Cuban-Style Pork

Direct from Bobby Flay's television show Grill It! (Sunday mornings on the Food Network) this is Cuban-Style Pork with Grilled Roma Tomato and Basil Pesto. This was an excellent blend of flavors! I bought some butterfly cut, bonelss pork chops and when I got them home I pounded them. Using a mallet and with the chops under wax paper, I pounded until the chops flattened out to about 1/4 inch thick. I took careful notes while watching the TV show and put together a marinade of lime juice, orange juice, garlic and oregano. The thin chops were in the marinade a little over an hour. When we were ready for the grill, I layered in swiss cheese, black forest ham, and kosher dill pickles. That's right pickle went right into the chops before going to the grill. Because the chops were butterfly cut and flattened out they folded over easily around the stuffing. I brushed the outside of the chops with canola oil and they went right on the grill. Also from my notes, I cut two roma tomatoes in half longways and scooped out the inside. With the inside scooped out the long tomatoes looked like canoes. I filled the canoe with chopped basil, olive oil, garlic, parsansean cheese and mozzarella cheese. After the chops turned on the grill the tomatoes went on an upper grill rack - the romas got tender and all the cheese melted - it was a great side dish. When the pork was done (I wanted an internal temperature of about 160) I took them off and sliced the pork into strips. You can see the ham, pickles and swiss cheese oozing from this pork sandwich with no bread. I topped it all off with some cilantro, lime and orange juice, olive oil, Kosher salt and ground pepper. 


What to Drink? A cool afternoon, under the gazebo sipping wine. It was a Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio blend from Tuscany - The Banfi LeRime. It was unseasonably warm, so this really was special. Usually a blend like this would have a distinct citrus flavor. Since the Cuban pork was marinated in citrus juices, I thought it would go together well - and it would have if any of the wine had been left when dinner was served! 

Afternoon sipping wine and evening grill fires - the perfect pairing. Paul