Colm O'Gorman's Sunday Roast: Mexico and the Middle East meet in this Pork al Pastor

This week’s Sunday Roast recipe draws inspiration from Mexico, or to be precise from a Mexican dish that itself draws inspiration from Lebanon. Tacos al Pastor were invented in the early 1900s following the arrival of Lebanese immigrants to Mexico.

The dish uses the same technique to cook the meat as a shawarma; slices of pork are marinated in spices and pineapple and then grilled on a vertical spit, before being sliced thinly and served in soft corn tortillas with sauces and relish. They are delicious, a real favourite of mine, and I love them even more as an example of how food styles and flavours travel and influence the creation of new dishes in new countries.

When I was a child, we often had roasted stuffed tenderloin of pork served with peaches for Sunday lunch.

It was usually accompanied by roasted carrots and other vegetables and of course, roast potatoes. Pork works beautifully with fruit, and pineapple adds fabulous flavour to this Mexican inspired recipe. I serve this with carrots that have been blanched for a few minutes in boiling water, then tossed in a little olive oil, orange zest, cumin seed and honey, before being roasted until they are just cooked through but still have a little bite.

We of course also have it with lots of roast or fondant potatoes.

Pork al Pastor

recipe by:Colm O'Gorman

A Sunday lunch classic - in a very new style.

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Mexican/Middle-Eastern

Ingredients

• Roast Pork:

• 1.2-1.3kg pork tenderloin fillet

• 1 pineapple

• 1 tomato

• 2 red chillies

• 2 plump cloves of garlic

• 2 tsp chipotle chilli paste

• 1 sprig lemon thyme

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• ½ tsp chilli flakes

• 1 tsp dried marjoram

• 1 tsp flaky sea salt

• 75 ml apple cider vinegar

• For sauce:

• Splash tequila

• 60 ml apple cider vinegar

• Onion Salsa:

• 1 medium to small onion

• 1 red chilli

• Handful of chopped fresh coriander

• Juice of a lime

• Sprinkle of flaky sea salt

Method

1. Peel and core the pineapple and cut 150g of the flesh into cubes, setting aside the rest of the fruit for now.

2. Heat a heavy non-stick pan over a high heat. Once it is good and hot, add the tomato and the two red chilis. Turn them every few minutes until they are roasted all over and a little charred, this will take six to eight minutes. Next, remove them from the pan.

3. Put the cubed pineapple, roasted tomato and chilies, the garlic, chipotle paste, thyme, paprika, chili flakes, marjoram, sea salt and 75ml of apple cider vinegar into a food processor and blitz to a smooth paste. If you do not want it too spicy, use one chili, make the paste, and then taste, adding the second chilli and extra chipotle paste if you want more heat.

4. Trim any membrane from the pork fillet, leaving a little fat for flavour, and place it in a large bowl. Pour over the marinade, and rub it into the meat, making sure to coat it well. Cover the bowl and allow the pork to marinade in the fridge for three to four hours, or overnight if possible.

5. When you are ready to cook the pork, pre-heat your oven to 180 Celsius. While the oven is warming, cut the rest of the pineapple into 2cm chunks. Heat a large heavy oven proof frying pan over a high heat. Add the pineapple and cook it for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until it starts to caramelise and brown. Depending upon the size of your pan, you may need to do this in a few batches. Do not crowd the pan or the pineapple juices will not cook off and you will end up with poached, not roasted, pineapple. When all the pineapple is done, set it aside to cool.

6. Time now to sear the pork. I use the same frying pan that I used for the pineapple to cook my pork. It saves on washing up, and I think it adds even more flavour to the final dish. Heat the pan over a high heat and pop in the pork. Cook it for just a few minutes, then turn it over and repeat until the meat is seared all over. This will help prevent the pork from drying out in the oven, so do not skip this step.

7. Add all the marinade to the pork and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast the pork for twenty-five to thirty minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat, and once it reads anywhere from 63 to 65 Celsius, remove the pan from the oven and transfer the pork to a board. Cover the pork with some foil and allow it to rest for ten minutes or so while you make the salsa and the sauce to accompany the meat.

8. Finely chop the onion. Wash, deseed, and finely chop the red chili. Add those to a bowl along with a handful of chopped coriander, the juice of a lime and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Stir to combine and taste, adding more salt or lime juice if required.

9. Heat the pan you used to roast the pork over a medium heat. Add a good splash of tequila and 60ml of apple cider vinegar and stir the pan to deglaze it and combine the liquid with all the meat roasting juices and marinade. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep stirring until you have a sauce with a nice consistency. If you need to thin it out a little add a splash of water or chicken stock. Finally, add a generous knob of butter and stir that through the sauce.

10. To serve:

11. Slice the pork fillet into pieces about 1-2 cm thick and arrange three or four per person on a warm dinner plate with some of the caramelised pineapple on the side. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat, and then finish with a generous sprinkle of the onion relish and garnish with a few leaves of fresh coriander. Serve with your choice of sides; my roasted carrots are perfect with this, and some roast or fondant potatoes are of course, essential.

• Colm O'Gorman is a home cook with a passion for taking flavours from around the world and creating delicious recipes that can be easily cooked at home. You can find more of Colm’s recipes on Instagram @colmogorman, and on the Irish Examiner's ieFood.