Jerk Pork - My 200th post

This pork recipe is one that I got out of a J.O book, I had to change it somewhat because the original recipe said to use ginger in the salsa but I am allergic, even the smallest amount of ginger makes my breathing laboured, and gives me a really irritating cough, but a large amount of ginger and I feel my oesophagus closing and getting tight, so I didn’t add any ginger. We don’t like coriander/cilantro – so I used parsley instead, I read somewhere that it is an acceptable substitute. I also didn’t use a bone in piece of pork, I know all the facts about it adding flavour – I have been getting better, and putting my bone “phobia” aside but there are times when I just feel ill at the thought of it. This was one of times; I have to admit it was probably because bones and pork are two things that put me off before I’ve even started. The pork though was rather tasty and I will probably use the cooking method again, as for the salsa next time I’ll make it with less lime, it was a little too citric for my liking.

Jerk Pork

                                                                                                                            For Jerk Salsa 

5kg pork, skin on                                                                                                1-2 chillies (Your preferred sort)

Salt and pepper                                                                                                  2 bunches of spring onions

Pinch of rosemary and thyme                                                                             1tsp ground cinnamon

1tsp nutmeg                                                                                                        1tsp ground cloves

Olive oil                                                                                                               2tsp ground allspice

2 x 500ml cider                                                                                                    3 limes

                                                                                                                             3 bay leaves

                                                                                                                             2 cloves garlic, peeled

                                                                                                                             1-2tbsp honey

                                                                                                                              Olive oil

                                                                                                                              Large bunch parsley

1.       Preheat your oven to 240˚C/475˚F. Using a sharp knife score the skin of your pork to about a cm deep and massage the salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and nutmeg with a little olive oil all over the meat, and into the scores. Put the pork skin side up into a roasting pan with one of the bottles of cider, bake for 30 minutes and then reduce the heat to 130˚C/250˚F.

2.       After an hour add the remaining bottle of cider and cook for about 3 hours, cover the roasting pan with tin foil and return to the oven for a further 3-4 hours.

3.       Transfer the meat to a serving platter; discard the fat, keeping the cooking juices. Place all the salsa ingredients into a liquidizer and pulse until it has a salsa looking consistency, and then mix in with the meat juices taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.

4.       Remove the crackling from the meat, discarding the fat and place on a serving platter. Using two forks shred the pork, and then toss together with the salsa, and serve on a bed of rice.

Dips in abundance

The five layer dip I made, is a recipe which I first tried at a friends house, she would often hold parties with some really good finger food, nibbles or quite frankly posh, eat off your napkin type stuff, but this five layer dip so delicious, I had to recreate it, the combination of the heat from the salsa, creaminess of the guacamole, salty olives and the bitter sour cream, topped with the cheese is a taste bud tickler, especially if you get scoop tortilla chips, scooping all the way through to the bottom of the five layers. It’s easy to make and if you use a glass bowl, for parties it’s also very aesthetically pleasing. So not only do you have a crowd pleasing dip it looks pretty too. The only thing I would say about this one is that whilst it’s fine to use store bought salsa (although I am going to include a salsa recipe) I would fully recommend using the guacamole, included with this recipe. I find that store bought guacamole can be a little too sharp and you don’t get the same creaminess out of it, that you do when you make your own.

                                                                                 

Five Layer Dip

2 medium ripe avocados, peeled and sliced


2 tbsp lemon juice


½ tsp garlic salt


1/8 tsp hot pepper sauce


1 cup sour cream


1 can chopped ripe black olives


1 jar thick and chunky salsa


1 cup shredded cheddar cheese


tortilla chips


1. In a large bowl mash the avocado, then stir in the lemon juice, garlic salt and hot pepper sauce, spoon into an 8" glass bowl.

2. Layer with sour cream, olives, salsa and cheese. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve with chips.


This Salsa is a little fiddly to make in that it involves a lot of fine chopping (unless you want it chunky). I would suggest wearing latex gloves when you chop the jalapeño. I didn’t the first time around and had a rather painful experience when I made the mistake of rubbing my eyes. Also if you don’t want too much heat you can remove the seeds, the tomatoes are very refreshing so don’t be afraid to experiment with the jalapeños. Start off with a little and keep adding until you have just the right amount of heat for you. We aren’t cilantro (coriander) fans so I use parsley instead. Personally I prefer to use lime juice but you could use lemon juice instead, I would use a little and then taste and add some more if needed. If you have the time you could use this salsa in the five layer dip, but to be honest I use store bought and then make this one as an added extra – not everyone likes avocado and olives so to have a few extra ones is never a bad thing.

Salsa

1 cup tomatoes, seeded and finely diced

1/3 cup red onion, minced

2-4 fresh jalapeño's finely diced

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped


¼ tsp salt


4 Cloves fresh garlic minced


1. In a bowl stir together all the ingredients.

2. Cover and chill for 2-48 hours

You could try beer dip which is basically cream cheese, beer, salt, pepper, garlic and a few herbs (if your in the States, ranch dip seasoning mix is what I use)

Beer Dip

2 package (8oz) cream cheese

1/3 cup beer

1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat all the ingredients until smooth.

Yield: 3½ cups

 Artichoke Dip

1 can of Artichoke hearts

1 cup mayonnaise

1/3 - 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 clove minced garlic

Dash hot pepper sauce

paprika

1. Put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together, well. Then place in a greased baking pan.

2. Place it in a 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden, to be served warm.