Cuban Pork Roast

Serves 8.

This must be prepared 24 hours in advance of cooking. From the "Nantucket Open-House Cookbook" by Sarah Leah Chase. Accompany these dishes with rice and black beans.

  • 6 cloves garlic

  • 4 green onions, white bulbs and green stalks, minced

  • ½ c. pine nuts

  • 1 fresh jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

  • 2 c. fresh cilantro, minced

  • 2/3 c. extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/3 c. Nicoise or Greek olives, pitted

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

  • 1 (4-lb.) boneless pork loin roast

  • ½ c. fresh grapefruit juice

  • ½ c. fresh orange juice

  • ½ c. fresh lime juice,

  • ½ c. hot pepper jelly

    For the filling: Place the garlic, green onions, pine nuts, jalapeño pepper and cilantro in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process to form a thick paste. With the machine running, pour the olive oil in a thin, steady stream through the feed tube until all is incorporated. Remove to a small bowl and stir in olives, salt and pepper.

    If the pork roast is tied, untie it and roll it out flat. Spread two-thirds of the garlic-cilantro paste over the meat. Reroll the roast and tie it.

    Stir the grapefruit, orange and lime juices into the remaining garlic-coriander paste. Make shallow incisions over the surface of the roast with the tip of a sharp knife. Place the roast in a shallow dish or pan and pour mixture over to marinate. Let marinate in refrigerator, turning occasionally, for 24 hours.

    To cook the roast: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove roast from the marinade and place it in a roasting pan. Roast uncovered, basting occasionally with any leftover marinade, for 1¼ hours. Discard marinade. Brush the roast all over with the hot pepper jelly and roast 15 minutes more or until done.

    Let the roast rest for 10 minutes, then carve into ½-inch-thick slices and serve.

    Nutrition information per serving:

    Calories544

    Carbohydrates19 g

    Protein38 g

    Fat36 g

    including sat. fat8 g

    Cholesterol104 mg

    Sodium136 mg

    Calcium35 mg

    Dietary fiber2 g

    Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/ starch exch., 5 lean-meat exch. and 5 fat exch.

    Baked Bananas

    Serves 8.

    These provide a sweet balance to the spiciness of the pork.

  • 4 ripe bananas, peeled, cut in half lengthwise

  • 4 tbsp. (½ stick) unsalted butter

  • 2 tbsp. dry Sherry

  • 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

  • 1/3 c. loosely packed brown sugar

  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Arrange the bananas in a single layer in an 11-by 9-inch glass baking dish.

    Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, then stir in the Sherry and lime juice. Heat thoroughly, then pour over the bananas. Dot with the brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake in the oven until lightly browned and bubbly, 12 to 15 minutes.

    Nutrition information per serving:

    Calories140

    Carbohydrates23 g

    Protein1 g

    Fat6 g

    including sat. fat4 g

    Cholesterol16 mg

    Sodium6 mg

    Calcium17 mg

    Dietary fiber2 g

    Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 fruit exch., ½ other carb. exch. and 1 fat exch.