Eating my way through life

Passport & Plate - Chicharrones, it's what's for breakfast!

Peru | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 3 photos

Ingredients
All the women in my family, from my great grandmothers to my mom, have always believed the best method of cooking comes from "tanteando" or eyeing the measurements throughout each step of any recipe. This makes my list of ingredients a bit unspecific but more instinctive to each cook's palette, keeping a look out for great taste rather than going by the book.

7 to 8 dried aji panca (will be used for creating rub, see below)
6 to 7 pounds of pork (can be from any part of the pork, as long as there is a good amount of meat and skin on it, i.e. pork shoulder, pork back, pork butt)
3 to 4 sweet potatoes
4 to 5 limes
1 medium red onion
Cilantro
Crushed garlic
Apple cider vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
Fresh French bread
Gloves

Aji panca is a Peruvian chile that is dark, smokey, and has a mild kick to it, and while chicharrones are flavorful, they are not meant to be too spicy by any means. These chiles will be used to make the aji panca rub. In order to help release some of the chile's spiciness, you will want to bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiled, remove water from stove and add the aji right into the same pot to soak for about an hour. After the hour, rinse the aji in cold water, dry with paper towels, and place them in a blender with about a ¼ cup of olive oil. You’ll want the aji and oil to reach a puree consistency; therefore, feel free to slowly add small amounts of oil in order to reach the correct texture. Now you are ready to use this rub in the recipe.

 

How to prepare this recipe
In order to prepare the pork for breakfast, you will want to leave it marinating overnight. Cut the meat into square pieces, making sure the pieces have both meat and skin on it. Once ready, lay all the pieces out onto a deep plate or pyrex dish and set aside. Next, you will be ready to rub the pork down with the marinade. Make sure you have gloves, as the aji panca puree will stain your hands in the process. Drizzle the vinegar all over the pork, making sure its sitting in about a ¼ inch of vinegar. Then, rub the pork down with the crushed garlic, followed by the aji panca puree (note: you do not have to use all the puree) making sure you are coating each piece of pork in each rubdown. Once this is set, add around a teaspoon of salt and dash of pepper, making sure to blend it throughout the pork. Taste for flavor, cover dish, and set in fridge overnight. In the morning, you’ll want to place the pork and juices in a big pot, bring to a boil, and then let simmer for about 45 minutes or until the vinegar evaporates; then, add just enough oil so the pork doesn’t stick to pan and let it fry in its own fat. At this time, you’ll also want to warm your oven up to 400 degrees, puncture your sweet potatoes and let them bake for about 45 minutes. While the pork and potatoes finish up, warm up some French bread, and get ready to make your salsa criolla. Squeeze 4 to 5 limes, chop up 1/8 cup cilantro, add about ¼ cup of olive oil, a dash of salt and pepper and set aside. Cut your onions up into thin, julienne slices and set aside, adding it into the lime-oil mix right before starting breakfast. Once the pork is ready, drain on paper towels and you're ready to build your chicharron sandwich.

 

The story behind this recipe
The first time I remember smelling the rich, suckling smell of chicharrones in the morning was when I was living in Peru at the tender age of 5. I don't really remember much from this time, aside from the usual first day of kindergarden, losing my first tooth, and having my first crush on a boy. However, I do remember this occasion so vividly, as if it happened yesterday, and I truly believe its made an incredible impact on my life — in fact, my relationship with food has been my longest and most healthiest one to date. Waking up to that wondrous smell of fried pork and walking into my abuelita's kitchen brought me into a world of food that I will treasure, value, and depend on for the rest of my life. Peruvian culture greatly focuses on dedicating time and effort into using food to bring the family together. Peruvian cuisine has taught me to appreciate and savor every meal, from the start of your day at breakfast to your fourth dinner course night cap. With this said, seeing my abuelita build my first chicharron sandwich for breakfast was like getting on the Mad Tea Party tea cup ride at Disney World for the first time. The herbal cilantro-lime juice with the crunch of the pork skin (my favorite part), mixed in with the caramelly sweetness of the potatoes comes together so simply, beautifully and naturally that it leaves me in a everlasting daze how exquisite food can be and make you feel. Now at the ripe age of 22, I still crave flying back home to fresh chicharrones my mama makes. And although I now know how to make them, nobody can make them the way generations of women in my family can. Taking a bite of that sandwich first thing in the morning takes me back to my roots and the first time I ever had them in my grandmother's kitchen.