A wise old owl

“A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?”

I visited to the Owl Bar in the historic Belvedere in downtown Baltimore on my last business trip.

Besides the good food and good company, I couldn’t help but imagine the stories that old owl could tell… my mind continually wondered pondering as my eyes scanned the joint.

The Owl Bar has been around from the early 1900s when WWI officers frequented the bar in their off hours, to the days of prohibition, when it became a speakeasy… so, I’m told.

The only thing missing was a piano man.

~Mofongo

Pernil... just like I promised

So, here's the buzz on pernil... just like I promised.

Pernil is pork shoulder and although it's a cheap cut of meat I personally think it's one of the tastiest... that is if you cook it right. The trick is to cook it low and slow baby. I usually cook mine throughout the night and keep vigil while sleeping on the couch (which is close to the kitchen.) My wife always accuses me of keeping her up when I make a pernil... not because I'm making so much noise (however, I've been known to do that too) rather it's because she say it smells so good. Man does it every too... the aroma of that roasting pernil wafts all through the house making everyone hungry. My wife's family always says I make it better than the Puerto Ricans. That's not true though... maybe just as good but, no better (boy, that was a meager attempt at humility... ha, ha, ha!) Any way OK... so, here we go... oh, BTW, all amounts are approximate...

10-15 lb Pernil (Pork shoulder)

2-4 heads of garlic

salt / pepper to taste (at least 4T / 2T)

1/4 cup or so olive oil

a splash red wine vinegar (about 2T)

dry oregano (about 1T)

4-5 limes

Mash pealed garlic with salt and mix in pepper, olive oil, red wine vinegar and dry oregano (making a paste) - set aside

Rise pernil and separate the layer of fat and skin from the meat with a sharp knife leaving a bit still attached at the bone end - pierce the meat all over on both sides

Rub the whole pernil with lime juice letting it soak in to where you have pierced as well

Place the pernil in a baking dish and rub the entire pernil (bottom and top) with the garlic mixture making sure to get it into where you have pierced (you could also stuff the piercings with garlic cloves)

Pull the skin and fat layer back over the top and cover the baking dish tightly with tin foil - bake covered at 275 for around 8 hours (or until the meat has becomes fork tender) then remove the foil and raise the heat to 450 and bake until the skin become hard and crispy - remove from the oven and let rest about 10 minutes and then 'pull' the pernil with a fork - ENJOY

~Mofongo

Mofongo Con Pernil

OK, so here's the deal...

My blog name Mofongo Con Pernil (in case anyone was really wondering) comes from two of my favorite Puerto Rican dishes... Mofongo and Pernil. Just thinking about that stuff makes my mouth water!

No, I'm not Puerto Rican... but my better half is. I like to think of myself as Puerto Rican by osmosis. My love for the Puerto Rican cuisine comes from hanging out with my wife’s family and from having spent a fare amount of time in Puerto Rico working.

This week I’ll give you my take on Mofongo...

Mofongo is an extremely (and I mean EXTREMELY) delicious Latin comfort food. It’s so tasty and fulfilling that after having eaten it you’ll find yourself saying, “MAN! Was that good!” and then kicking back to relax! 

It’s quite easy to make. You make Mofongo with plantains which you have pealed, cut into inch long pieces, fried 'til golden and mashed up and mixed with lots of garlic, chicharrón (toasted pork skin), olive oil, salt and pepper. You then shape the mash into a ball. You could then serve in a garlicky broth or just dig into it as it is. You may want to stuff it.  You could stuff it with all sorts of things such as Pernil (pork shoulder, which I’ll talk about next week), chicken, shrimp, vegetables, or beef. My favorite... of course... is PERNIL!

Here’s a recipe:

4 green plantains, peeled and cut into inch long pieces

3 T Olive oil 

3 - 5 cloves of garlic, minced 

1 cup chicharrones, crushed (store bought or make your own... I say make your own! It makes all the difference in the world. Bacon is an OK substitute.)

Salt and pepper to taste

Soak the plantain pieces in a bowl of salted water for about 15 minutes. Drain well.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Let the oil get hot and then, working in batches, fry the plantain pieces until they are cooked through and golden, 10-12 minutes.

Add the plantains (while still hot), garlic and a little bit of olive oil to a large mortar (pilon) or bowl and mash with a pestle or potato masher until fairly smashed up. Stir in the pork cracklings, salt and pepper to taste.

Form into 3-inch balls and serve warm and dig in.

Yum!

~ Mofongo

Saturday

OK, so it's Saturday morning, I'm off from work (I'm currently employed by Kawasaki Rail Car in Yonkers) and here I'm sitting in the service center at Toyota. Woopie! Normal people might be sleeping in given the opportunity... not me. Not today. Ha, like I'm normal... who is normal... what is normal... and who determines what normal is any how? I remember hearing or reading about this clan in deepest darkest who knows where... they all had 6 fingers on each hand and that was normal... go figure. Well now, that's a subject for a blog isn't it... maybe, maybe not. Not today though. Where was I going with this? Let's see... Saturday, Kawasaki, Toyota, sleeping in, normal... O yes... It sure was extremely windy last night. There was even some thundering and lightning going on. I hit the sack about 9:30 PM, since I normally get up at 4 AM I was tired (there's that word normal again.) I lay there listing to the howl and bluster accompanied by a bit of classical music playing on the radio. With the covers tucked around me I was warm and comfortable. I do not usually sleep very well, so the added sounds helped me drowned out the thoughts and concerns running through my head. As a rule I'd have glass of red wine before retiring for the night. I find it soothes and relaxes me. However, I've been on a self imposed diet lately. No meat, no dairy, no alcohol, no caffeine... OK, OK, you're thinking that's not normal. I did suggest I wasn't quite normal. Any way, I finally drifted off to sleep I don't know when and woke at about 3:30 AM or so. I lay there until I final fell into a semi-sleep. An hour and half later I finally got out of bed and by a quarter to 7 AM I was off to Toyota. So, here I sit... blogging  my first blog... I'll be here at Toyota for quite awhile... but, I won't belabor this entry any further. OK, Mike-san (http://phattire.blogspot.com) I gave it a try. Next time I'll have to find something more interesting to post... for now I'm signing off. 

~ Mofongo