Y is for Yucatan Roast Pork (Cochinta Pibil), Chocolates, Radio, Matt’s Fall.

So now our winter season bowling is over. The bowling on Monday doesn’t really count for anything, then we stuff ourselves with food, are given small cash prizes and that’s it. I actually bowled a bit better yesterday, but Matt bowled really well again which is a surprise to do that two days running.

This is also the penultimate recipe in the A to Z challenge. Pity, I have enjoyed the challenge. My thanks to all those who have visited, I have enjoyed reading your blogs as well.

I received a huge box of Polish chocolates from one of my Avon customers today. I kind of did her a favour and she was appreciative. I am looking forward to opening the box, but we are still eating our Reid’s roses from Tuesday. This is some box isn’t it? The painting is one hanging in a Warsaw art gallery and I think is rather lovely. The chocolates are described as pralines with cream centres, some of the centres are vodka, rum, coffee and so on, they sound like they will be pretty good. I will, of course, be letting you know at a later date.

My radio ‘appearance’ went well on Friday, I managed to make my Chinese sound reasonably authentic but the DJ was a bit ‘took aback’ because it was a recipe I had never prepared. I certainly will be doing so in the near future, I thought it sounded pretty good.

Matt dropped me off after bowling and went down to the grocery store for something, when he got back to the garage, a woman asked for his help because her husband had fallen on the floor. Matt (who doesn’t believe he is 77 not 27) tried to pick the guy up, his hands slipped on the material of the guy’s coat so he (Matt) fell on his back and eventually staggered back up to the apartment in considerable pain. We spent the evening icing it and hoping it would be OK. Keeping our fingers crossed at the moment. He sees his cardiologist at noon today so hopefully he will feel up to it. I was not very pleased when I heard this. I am also somewhat concerned because he fell a few years ago, on ice, and ended up having a spinal stenosis and a fairly serious operation. So please keep your fingers crossed for him.

Here is another interesting recipe from a cookbook we acquired by attrition. a friend in NC lent it to us and we never did return it. I asked her about doing so once or twice and she assured me she knew where it was. She still does, albeit it is now 1,000 miles away. We have used this book a lot.

Yucatan Roast Pork (Cochinta Pibil)

Betty Crocker’s New International Cookbook (thanks Dottie).

Originally this dish was prepared by the Mayans in ovens dug into the earth and lined with stones. The meat was wrapped in either seaweed or banana leaves and left to roast slowly in its own juices. Eat this succulent meat wrapped up in flower tortillas with Sweet Pickled Onions

2 tbs annatto seed (as this is basically a colouring agent, don’t worry if you don’t have it)

18 whole black peppercorns

4 large cloves garlic, cut into fourths

1/2 cup orange juice

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp dried oregano leaves

4 lb. pork shoulder roast

Sweet Pickled Onions (recipe to follow)

Sixteen 8 inch flour tortillas, warmed.

Cover annatto seed with boiling water. Cover and let stand at least 12 hours; drain.

Place annatto seed, peppercorns, garlic, orange juice, cumin, salt and oregano in blender. Blend with on/off motions, scraping sides occasionally until annatto seeds are chopped, about 1 minute. Make several deep cuts in the pork roast. Place pork in a shallow glass or plastic dish. Pour marinade over pork; rub into cuts. Cover and refrigerate at least 12 hours. Prepared Sweet Pickled Onions. Place pork and marinade in Dutch oven. Cover and cook in 325°F oven, turning pork and spooning marinade over it occasionally, until very tender, about 3 hours. Remove pork; let stand 30 mins.

Remove bones and fat from pork; pull pork into shreds. Skim fat from marinade. Return port to marinade. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until it is hot, about 10 minutes. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the pork mixture onto each warm tortilla; top with Sweet Pickled Onions. Fold in sides of tortillas.

8 servings

Sweet Pickled Onions

2 large onions, sliced

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tbs sugar

Cover onions with water in skillet. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 5 mins; drain. Mix onions, vinegar and sugar. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours.

Have a great weekend