Well, yes,
allyuh… I am finally back, so Happy 2013 one time, (don’t mind the year is two
months old already and it is literally Dimacnhe Gras - the Sunday before
Carnival in T&T).
Though I am
seriously tardy with posts, I must admit that waiting for today to post to the
blog was timely, since at Carnival time we really enjoy eating. Just yesterday I
revisited my Granny’s split pea soup with pigtails and it was so good, I had to
secure some for Sunday lunch. So shocker of shockers… there is no pelau in the
house for Carnival. But that’s fine, cuz I made sure to have an eclectic mix of
foods in the fridge, from salted fish right down, so you know some home made
bread is on the menu later too.
So… what to do when you’re
feeling peckish? You make one of this country’s most loved cutters, geera pork.
If you’re wondering what geera is, it’s a spice that’s also known as cumin and
it’s much loved in East Indian cooking. I tend to use lots of it when I make a
filling for fried potato pies too – it’s such a homey, comforting spice that
says “T&T”.
Now I must confess that the first
time I was introduced to “geera-ing” food was from my friend Joseanne Henry, who
taught me how to do some geera chicken wings (thanks Joseibaby!). Over time, I
adapted her original recipe into this one I use for geera pork, which has been
my go-to ever since. Truth be told, you can geera almost anything, wings,
necks, pork, fish and even vegetables. It's not too difficult; just use some pork, vegetable oil,
seasonings and of course, some good geera powder.
Here’s a peep into the bacchanal.
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First things first: I always
season my pork. I used a nice pork loin that I cut into 1 inch pieces and
seasoned with lime juice, salt, chopped chives, ½ a small onion, 2 pimento
peppers, and a couple leaves of chadon beni. Left it to marinate for half an
hour.
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Next, I poured a potspoonful of
vegetable oil into my deep saucepan and put it on medium high heat. I cut 3
more pimento peppers in half and tossed them in the oil with a whole, peeled clove
of garlic.
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Time to cook the geera! When my
peppers and garlic got good and sautéed, I added in about 3 tablespoonfuls to
the oil and seasonings – I was pouring from the packet, so I averaged it, no
scene. Gave everything a good stir and almost got high off the lovely fumes as
well…
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In went the seasoned pork, which
was stirred well into the geera; every grain seemed to cling to the meat like a tight pair of jeans!
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Once everything was coated with the
geera and the meat looked saturated, I covered the pot tightly and left it for 10
to 15 minutes. This is the stage where the pork started letting its juices out,
so it was literally “stewing”. (See the moisture under the lid?)
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Opened the pot to reveal a cloud
of steam that soon dissipated to reveal the lovely pork swimming in sauce.
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I started seasoning it up. A
little salt and pepper sauce (to my strength) were stirred in and I let it
continue to cook until the liquid evaporated.
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Tasted a piece, only to realise
it was still a bit tangy, so to counteract that, I sprinkled in a little brown
sugar (roughly a teaspoon). I then added a ¼ cup of water, stirred everything
in, and lastly, a teaspoonful more of geera – worry not, it cooks as the liquid
evaporates. Kept my eye on it, and soon...
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| De POT was DONE! |
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| Tender. Spicy. Delicious Geera Pork. |
Geera pork is one of my favourite
things to make, and I don’t have to wait for a special season to do it, either. Today, Dimanche Gras, it was a perfect choice for Carnival. It is usually served
in little Styrofoam cups with a spoon, so it makes for a BESS cutter at any lime, especially when drinks are flowing non-stop.
Of course, it was devoured
hastily, despite the fact that I love it at room temperature, which is how it’s
generally served. This here was just right flavourwise; enough pepper not to
go overboard and perfectly seasoned, ready to be enjoyed in some hops bread or
plain in a Styrofoam cup.
So that’s the start to my 2K13 Carnival, everyone. Hope yours is just as much fun as mine at home. Stay tuned
for more kitchen escapades in future and like I always say... doh forget to mind
de pot!
