Nicaraguan Pineapple Pork & Fried Rice
As Jenny Sanchez, from Leon, Nicaragua, taught Lindsay Sterling in Freeport, ME, September 2013.
Serves 4
Cooking Time 1 1/4 hours with pressure cooker or 2 1/2 hours
3 lb St. Louis pork ribs (cut lengthwise twice by the butcher so you have 1 1/2" rib segments)
3/4 whole pineapple
1 1/2 cups jasmin rice
1/3 + 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 red pepper
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tsp flour
3 tsp flour
4 green onions
12 oz. pineapple juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
Equipment:
large pot
strainer
medium pot
knife
cutting board
spoon
Cut between the bones in the rib rack strips so you have 1" bone-in chunks.
In a large pot, add the meat, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 1/4 cups water, and heat on medium with the lid on for about an hour and a half or until meat is tender or just 15 minutes with a pressure cooker.
While that is cooking, trim skins off pineapple and cut out core. Slice pineapple meat into chunks and blend in in the blender with pineapple juice and 1/2 cup brown sugar.
When all the vinegar and water disappears from the meat let the pork fry until golden in it's own melted fat.
When pork is tender, strain cooking liquid. Into the large pot, add pineapple puree, cooked pork ribs, another 1/4 cup vinegar. Once boiling stir in 3 tsp flour mixed into 1/2 cup water and stir into pork.
Sauce will thicken. Taste to make sure it's good.
Serve a mound of pork on a platter surrounded by white rice, and more pork around the sides. Sprinkle red pepper on the center mound of pork and green onions in a ring around the pork on top of the rice.
Cover the bottom of a small pot with oil. Saute rice for about 5 minutes on low, stirring, so that the rice gets a toasted flavor without turning brown. And add 2 1/4 cups of water and 1/2 tsp salt, stir, cover, and heat on low for 20 minutes. After about ten minutes, turn rice in sections over once with a spoon and recover.
When pork is tender, strain cooking liquid. Into the large pot, add pineapple puree, cooked pork ribs, another 1/4 cup vinegar. Once boiling stir in 3 tsp flour mixed into 1/2 cup water and stir into pork.
Sauce will thicken. Taste to make sure it's good.
Serve a mound of pork on a platter surrounded by white rice, and more pork around the sides. Sprinkle red pepper on the center mound of pork and green onions in a ring around the pork on top of the rice.
"We eat a spoonful of rice with a piece of meat on it. Then chew the meat off the bone and spit out the rib bone."
copyright Linsdsay Sterling 2013
