Moroccan Cubanos - served two ways

Here is another thing from the Top Chef The Cookbook.  This is my take on the moroccan cubanos made in season one.  They are amazingly good and I think it is the pickled veggies that really make it.  The other week I needed something to share at a party.  So I made all the fixings for the cubanons, but served them on little rounds of peta bread.  What I'm showing here is both how I normally eat and enjoy them and hten as the great little finger version.

Keep reading for how I made these.




These are basically roasted pork that is seasoned with Ras Al-Hanout.  When I first made them I didn't have any Ras Al-Hanout, a moroccan spice blend, but I followed some descriptions on the web and in the Top chef book and came up with the following blend:  2 teaspoon each of ground cumin and salt.  1 teaspoon of fresh black pepper, ground chili powder, ground coriander and ground cinnamon.  Finally a pinch of ground cloes, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.  Get the spices from penzy's.  I mix this all up in a dish and make sure it is fragrant.  Sometimes I add a dash of ground chipolte as well for a bit more smokey heat.  Use this to season the meat.

For the meat I will often use some country ribs rather than the whole pork butt.  Coming from the same place but I can control the portion a bit more when I just need enough for a meal or two rather than getting a 5 lbs butt.  Getting 2-3 lbs of country ribs with the bone in works very well.

As I said above, season the meat with the spice mix and sear on all sides in a cast iron pan and some olive oil.  I prefer to use my dutch oven for this.  while it is searing you'll want to preheat the oven to 275.  Once you have it seared add about 1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup beef stock.  The original recipe calls for veal stock, but I don't usually have it laying around.  So I use beef, but doctor it a bit with some demi glaze or beef bullion.  Don't laugh, it tastes pretty good.  Add a bit more or some water to make it just about cover the pork.  Pop into the oven and let it cook for 2-3 hours, until fork tender and falling off the bone.

Now comes the real beauty of the dish.  The pickled veggies.  You'll want to thinly slice some red onion, juileann some carrots and slice some jalapenos.  You can deseed the peppers if you want, but best to leave them in.  I will typically done one medium sized onion, and two or three carrots.

In a small sauce pan, combine 1 cup red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 table spoon fennel seeds and 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil.

  Put the onions, carrots and peppers in a bowl and pour the boiling pickaling solution onto them.  Cover with some saran wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.  After the 20 minutes, pour off about 80% of the solution and then transfer to the fridge.  They'll keep like this fine for a bit and then when you are ready for them bring them back to room temp.

 When the meat is done it will look a bit like this. Just shred the meat.  Cook down everything that was in the roasting pan and use it to flavor the shredded meant.  I bring it down by about 1/2 and use that.  But be careful you don't make it too salty by adding too much of the reduced stock or by reducing it too far.

The veggies will look a bit pale after the pickaling, but they should still have a bit of snap to them and will taste amazing.  Especially if you use a decent vinegar.  Nothing expensive,  but not one of those thin ones you can see through.

If you want to serve as little bits or snacks, just use a pastry cutter or other round thing with a sharp edge to punch holes in some warmed peta bread.  Make a base with the pickled veggies and the warm meat and you are ready to go!







Or Just stuff some into a split and warmed peta and chow down!