in good taste, vol. 48: departures
snapshots of leisure travel, spritz season, and mojo pulled pork
I don’t really care about the Olympic Games themselves, but I do like all the side coverage. I like thinking about what snacks are like in a different country, convenience store culture, how Olympic teams live in different cultures for a short amount of time, and of course the antics / garbage gossip from the Olympic Village. 2021 is obviously a weird/bad year for all that and that is not a subject worth getting into in this periodical; despite it all, I’m glad that Olympics TikTok exists.
SOME LOW-IMPACT INTERNATIONAL INTERNET LEISURE READING
Spritzoli Gang: an Aperol Spritz at the Hotel Grand Tremezzo
Orange origin stories: Hermès orange and the negroni sbagliato
Mutton again? Must be a Wednesday.
“A lot of media outlets dip in and out of Japan, and they present the country in this slightly warped manner, focusing on big stories, natural disasters, or ‘weird’ currents in popular culture, which are surely there, but so much is missed in between.”
Roses are really having a moment
Finally, perhaps the most useful link in this entire newsletter, 3 hours of a hotel air conditioner
A WEEKEND PROJECT: CUBAN-INSPIRED MOJO PULLED PORK
I originally made this recipe a few times in an Instant Pot, but have since found a more satisfying (and less annoying, honestly) approach in the more traditional stovetop method. I know a lot of people like their Instant Pot. I have yet to really make it work for how I like to cook.
Anyway, for this variation you’ll need a big Dutch oven, and a bit of patience. This takes just about all afternoon, which makes it a good companion for Sunday busywork around the house. And its flavor only gets better with time: have it over rice for dinner, for tacos the next day, in fried rice the next …
INGREDIENTS
Grated zest of 1 orange, and its juice
Grated zest of 1 lime, and its juice
Juice of 1 grapefruit
10 garlic cloves, whole (yes, 10)
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. light brown sugar
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. cumin
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
3-4 lb. pork shoulder, cut into big pieces (if yours has a bone, just save it for soup later on and cut around it)
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 yellow onion, sliced thickly
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Cilantro & lime wedges for serving
WHAT TO DO
Combine the citrus zests and juice, garlic, olive oil, brown sugar, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper in a blender and pulse until fully blended. Pour into a large bowl and add the pork shoulder and bay leaf. Cover and marinate for an hour at room temperature, or in the refrigerator for up to 6 hours.
Heat oven to 250. As it’s pre-heating, heat vegetable oil in the Dutch oven over medium heat, and using tongs, brown the pork shoulder pieces on each side, batching if needed for room. Let them rest on a plate while you deglaze the pan with white wine, being sure to scratch up any brown fond from the pot with a wooden spoon. Reduce to just about evaporated.
Turn the heat off, and add the pork back to the pot with its original marinade and any juices from the plate, and top with onion slices. Season liberally with more salt & pepper. Mix around a bit so it’s all coated and mingling, then put the lid on and stick in the oven for 5 hours, or until the meat is absolutely tender. You should be able to shred it with minimal effort.
When time’s up, if your sauce is looking thin you can put it on the stovetop on medium heat to reduce it. Taste to see if it needs more salt (it might), in which case I recommend a good shake of Worcestershire sauce (or white vinegar) while it’s on the heat to give it more salt flavor.
Serve on top of rice with cilantro and lime wedges.