If you check out the links you will see that I have added a link to Belina's Adventures, this is a relatively new cooking blog. Belina has been posting recipes on Merida Insider for some time, I am thrilled that she now has them in blog form.
When she posted a recipe for Cochinita Pibil,the lazy way, I was thrilled. Cochinita is one of Husband's favorites, and unlike mole (another one of his favorites) I like it too. I faithfully followed the recipe. Until I got to the part where she says to cook it, she suggests a pressure cooker or pot and says to cook until it's done.
I lined the pressure cooker with the banana leaves, layered the lovely achiote marinated pork on top, folded the banana leaves over the pork. So far so good. After I had put the top on the pressure cooker, I realized that there was no liquid to provide steam and pressure.
I admit it, I panicked. I opened the pot and without measuring or thought poured an entire tea kettle of water into the cooker.
As it got up to pressure, I realized that I didn't know how long to cook it! The website says until done. It's a bit hard to check doneness in a pressure cooker. Luckly, the Rick Bayless cookbook I have has a recipe for Pollo Pibil with a note on cochinita. Ah ha, 2 and half hours is the normal lenght of time. So I decided on 30 minutes.
While the cochinita was cooking, I read the instruction manual for my pressure cooker. Most of the meat recipes called for a minimum of 49 militers of water, which is a scant 1/4 cup.
The texture was great, the taste wasn't quite right, but I put that down to the copious quantity of water that I added.
The next time that I do this I am going to use my crockpot and cook the meat slowly without the addition of water.
I am going to ask Belina for her suggestions and recommendations so that my cochinita comes out perfect the next time.
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry, since most of my "recipes" are not in formal recipe format since I cook as I go, and are only now translating them so others can follow, I tend to forget detail which although obvious to me MUST be specific and caused you problems. I will be more careful and if you see anything missing, PLEASE let me know (everyone else too), I appreciate it. And yes, you're right too much water, the 1/4 cup would have been sufficient and the 20-30 min. cooking time (pretty much standard for tender meats in pressure cookers) is spot on.
don't be sorry Belinda, I read your recipe twice before I made it,and didn't see any problems until I had closed the pressure cooker, and realized that maybe I didn't have enough liquid. Next time, it's the crockpot for sure. I just really like to use the pressure cooker as often as possible,
ReplyDeleteI can preview something several times before I post it and still not catch some style problem or weak wording until after it's been posted (or Husband has read it and questioned something).
regards,
Theresa
When you dissolved the achiote paste, you used sour orange or vinegar and some water, right? Then you marinate for a day or more in the fridge...the more the better I've found. Then I put this whole thing into the pressure cooker and gives me more than enough liquid to cook with since the evaporation in the pot will add to it... right?
ReplyDeleteI make carnitas in the pressure cooker too and only add 1-2 tbls of water and it works....
Will make cochinita again and pay attention and report back!
Theresa,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your adventures with the Cochinita.
Mom
Belinda, I marinated it in sour orange, but I have never pressure cooked anything that dry, mostly I cook beans, rice, stew and stuff like that in the pressure cooker. It may have been enough liquid but I admit it, I panicked.
ReplyDeleteI had visions of exploding pressure cooker or some other disaster.
regards,
Theresa
Hi Mom! Wow, you are getting Internet savvy, I'm glad you liked my post. Do you think you can email me your flan recipe? None of the recipes that I have look like the one you use.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Theresa
Took me a while to get over the "bomb" feeling on a pressure cooker (my sister exploded one once and I had to repaint the kitchen since I could never take off the spaghetti sauce. The building shook too!) BUT, it saves soo much time it's really great. I make carnitas in it and this was the first "dry" dish I tried and came out wonderful!!! So I've relaxed somewhat (still makes me nervous though)....jajaja
ReplyDeleteHow funny; one of Tom's favorites is molé as well, and like you I don't really care for it. Hmmm, women of discerning tastes. We like our men but don't like the molé.
ReplyDeleteOlé
Debi
Debi, It doesn't seem logical that I don't like mole,mole has chiles, I like chiles,chocolate, while I'm not a chocoholic like some, I like it, and sesame seeds, who doesn't like sesame? So why don't I like it?
ReplyDeleteregards,
Theresa
Hi Theresa!
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting a link to my blog on yours. I wanted to write and let you know we're leaving Merida (due to my son's health)but am now reporting on our search for the "perfect spot" along the way, so more posts to come.... we're leaving this week for the center of Mexico!
I've made Cochinita and Pollo Pibil and been working with the pressure cooker and wanted to pass along the results of my experiments:
For the Cochinita as well as the Pollo Pibil, I used a wire basket on the bottom of the pot so the meat wouldn't sit in water, then I put the banana leaves on this, the meat and then enclosed it all in more leaves and closed the pot. For the Pollo I only cooked it 15 min from the time pressure was up (it starts to hiss...) putting a glass or two of water on the bottom for steam only, ok? For pork it was 30 min.
We tend to like "saucy" rather than dry dishes, so the achiote paste was given extra sour orange juice, I put the whole sauce in there too and marinated it overnight but a couple of hours would be good if you want to.
I should also say that the chicken leaves quite a bit of it's juices on the bottom (separated by the wire basket which is nice) and I use this achiote flavored stock on Arroz de Achiote (I'll do that recipe soon too) which is pretty good too.
Oh, by the way.... my name is BELINA, no "d", ok? Appreciate it.
I will also be posting some regional dishes I find along the way on our travels and once again taking up my culinary anthropology research on the disappearing traditional dishes of Mexico... See you soon....
Hi Belina, I am so embarrassed! I will change it on the links page and the blog post. I have been thinking of trying cochinita in the crockpot. I made a pork recipe yesterday that had very much the same texture as cochinita. I hope you find the right place in Mexico for your family! I will be looking forward to your food postings. I have been very lazy about mine.
ReplyDeleteregards,
Theresa
Hi Theresa!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to write and let you know that I now live in Puebla! Please check in to my http://www.belinadventures.com blog since I am including lots of new adventures and recipes from this area now too (which is among my favorites)- a very interesting area full of colonial charm and history which will give us plenty of interesting adventures... Best regards to everyone!
Belina, Puebla sound intriguing. I think the food will be more your style there. I will check out your new adventures.
ReplyDeleteregards,
Theresa