A while back we were attempting to do something a little crazy on twitter. At the time we called it twitter chopped. The idea was to have someone give out some crazy ingredients and see what people could make with them. Sadly, we only made it through a couple weeks but it did bring up some interesting recipes for as short lived as the idea had been. This sandwich was one of the oddities I made during that time.

Pork Po’Boy

The listed ingredients said to me that sofrito could be an interesting set up. I originally was thinking tacos with but it seemed more to the source to go with a po’ boy. Thinking pig two ways leads me in the direction of a Cuban sandwich so this just made the whole thing come together.

Sofrito Recipe:

1/4 cup orange soda
1/2 lime (juiced)
4 Green onion sliced
1/2 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1 jalapeno
1 ancho chili (rehydrated)
1 chili de arbol (rehydrated)
1 12 oz can tomato
1/4 cup cilantro

Method:

cook onion, peppers, green onion, and garlic till soft. Add tomatoes and cook through. Add soda and lime juice then allow to reduce. Add cilantro and finish cooking (about 2 minutes) Blend to desired consistency in a blender.

Pork:

Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and chipotle. cook at 400 for about 20 minutes or till medium (140 degrees)

Black Beans and Rice recipe:

4 strips bacon chopped
1/2 medium onion diced
1/2 cup black beans (if from dry cook with ancho and chili de arbol)
1 clove garlic
1.5 cup rice
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
1/2 lime juiced

Method:

cook bacon, onion and garlic till onion is tender. Add rice and cook for roughly 2 to 3 minutes stirring (looking for the rice to absorb the oils. it should have a mother of pearl sheen when ready) Add about 2.5 cups water and let it come to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Finish the rice by adding the lime juice, cilantro, and black beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is great for left overs. The sofrito goes great with pretty much most of what you might want to use for the sandwich (I even considered using some shrimp at one point). For me personally, I like a bit more heat in mine so I also add a bit of chopped fresh jalapeno along with pickles and onions and mayo.

time for a pint…