News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Dec. 16, 2016: Next Sunday will be Christmas Day and for Caribbean nationals in the region and those in the Diaspora, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menus must be finalized this week so that the big shopping can begin!
The shopping list will include the following food items: fresh green gungo peas, Ackee, flour, cod fish, sorrel , ginger, fresh pork leg, cured ham, goat meat, Fresh beef, calaloo, beef liver, beef kidneys, condense milk, hard-dough bread, rice, butter, brown sugar, port wine and Jamaican White Rum!
The meals these items will be included in will bring smiles to faces as they will be included in some of the “Best Foods in the World!”
Foods such as Gungo rice and peas, pot roasted pork leg, baked ham Roast beef, beef liver and soft green bananas, sorrel drink, ginger beer and Caribbean Black fruit Cake!
The taste, the smells of the feasts across the region and in the Diaspora will be memorable!
I have had several memorable Christmas meals but the ones that remain prominent in my mind were the Christmas dinners prepared by my mother.
My mother, apart from being a folklorist, was excellent at cooking. One of the classic Christmas dishes that were her trademark was Pot Roasted Fresh Pork Leg.
Today, I will share with you my mother’s the recipe for pot roasted fresh pork leg.
Ingredients
5lbs Fresh pork leg
2 large Onions, finely chopped
1 large Garlic, minced
1 tbs fresh Thyme, finely chopped
2 tsps Salt
2 tsps Black Pepper
1 small Scotch Bonnet Pepper-minced
1 small bunch Scallion – minced
1/4 cup coconut oil
Method
1. Mix together onion, scallion, scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, thyme, salt and black pepper.
2. Score the pork skin then pierce roast to make 10 holes and stuff with equal portions of seasonings using your fingers.
3. Sprinkle outside of roast liberally with salt and black pepper
4. Cover roast and put in fridge to marinate overnight.
5. In a large Dutch pot, add oil and when oil is hot, put marinated fresh pork leg in the pot.
6. Brown roast on both sides on high heat, about 5 minutes each side, in cast iron Dutch pot.
7. Add 10 oz of water to pot. Cover the Dutch pot.
8. Put the flame low and monitor pork leg roast while it is cooking. Add water as needed. Until pork leg roast is tender.
9. Remove pork leg roast from pot, place on platter and leave to rest.
Pork Leg Roast Gravy
Ingredients
1 small Onion, sliced
I sprig of thyme
1 tsp Jamaican Pickapepper Sauce
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Corn Starch
Method
1. Pour drippings into a small pot and skim off fat 2. Add onion, and Jamaican Pickapepper sauce to drippings and bring to a boil 3.
2. Mix together water and cornstarch and stir into gravy 4.
3. Stir gravy until it thickens; remove from heat.
Serve with Rice and Gungo Peas and vegetables.
Serves 8 to 10 persons.
Bon Appetite
