MARINADE AND SHRIMP
V4 cup minced parsley
Ч4 cup minced cilantro
3 cloves garlic, minced Juice ofl lemon
Ч4 cup semidry Spanish sherry wine
V4 cup Spanish olive oil
V2 cup fresh bread crumbs
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, deribbed,
and seeded 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed, deribbed,
and seeded 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, deribbed,
and seeded
Ч4 teaspoon ground mace
% teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Hungarian hot paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper
1 large pinch saffron
24 large shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 cucumbers
One 12-inch length chorizo, cooked and cooled Peanut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry wine vinegar Lime wedges, for garnish
1. Mix all marinade ingredients in a large stainless steel bowl. Add the shrimp and toss, coating them evenly. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Dice the peppers into V-inch pieces. Peel the cucumbers; cut them in half lengthwise, remove the seeds, and cut into half rings V4 inch thick. Combine peppers and cucumbers in a bowl until ready to serve.
3. Slice the cooked and cooled chorizo into sixteen 3/4-inch slices.
4. Heat and lightly oil the grill and arrange the shrimp and sausage on the surface. Grill until just done.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet and add enough peanut oil to just coat the bottom. When the pan is hot, toss in the vegetables. Season, and when just cooked, add vinegar. Stir to evenly disperse the vinegar and seasonings.
6. Arrange a line of the vegetables on each plate and arrange the shrimp and sausages over the vegetables. Garnish with wedges of lime.
Note: The root vegetable jicama may be prepared and included for a crunchy, slightly apple flavor and an extension of the Spanish image.
10RK HAVANA "NUEVA"
I was first introduced to Pork Havana in 1972 on a visit to Key West. It was delicious and I especially liked the accompaniments of black beans and fried plantains. Plantains, a variety of banana, are among the principal starches of the West Indies. They are not sweet at all, unless you allow them to ripen almost to the point of blackness, which is the thing to do. You will find them in Spanish markets.
The marinade for the pork includes lime. True Pork Havana is made with a whole pork roast and is marinated with sour oranges, which I encourage you to use if you can locate some.
This recipe is an example of how we take a standard dish and shuffle the components to yield a more modern look, taste, and feel, transforming the solid structure of the classic into a fresh and appealing new version. Note that you must make some preparations a day ahead.
Serves 4
PORK AND MARINADE
1 orange
2 limes
1 cup olive oil
6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half 16 to 20 whole black peppercorns, bruised '/г bunch cilantro, cleaned and roughly chopped
2 bay leaves, crumbled
2 fresh pork tenderloins (each approximately 1 pound total weight), cleaned of any silverskin and cut in half on lengthwise bias
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons peanut or olive oil for sauteeing pork
2 tablespoons Spanish sherry vinegar
BEAN SAUCE
V4 pound slab bacon, diced medium
Ч4 cup peanut oil
1 red onion, diced medium
1 jalapeno, diced medium
2 stalks celery, diced medium
PLANTAINS
1 or 2 plantains, depending on size, peeled and cut on an extreme bias into -inch-thick slices, to make 12 slices