Pork With Pumpkin Seed Sauce Recipes

ROASTED PORK TACOS WITH PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 3-quart rectangular baking dish or roasting pan with foil; set aside.
• Score the fat cap of the pork shoulder into a diamond pattern, about 1-inch diamonds with about 1/2-inch of depth. Season the pork should with 1 teaspoon salt. Place pork in prepared dish, fat side up. Set aside.
• Roast pork 2 1/2 hours, occasionally spooning some of the achiote sauce over the pork. Increase oven to 400°F; roast 15 minutes more. Remove roast from oven, cover and let stand 20 minutes.
• Roast for the pork should for 2 1/2 hours, spooning sauce over occasionally. Increase heat to 400°F and roast for 15 minutes more. Remove from oven. Let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Using 2 forks, pull the meat off the bone into shreds. Serve with tortillas and remaining garnishes. Pumpkin Seed Sauce
• Toast the pumpkin seeds in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When you are cooking seeds they will burn quickly so keep and eye on them and stir often. You are looking for a little browning, a development of nutty flavor. This should take 2 to 3 minutes. While you are finishing getting the seeds all toasty, set up the blender and combine shallot, garlic, the serrano, cumin and cinnamon. Add half of the chicken stock, the toasted pumpkin seeds, and the salt; cover and blend to a fine texture.
• Heat the large skillet over medium-high heat and add the avocado oil. When the oil is hot add the mixture from the blender and cook down, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. The texture should be like a smooth salsa, but not too thick. Set aside to cool.
• Combine the remaining stock with the cilantro and the parsley in the blender and blend until smooth. This sauce should be very green and when the salsa base is cool, combine the two. Serve warm or at room temperature. Or, transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator up to 1 week. Pickled Red Onions
• Place the onions in a large non-reactive, heatproof bowl; set aside. Combine the water, vinegar, and sugar in a 2-quart pot and bring to boiling. Pour the mixture over the onions and cover with plastic wrap. Let cool to room temperature before draining and serving.

CHEF JOHN'S PUMPKIN-BRAISED PORK

Steps:

• Cut pork into large chunks. Place in a bowl. Add salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, fennel seeds, rosemary, and shallots. Mix thoroughly and cover pork with parchment paper. Refrigerate to let flavors develop, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Add flour to pork and mix to coat. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook pork in 2 batches until browned, about 3 minutes per side.
• Insert the tip of a knife at a 45-degree angle into the top half of the pumpkin. Slowly cut all the way around to remove the 'lid'. Scrape seeds and fibers off the bottom of the lid and inside of the pumpkin using a large spoon or ice cream scoop.
• Line the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper and place pumpkin on top. Stuff the pumpkin with the browned pork; pour in cider. Cover with the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pork is very tender, about 4 hours. Pour in a little more cider after a few hours in the oven, since a lot of it evaporates. Remove from the oven and let rest; brush pumpkin with some of the rendered fat from the bottom of the pan.
• Scoop pork onto serving plates and cut out pieces of pumpkin to serve alongside. Combine remaining rendered fat with cooking liquid from inside the pumpkin. Let sauce rest for a few minutes so you can skim off most of the fat. Spoon sauce over the pork.

PUMPKIN SEED-CRUSTED PORK TENDERLOIN ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Season pork with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne.
• Heat vegetable oil in an oven-proof pan over high heat. Sear pork in the hot oil until well-browned on all sides. Turn off the heat, and transfer to a plate.
• Mix mustard, maple syrup, and cumin together in a small bowl. Use a spoon to spread mustard mixture all over the surface of the pork, getting as thick a layer as possible.
• Transfer the pumpkin seeds on top of the mustard mixture in a thick layer, and lightly press down into the surface. Press pumpkin seeds into the sides as well.
• Transfer pork back into the pan and add 1/2 cup of broth.
• Roast in the preheated oven until pork is slightly pink in the center, about 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Remove pork to a plate and cover loosely with foil.
• Place the same pan back over medium-high heat and add remaining 1/2 cup of broth, rice vinegar, and balsamic vinegar. Stir with a spoon and bring to a boil.
• Cook until liquid has reduced by half, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in butter. Taste for seasoning and serve over sliced pork.