Inspired by Orinoco Ida's Cachapas from the Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. Skipper Canteen at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Wuff was so delighted by this wonderful appetizer, the Vrghr had to try to create it for himself once he got back home.

WOW! This experiment was successful beyond wuffy's wildest dreams! Every element worked, and none of them are anything wuff had tried to cook before.

Vrghr is still a very bouncy dragonwolf the next day! *LAUGHS*

Cachapas are tender, sweet corn pancakes, traditionally served folded with cheese melting inside. Mojo Pork is traditionally first marinated overnight in bitter orange juice and garlic, seasoned with other herb and spices, then slow grilled or smoked until its falling off the bone like a pulled pork.

Wuff used those Cachapas as a bed for the Mojo Pork. But Vrghr didn't have time to create the traditional version of the Mojo dish. Wuffy employed a "cooking hack" he has successfully used before when he wanted to create pulled pork for the shop - wuff made it in a Pressure Cooker. This took the 48-hour traditional process and cut it down to under 2 hours. A long sear on a hot flat top grill added a nice brown crust to approximate some of the grilled notes. The result was certainly delicious! Wuff certainly would recommend the traditional method if you have the time, but this will give a very tasty result if you want something quicker.

The other two ingredients fill out this dish to a harmonious whole. The black bean, cucumber salsa is fresh and light with just a bit of acid to cut into the rich fatty pork and creamy avocado. And the avocado cream is rich and savory, to bring a little more complexity to the whole.

This dish also provides a very nice presentation. It's great for impressing friends and family with its looks as well as its spectacular flavors.

The recipe that follows is rather complex, because there are a lot of "moving parts" that come together to create the dish. Luckily, no one part of it is that difficult.

Give this a try, and wuff is sure you won't regret it.

Note: Vrghr luckily had access to a flat top grill to create the Cachapas and grill the pork after it pressure cooked. This definitely makes the creation faster, thanks to the amount of cooking surface available. But, any good stove-top grill or fry pan will work just as well, if perhaps a little more slowly as you cook the items in shifts.

Note 2: Vrghr's market was all out of satisfactory pork roasts, so wuffy substituted bone-in Country Style Pork Ribs instead. These meaty delights did an equally good, if not better job than the roast.

Cachapas
Fried sweet corn pancakes

Ingredients:
5 C Corn Kernels (from fresh cobs or frozen)
1/2 C Masa Harina
2 large Egg Yolks
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Directions:
In a blender or food processor, process the corn kernels to a paste.

Add the egg yolks, masa harina, salt, sugar, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Blend/process to combine to a smooth batter.

Heat griddle/pan (or flat top grill) over medium high heat. Add a bit of oil

Ladle the corn batter to make a 3-4“ pancake. Fry to golden on one side and carefully flip to fry on the other side. Cake should be set in the middle (toothpick comes out clean). Reduce heat if cakes are browning too quickly but not cooking in the middle.

Remove to a “low” oven and cover with a clean slightly damp kitchen towel to keep warm until ready to assemble
 

Black Bean Salsa
A light salsa of black beans, cucumbers, onions, corn, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
1 C corn kernels (drained from can, fresh from cob, or frozen)
1 medium vine-ripe tomato, diced (or sweet “grape” tomatoes, diced)
1 small Cucumber, diced fine
2 red "Fresno" peppers, seeded and pulp removed, diced fine (can sub Jalapenos)
½ cup red onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
½ C fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix together. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour for flavors to combine


Avocado Crème
A rich, creamy, thick sauce to side the pork and salsa.

Ingredients:
2 large ripe Avocados
½ C Greek Yogurt (or sour cream or Mexican Crema)
3 TBS Mascarpone Cheese
1 TBS Cilantro, chopped
1 tsp minced Garlic
1/2 tsp Cumin
Juice from 1 Lime (or 1 TBS Florida Key Lime Juice)
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Peel and Pit the avocados. Place the avocado, yogurt, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lime juice in a blender or food processor.

Process until completely smooth

Season with salt and pepper, according to taste

Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately or cover tightly, pressing plastic wrap against the surface of the sauce before covering with an airtight lid

Sauce will keep well in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours

 
Mojo Pork (pressure cooker version)
Cuban style pork with a citrus-y, garlic sauce.

Ingredients:
4 lbs pork shoulder roast (or bone-in “Country Style” pork ribs)
1 large Onion, chopped

The Liquids:
1 C fresh Orange Juice
2/3 C fresh Lime Juice (or half Fresh Lime & half bottled Florida Key Lime Juice)
1/2 C Olive Oil

The Seasonings:
Zest from 2 Limes
Zest from 1 Orange
2/3 - 1 C chopped Cilantro
3 teaspoons cumin
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
6-8 cloves garlic
3 Bay Leaves
1 tsp ground Black Pepper
1 + 1 tsp Omnivore Salt

Directions:
Cut the roast into 3-4 large chunks. Leave the bone in, if it has one. Using a knife, punch holes in the meat (or cut the Country Style Ribs in half or in chunks if substituting them)

Optional: Place the pierced meat into a large zip-top bag and add the blended mixture (see below). Allow to marinade overnight in the refrigerator. This step is essential if smoking the pork, but not as necessary with a pressure cooker, as the pressure infuses the flavor of the liquid deep into the meat just as well as a marinade does

Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top of the pork. Only use the first teaspoon of the Omnivore salt and reserve the last teaspoon for after the pork is pulled. (to salt to taste)

Chop the onion into relatively small chunks and add them on top of the pork. Add the bay leaves

Blend the cumin, oregano, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, orange and lime juice, and zest until pureed

Pour about 3/4ths of the blended Mojo mixture into the pressure cooker.

Retain the remaining Mojo sauce to add at the end over the cooked pork as a freshening sauce.

Note, if your cooker requires a minimum of 2 cups liquid, add a little water to ensure a full 2 cups of liquid. This is probably not necessary, as the pork and onions will give off a lot of liquid as they cook, so the total will be more than that as it cooks. Your cooker should do okay with just a cup or so of liquid

Cover and seal the pressure cooker. Allow to come to high pressure and let it cook at full pressure for 1 hour. Reduce pressure naturally (do not vent)

Remove pork to a platter and allow to rest. Careful! It is very tender and fragile at this point.

Remove the bay leaves from the pot. While pork is resting, skim and remove the pork fat from the pot. Blend the onions and remaining juices together with a hand blender.

Pour the juices into a small sauce pan and boil over medium heat until reduced by about 1/3-1/2.

Locate and discard the bone. Shred or pull the pork with fingers, forks, "bear claws" or similar techniques.
Taste, and if needed, sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of salt onto the pulled pork.

Place the pulled pork in a large bowl and mix in the reserved juice from the sauce pan.

On a flat top grill (or in a large skillet over high heat), spread out the pulled pork and allow it to sear without moving until a brown crust forms on one side. Return to the bowl


Assembly
Lay down 2 or 3 of the corn Cachapas as a bed

Place a generous portion of the Mojo Pork on top of the Cachapas

(Whisk to re-combine the sauce if needed) Drizzle a bit of the reserved Mojo sauce over the pork

Add a tablespoon or two of the Black Bean and Cucumber salsa evenly on top of the pork

Sprinkle a few chopped Cilantro leaves over it all

Put a couple dollops of the Avocado Crème decoratively along side


!DEVOUR!