Re:visiting Peru | Cerdo Relleno con Manzana

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I made one heck of a dinner tonight, thanks to that old cookbook my mom sent up. "Cerdo Relleno con Pure de Manzana" is a simple dish, perfect for those nights that you don't want getting too complicated.

If you do it right, the pork is tender, the apple sauce is savory, and it's so tasty, you won't even want a side dish (that's all filler, anyway).

To reproduce this dish you'll need-

• 2 lb pork tenderloin
  
• sea salt
  
• freshly ground black pepper
  
• powdered cumin
  
• 1 tbsp of raisins and 1 tbsp of cranberries
  
• 4 tbsp olive oil
  
• 4 tbsp butter
  
• 2 medium-sized onions (small dice)
  
• 2 large apples (peeled, cored, sliced)
  
• 1.5 cups chicken stock (as required)
  
  1. trim excess fat and silver membrane off pork tenderloin; wash and pat dry
  2. butterfly the pork and season both sides liberally with sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, and powdered cumin
  3. place either the prunes or the raisins and cranberries in pork
  4. dice the onion; peel, core and slice the apples thinly, set aside
  5. sear pork until golden in olive oil over medium heat, set aside
  6. discard the olive oil, add butter to the same pan and saute onions and apples for 5 minutes over medium heat
  7. return pork to the pan and add 1/2 cup of chicken broth
  8. cover pan, adding chicken broth as needed so that the mixture doesn't become dry
  9. cook for 25 minutes (or to your preferred temperature), flipping the pork over halfway through
  10. slice pork in 1/2" thick slices, serve with rustic apple sauce on side
  
  

I took a few liberties with the recipe, substituting cranberries and raisins for the recommended prunes. I also plumped up the raisins and the cranberries by heating them in chicken stock, before placing them in the pork. I added cumin to the list of seasonings, as well - and you can see from the picture that the apple "sauce" isn't, since I prefer apples in their rustic form. I also added some fresh goat cheese (with lemon pepper) as a counterpoint to the sauce's sweetness.

The end result was better than I could have asked for, and definitely a recommended "bucket list" recipe!

Spring Resolution

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One of the perks of living in Ohio is that the seasons change. I am experiencing my first intermittent bouts of Spring, and what I've seen so far is so lovely that I'm inspired to change my eating habits.

With that, I resolved to increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. What's more, I've resolved to purchase mostly seasonal, organic, and locally-grown foods whenever possible (and take part in as many gastronomic festivals northeast Ohio can throw at me!).

April is when Spring starts to slowly threaten Ohio. The temperature hovers around 40 to 50 degrees, it snows a few times, and every plant and tree lets its flowers free.

With all those visual delights surrounding me, I wondered: What delights might be in store for a seeker of fresh, seasonal produce?

Asparagus and rhubarb, apparently, according to OurOhio.org.

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I'm skipping the rhubarb.

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The site gets "technical" and breaks down fruits and vegetables' "seasonality" by month.

It seems like I should have decided to go "local and seasonal" around July, as that's when most of the good stuff is ripe and ready. Raspberries won't be perfect until late June - but the sweet flavor of a perfectly ripe berry is something wonderful to look forward to, at least. Being a good sport, however, I went out and bought a pound of thick asparagus spears.

Asparagus is more versatile than you might think, as the people of Sierra de Yeguas (in Andalucia, Spain) already know. They celebrate their Spring asparagus harvest with a festival, preparing asparagus tortilla and asparagus paella, along with my favorite asparagus dish: sautéed asparagus topped with poached egg.

I didn't remember to buy eggs, so I improvised and pan-roasted some asparagus with salt, black pepper, chili powder, and chopped parsley, drizzled with a mix of olive oil and lemon juice. I tossed in a few portabella mushrooms (because I had them) and let everything soak up the flavors quite nicely.

It wasn't much, but it was a tasty start to a year of exploring fresh, local produce!

Local Brews

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When I first moved to Palm Beach, I complained that there weren't any locally brewed beers worth mentioning. I was wrong, and soon found the delicious Monk in a Trunk created by the Inlet Brewing Company in Jupiter, FL.

Now, West Palm Beach isn't horrible as far as cities go, but it is one of the more "plastic", superficial places to exist anywhere on the planet. Even so, it is a "real city", and I was worried that I wouldn't find any good microbrews after moving to Oberlin this summer.

I am optimistic, however. Let's face it: if a delicious, Belgian-style beer could be found in this soulless, plastic burg, there is bound to be a decent brewery around Oberlin, Ohio. A quick Google search confirmed this heady (for me) optimism, yielding both the Great Lakes Brewing Company and Fat Head's Brewery and Saloon, among many others.

Reviews coming soon, people. Stay tuned.

Oberlin Surprise

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I'm fresh off a plane into Miami from Oberlin, Ohio, and I'm pretty optimistic about the food situation there.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have any good restaurant options, but how wrong I turned out to be!

The restaurants along Main Street (right in the thick of the college) rely on locally-sourced produce. The Black River Cafe, for example, offers local beefs and bacons which are delightfully free from any chemical flavorings, and the proof of using truly fresh ingredients is right there. I ate a BLT and didn't feel heavy or bloated. It was like heaven, except with more hippies than I thought they'd let in.

Similarly, the Feve - a very "accepting" bar that makes up 50% of Oberlin's nightlife - also puts local growers to good use. I put a serious hurting on a half-pound bacon cheeseburger and another half-pound of tater tots there, and didn't feel that "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" feeling I get from fast-food and chain restaurants.

There were other treasures as well, from Gibson's candy shop to Java Zone's Frankie Pizza, but that will all be waiting for me after my move. I can't wait!