Quick Simple & Delicious Puerto Rican Foods

                                                                          Pernil is a delicious slow cooked piece of pork shoulder or pork butt. It is usually eaten during the holidays. Puerto Ricans make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve or Christmas  dinners but it is also eaten for celebrations. When I was growing up, my mother made it for Christmas Eve. I make it randomly.  If I have time I make it during the day but if I'm taking it as a dish somewhere, I make it over night in the oven.  Two years ago I was making it for a luncheon at the school where I worked and my oven broke down. I panicked! I didn't know what to do. I took out my two slow cookers and put one pernil in each at about 8:00p.m.  At 5:00 a.m. my pork was completely cooked and totally delicious. (No crackling skin though.) Here are two ways to make pernil.  Ingredients 1/4 cup sofrito 10 garlic cloves crushed (divided) 2 Tablespoons adobo 1 Tablespoons, garlic powder 2 teaspoons, achiote or 2 packets of

    Ingredients  2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 medium onion chopped into small pieces 1/2 red pepper  chopped into small pieces 6 garlic cloves minced 1/4 c sofrito 1  pound ground meat (at least 90% lean) 3/4 cup tomato sauce 2 tablespoons cilantro 1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 teaspoon oregano - OPTIONAL Procedure 1. Heat the oil in a pan.  Add the onion and allow to cook for about two minutes.   2. Then add the red pepper and garlic and cook for another minute.   Add the cilantro and sofrito and mix well.   3. When it boils, add the ground beef and start breaking it apart with a meat chopper.  4. In 2 to 3 minutes time add tomato sauce and salt and oregano. Continue to stir until all the meat is chopped.  5. Lower the heat.   Continue to cook on  low heat for 15-20 minutes. 6. When done, taste it and add additional salt if needed.                                                                   ENJOY!!