Pork “Posole”
Serves 2-4
From The Block by Chef Kai Salimari
Ingredients
Use a good quality pork loin or pork chops, leave a strip of the fat cap for flavour and moisture.
A good serving portion is in between 6-8oz chops or steaks from the loin
Pork Marinade:
1 cup canola oil
2 tbsp Achiote paste (available at Unimarket)
1 lime (juice and zest)
1 white onion (charred or grilled)
1 Jalapeno (roasted, peeled and seeded)
1 clove garlic
2 vine ripe tomato (roasted, peeled and seeded)
4 splashes favourite Mexican hot sauce (I used Tapatio)
½ bunch cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Grits:
1 can whole cooked White hominy or 1 package of dried white hominy reconsitituted
1 cup vegetable stock
2 poblano peppers (roasted, peeled and seeded)
2 tbsp butter
½ cup Cotija cheese or Queso Fresco
Slaw:
¼ head napa cabbage (shredded)
2 radishes (sliced thinly)
1 jalapeno (sliced thinly)
Vinaigrette consists of lime juice, canola oil, water, sugar, salt, pepper. Ratio is 3 parts canola, 2 parts lime juice, 1 part water, salt/sugar/pepper to taste.
Corn Nuts:
½ bag dried white hominy
1 lime (zest and juice)
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Marinade Method
Puree all ingredients together. Reserve half the marinade for plating. Take your portions of pork loin and marinate for 24-48 hours.
Grits Method
Rinse canned hominy if using. Pulse in a food processor lightly, leaving it a little coarse. Place in a pan or small sauce pot and add stock. Cook as if it were a risotto, adding stock, butter and finishing with cheese, diced roasted poblano pepper, squeeze of lime, chopped cilantro (if desired) and season with salt and pepper.
Slaw Method
Puree all ingredients together. Reserve half the marinade for plating. Take your portions of pork loin and marinate for 24-48 hours.
Plating
Grill your pork loin until medium at 135-145F degrees and allow to rest for 10min. Heat up reserved marinade and sauce the plate. Toss all ingredients for the slaw, spoon on the grits and slice pork loin. Arrange all components on plate and garnish with lime wedges, cilantro leaves, Queso Fresco, jalapeno slices and the spiced corn nuts.
