash was just genius. Plantains have that inherent sweetness, even when they are still yellow, that keeps your tongue interested and wanting more. I would make this dish again in a heartbeat, especially if you want to wow someone with your culinary prowess without spending hours in the kitchen.

Cuban Revolution

The American Tobacco District is what I consider to be one of two hotspots in downtown Durham (the other being Brightleaf Square). If you want to make an evening out of an outing to the performing arts center or the ballpark, American Tobacco is the place to go. One new restaurant there, Cuban Revolution, was our destination on a cool Friday evening.

The restaurant itself is quite dark on the inside. The dining room was bustling with activity, most of which was clearing out to go see Kathy Griffin at the DPAC. We were seated right away. To start, we ordered a mango milkshake and an egg cream. While the mango milkshake did not have much flavor at all, the egg cream was fizzy, creamy and delicious.


One of our entrees was the JFK, a steak sandwich on Cuban bread. The sandwich was slathered with mayonnaise. We're still unsure if this was because they just like mayo or if they were trying to make up for a sub-par sandwich. On the side were some black beans and rice which tasted pretty good, but the texture was off. Beans normally have a grainy texture both inside and in the surrounding sauce. But these beans were disconcertingly smooth. The rice had the same issue, making me think that the whole lot was over-buttered.


I ate the ropa vieja, which had good flavor coming from the tomatoes and peppers in the sauce. I was not accustomed to having so much broth with my ropa vieja, but it tasted fine. I would have eaten the broth, but our waitress pretty much disappeared after we got our food, so I was never able to get a spoon before I lost interest. On the side were some platanos maduros, which were firm and sweet, as well as some tostones seasoned with adobo, which were pretty good.

It is very difficult for me to give Cuban Revolution a lot of credit because it seems to be nothing spectacular, especially for the price. I grew up in a suburb of Tampa, which has an extensive Cuban community. I'm accustomed to receiving tremendous quantities of delicious ropa vieja with lots of yellow rice and maduros on the side for a reasonable price. As one of few Cuban outlets in Durham, Cuban Revolution may be the best we have, but that still does not make it a great restaurant. If you're in the American Tobacco District, I would recommend going to Tyler's Taproom or the Mellow Mushroom. As for Durham's Cuban scene, it seems we will need to stand up and demand better quality Cuban fair: viva la comida!

Chicken Chili with Tostones - 3/4/08

So here's the story. This meal started out greatly different than it ended up. The original idea was to make a yuca-chicken chili with tomatoes. Then my yuca was freezer-burnt. Then my tomatoes had mold on them. I was just going to omit them, but the meal looked so plain. I found some green beans in the freezer and put them in to add some color. So here's what I ended up with.


I sauteed some onions and garlic until they were tender. I added two cans of chick peas plus their juice and let this simmer for a bit. I cut up the meat from one of those Publix rotisserie chickens (this one was mojo flavored) and added that to the pot and let it simmer with a bay leaf, cumin, turmeric, Adobo seasoning, and garlic powder for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, I cut up some plantains (they were a little riper than the should have been) and placed them on a greased cookie sheet. I baked them at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. When I took them out of the oven, I smashed them down with the bottom of a 1 cup measure. Then I baked them for about 10 minutes more until they were a little crisp. Once I removed them from the oven, I salted them. Traditional tostones are made the same way, except they are fried instead of baked.

To bring this all together, I put the chili in a bowl, added a couple of tostones and garnished it with some cilantro and scallions. I am disappointed I was not able to use the yuca (it tastes delicious after it is boiled in lime-water for about 40 minutes), but this result was a good alternative.

On a personal note, I am done traveling, so I should have more updates coming on a more regular basis. I have decided to go to Duke Graduate School. Durham, North Carolina was just an awesome place to live and I feel it will be a great fit.

Arroz con Pollo - 1/11/2008

I've always wanted to try to make arroz con pollo (Spanish for...um, arroz with pollo...just kidding, it literally means rice with chicken). So here is my stab at it.


I usually think of this dish as prepared with chicken and yellow rice, but this recipe called for white rice and turmeric, which gave it its distinctive color. You pretty much brown the outside of your chicken pieces and remove it from the pan. Cook up one chopped onion and a couple of minced garlic cloves. Add salt, pepper, tomatoes, thyme, a bay leaf, and your chicken. Let it simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Add chicken broth, rice and turmeric. Simmer, covered, until rice is done (about 20 minutes). Remove the lid, mix in the peas and let simmer, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes, and it's done.

I'm planning a nice Italian spread with a special dessert for tonight, so expect another post in the near future.