Pulled Pork Baked Chimichangas

One of my favourite things about South American food is the colour.. I adore reds, yellows, greens on a plate - and as always a good kick of chilli! When I made the pulled pork in the slow cooker the other day, I had no idea where I was going with it. You can eat it in so many ways with different flavours.

I wanted to try them in a chimichanga -  which is basically a deep fried burrito. However, I made it healthy and baked them instead. So an enclosed burrito with meltingly soft pulled pork with a little cheese served with salads. Delicious, simple to make and healthy!

For the pulled pork

700g pork shoulder steaks
salt & pepper
1 tsp. paprika
150ml water

Put the pork in the slow cooker with the seasoning and water. Cook on low for 8 hours, strain and leave to cool before shredding.

For the chimichangas:

pulled pork (as above)
200g chopped tomatoes
3 spring onions, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp. chilli flakes
1 tsp garlic power
salt & pepper
150g grated mozzarella
pack (8) flour tortillas

Mix the tomatoes, onions & spices into the pulled pork. Stir well. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set the oven to 190 C. Warm up the tortillas in the microwave for about 5 seconds to make soft easier to fold.

Place a few spoons of the pork in the tortilla, add some cheese and roll and fold, keeping the edges tucked in to enclose. Roll and place seam side down on the baking sheet. Brush with a little olive oil and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden and piping hot.

Serve with coleslaw, salads, guacamole, sweetcorn.. anything you like!

Jerk Pork Fillet with Mango Salsa & Fufu

Having had our kitchen completely demolished to build new - I have been a bit quiet lately. Well I have a temporary kitchen now set up in the study and am back with a bang! With this recipe - maybe more a burn..

Generally one to favour spicy food, I eyed the pork tenderloin fillet in the fridge the other night. It needed heat and lots of it. Fortunately, I always have a pot of ready made jerk paste (see recipe here) in the fridge (I really can't live without it) and used that. For this recipe you can use any type you like from a paste to a powder, but I will always recommend making it yourself. If you do use powder just add some oil to the marinade.

I also have used Fufu which is a staple in parts of Africa and South America. You can get varying types made with cassava flour, but the one I have made is from plantain flour. Its quick, delicious, similar to potato (bit starchier) and gluten free. Try it!

For the pork:

1 pork tenderloin (trimmed of fat)
3-4 tbsp. good jerk paste
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1/2 white onion, sliced
drizzle oil
3/4 cup vegetable stock (cube is fine)

Put the pork, uncut, into a zip lock back with the marinade and massage in well. Put in the fridge for between 1-6 hours.

When ready to cook, set the oven to 200 C. Place the sliced peppers and onions down the centre of a roasting tray. Place the pork on the top and roast for 40 minutes. Take the tray out of the oven and add the stock (not over the meat - you want to keep that crust). Cover with foil and turn the oven down to about 180 C. Cook for a further 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes. Slice to serve.

For the mango salsa:

Chop 1 large ripe mango into a bowl, Add 1/2 chopped red onion, 1/2 small red (bell) pepper, a handful chopped coriander & the juice of a lime. Mix and chill until needed

For the Fufu:

Put 1 cup fufu flour into a small saucepan with 1 cup hot water and mix well. Keep adding boiling water bit by but and keep mixing until it has the texture you like (I like it like smooth mashed potato). Season with salt & pepper and add anything you like. I added 1 tsp. garlic powder and 3 chopped spring onions.

Serve the fufu in the middle of the plate, add jerk pork slices and drizzle over the onion and pepper sauce from the roasting tray. Serve with the mango salsa and some avocado slaw. A wedge of lime and....enjoy!