CHEF and blogger Paul James writes for our paper.
MY YOUNGEST son and I should have been going to the states this summer, but because of the pandemic it was all cancelled.
One of our stops would have been Miami, unknown to me until after the event, was that my eldest son had planned a surprise visit to meet us in Miami and take us on a boat trip to the Bahamas for a day (a day-trip to the Bahamas? All I went to as a child was Rhyl) for my 50th and my youngest lad’s 21st birthday present.
Another day, maybe when I celebrate my 100th.
This is my take on a dish that’s very popular around the Caribbean and a very pleasant change to Turkey.
I’m lucky enough to be collaborating on various dishes with Butcher’s Block Bromsgrove which serves some of the most amazing local produce I’ve come across anywhere on my travels.
Michelle and Lilith who own the shop kindly showed me an array of local produce, which as you know, love championing everything local to the area I visit.
I eventually chose this bone in pork leg to recreate a little bit of the Bahamas for Christmas.
Merry Christmas to all of the readers.
From Recipes From My Travels.
Paul’s new book ‘The Grandfather, my grandad is the best chef in the world’ is now available. Visit shieldcrest.co.uk/about/featured-authors/paul-james/ for more.
Caribbean Christmas Pork
Ingredients
Bone in pork leg
3 red chillies roughly chopped
2tbsp white wine vinegar
50g of brown sugar
2tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2tsp dried thyme
2tsps of cinnamon
Pinch of chilli flakes
3tbsps of sunflower oil.
Handful of cherries
Slices of pineapple
Method
1. Remove the pork rind (I used for scratchings, the best ever) trim any sinew off.
2. Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and give it a couple of whizzes till it’s all nicely blended (a loose paste)
3. Now it’s time to get messy! Put on a pair of gloves (disposable, not the mittens that Aunty Vera bought you for Christmas) and massage the pork leg until every part is covered.
4. Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate overnight.
5. The following morning, remove the pork from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
6. Preheat the oven to 180c
7. Line a large casserole tray with foil then grease-proof baking paper. (By all means use one of those big disposable turkey trays you see knocking around the markets and shops, the ones that look like you can take a bath in).
8. Place the pork into the tray. Add some water, enough to go up a couple of centimetres to the side of the pork. This will help to steam the joint as well as bake.
9. Then place it in the oven, covered with a clean sheet of foil, and bake in the oven for an hour.
10. Remove from the oven, discard the foil, baste the joint with the juices from the bottom of the tray then using cocktail sticks that have been left soaking in water, pierce the cherries and pineapple to your pork.
11. Replace back into the oven and cook until the pork is cooked thoroughly (please use a certified meat thermometer to check temperature accordingly to the size of the pork)
12. Leave the meat to rest, carve and enjoy your Caribbean Christmas Pork.
