News Americas, NEW YORK, NY: Tomorrow is 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.
NewsAmericas
To make a pork leg roast, prepare a seasoning mix of onion, scallion, scotch bonnet, garlic, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Score the pork skin, make holes in the roast, and stuff them with the seasoning. Season the exterior with salt and pepper, then marinate overnight. Brown the pork on both sides in hot coconut oil in a Dutch pot, then add water and simmer on low heat, adding water as needed, until tender. Let the roast rest before serving. For the gravy, use the drippings, add onion, thyme, and Pickapeppa sauce, then thicken with a cornstarch-water mixture. Serve with rice, peas, and vegetables.
- 5 lbs 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
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
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Mix together onion, scallion, scotch bonnet pepper, garlic, thyme, salt and black pepper.
2 large Onions, 1 large Garlic, 1 tbs fresh Thyme, 2 tsps Salt, 1 small Scotch Bonnet Pepper-minced, 1 small bunch Scallion - minced, 2 tsps Black Pepper
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Score the pork skin then pierce roast to make 10 holes and stuff with equal portions of seasonings using your fingers.
5 lbs Fresh pork leg
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Sprinkle outside of roast liberally with salt and black pepper
2 tsps Salt, 2 tsps Black Pepper
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Cover roast and put in fridge to marinate overnight.
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In a large Dutch pot, add oil and when oil is hot, put marinated fresh pork leg in the pot.
1/4 cup coconut oil
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Brown roast on both sides on high heat, about 5 minutes each side, in cast iron Dutch pot.
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Add 10 oz of water to pot. Cover the Dutch pot.
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Put the flame low and monitor pork leg roast while it is cooking. Add water as needed. Until pork leg roast is tender.
1/2 cup Water
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Remove pork leg roast from pot, place on platter and leave to rest.
Pork Leg Roast Gravy: Method
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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.
1 tsp Jamaican Pickapepper Sauce, 1 small Onion
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Mix together water and cornstarch and stir into gravy 4.
1 tsp Corn Starch
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Stir gravy until it thickens; remove from heat.
Serve with Rice and Gungo Peas and vegetables.
