EatMx: Real Mexican food, at home and on the road

TORTA OF THE WEEK: POC CHUC

Like pork? Then you'll like it better when it's transformed into poc chuc, which is grilled, salted pork the way they prepare it in Yucatán.

Although the seasonings are simple, the meat acquires so much flavor that you won't want to stop eating it. At least that's the way I felt after my first taste at a restaurant in the city of Valladolid.

I felt that again when I had a poc chuc torta at Chichén Itzá, the Yucatecan restaurant in the Mercado La Paloma in downtown Los Angeles.

The blackened, crinkly edges of the meat had that tantalizing taste that comes only from grilling over mesquite charcoal. The sandwich fixings are simple--a layer of black bean puree, lettuce, tomato, roasted red onion and, on the side, the house habanero salsa. 

Poc chuc would be delicious in any bun, but it's sensational in the crusty rustic bread that is made at Chichén Itzá, bread with such great texture that it won't go wimpy from moisture. You also get a serving of the house potato salad, a pale orange, slightly sweet blend of potatoes, carrots, peas, mayo and pickled jalapeños. 

Chichén Itzá restaurant, Mercado La Paloma, 3655 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90007. (213) 741-1075. 

A Cucumber Mojito from Baja

What a glorious welcome, to be handed a drink like that in the photo. It's not a margarita. It's the cucumber mojito that greeted me after checking in at Villa del Palmar, a resort at The Islands of Loreto in Baja California Sur.

There, it was presented like a margarita, rimmed with chile salt and garnished with a chile-coated cucumber slice. But the real way to make it is like a Cuban mojito. You muddle cucumber and mint leaves with sugar and lime juice in a tall glass, then add ice, white rum, club soda and a mint sprig.

Perfect for warm weather, the drink has a margarita's kick but is lighter, with more layers of flavor. To copy the version in the photo, mix the ingredients as directed, then strain into a margarita glass rimmed with red chile and salt. 

CUCUMBER MOJITO
From Villa del Palmar

1 (1/2-inch) slice cucumber, peeled
4 large mint leaves
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice 
Crushed ice
2 ounces white rum
2 ounces club soda
Mint sprig for garnish

Chop the cucumber and place it in a tall glass. Add the mint leaves, sugar and lime juice and muddle together, using a muddler or the handle of a wooden spoon.

Add ice to fill the glass about half way, pour in the rum and stir. Top with club soda and garnish with a mint sprig.

Makes 1 serving. 

Zihuatanejo's Amazing Pork Relleno

Relleno de puerco (literally, pork filling) showed up repeatedly during last spring's Food & Wine Festival in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

Town cooks--elderly women who grew up with the old recipes-- prepared it for a luncheon, where they served the fruity pork mixture in split bolillos (above). You could call this a local version of a pulled pork sandwich. 

The relleno turned up again at a tasting staged by local restaurants. Carmelitas, which is in the center of Zihuatanejo, presented it in a steaming iron pot (above). Another container held tamales de ceniza, flat ash-flavored tamales that served as a base for the meat.

I loved this unusual dish and went to Carmelitas to see if I could learn more about it. I was in luck. María del Carmen Ramírez de González, who runs the restaurant, was there. It's usually made with a large cut of pork, she told me, maybe a whole pig, and then is cooked overnight in an adobe oven.

My stove can't accommodate anything that big, and I had to make do with a small roast, which I marinated overnight, as María del Carmen instructed me. Then I roasted it along with assorted fruits and vegetables (above), minus one ingredient that was beyond my scope--fresh pork skin.  

In my version, the relleno (stuffing) is outside rather than inside the pig. I served it separately in a casserole (above).

Lively and fun, with bright tropical flavors (plantains and pineapple), relleno de puerco is a great party dish. The friends who came over to try it included a chef who cut the meat into the neat slices that you see in the photo. 

RELLENO DE PUERCO
Carmelitas Restaurant, Zihuatanejo

3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder roast, weighed after fat is trimmed and any bones removed
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 clove garlic, mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, finely crumbled
2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into thick slices
1/2 small pineapple, sliced into wedges
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large yam, about 3/4 pound, peeled and cut into chunks 
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 roma tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 large onion, cut into wedges
Salt
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs marjoram
Juice of 1 orange
3 tablespoons sweet wine, optional

Place the meat in a large baking dish.

Combine the vinegar, garlic, pepper, cumin and oregano and mix well. Rub this mixture all over the pork. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drain the meat, shape it into a roast and tie securely. Place the meat in a large roasting pan. Arrange around it the plantain slices, pineapple wedges, potatoes, yam, carrots, tomatoes and onion. Season with salt to taste.

Add the bay leaves, thyme and marjoram. Sprinkle evenly with the orange juice and wine.  

Place in the oven and roast, uncovered, 45 minutes. Baste with any juices. Cover loosely with foil and roast 45 minutes longer, or until a meat thermometer registers at least 150 degrees (it can go a little higher without any harm). 

Watch as the meat roasts. If it browns and dries too much, cover with foil earlier. Start checking the temperature before the end of the cooking time. If necessary, roast longer until the meat reaches the desired temperature.

When done, remove the roast to a cutting board and slice as desired. Arrange the slices on a heated serving platter.

Scoop the fruits and vegetables out of the roasting pan into a casserole. Reheat before serving, if necessary. You can do this in a microwave oven. 

Makes 6 servings.