I am always trying to find ways for our family to experience different cultures from our home. We don’t have an unlimited travel budget (I wish!) but I still want my kids to at least know about the rich variations in customs, foods, and traditions around the world. To this end, we have instituted a monthly “dinner and a travel show” night where we eat foods from a certain country while watching travel shows about that place. In the past few years, I have also tried to make this idea part of our holiday celebrations by cooking foods from other cultures and holiday traditions and, of course, reading books about those different traditions.
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Once such book that I have recently come to love is Miracle on 133rd Street. Written by Sonia Manzano, best known for her role as Maria on Sesame Street, this book follows the holiday adventures of José and his Puerto Rican – American family. I am also partial to this book because it is illustrated by one of my favorite illustrators: Marjorie Priceman. Her whimsical, colorful illustrations add just the right festive note to this Christmas Eve tale. When his mother can’t fit their traditional pork roast in the oven of their tiny kitchen, José remembers that the pizza parlor down the street has a huge oven that would be just right. He and his father proceed to carry the huge roast through their apartment building and to the pizza parlor, chatting with neighbors along the way. When José and his father realize that many of their neighbors are struggling to get in the holiday spirit, they invite the whole building to celebrate with their family. The wonderful smell of the pork roast draws everyone together in one big celebration. I love any book that celebrates the power of food to create and nurture community. There is something so uniquely unifying about sharing a meal together and this book is a wonderful picture of the warmth and friendship that a feast can encourage. However, I also like that Miracle on 133rd Street doesn’t shy away from depicting the loneliness and sorrow that so many people feel during the holidays. The neighbors who José and his father encounter are missing family and feeling stressed or lonely. This book is a good reminder that we can be mindful of others’ experiences and losses during the holidays, even as we also celebrate with joy.
Discussion questions for Miracle on 133rd Street:
- What are some of the emotions that the neighbors in José’s building are experiencing? Why do you think they feel that way, even though it is Christmas Eve?
- Everyone is enticed by the aroma of José’s family’s pork roast. What is a food that you love the smell of? Does it bring back specific memories?
- What are foods that we eat every Christmas or holiday season? Which one do you look forward to having the most every year?
- Is there someone we could invite to share dinner with us this holiday season?
I am always nervous about making a recipe from another culture that is unfamiliar to me because I want to make sure and do justice to a food that I know is special to that country or people. This was especially true when trying to recreate the traditional Christmas Eve pork roast served in Puerto Rico. I am not as used to cooking large pieces of pork as, say, a turkey or roast chicken, so I did a lot of research before attempting this recipe! There are many variations on recipes for Pernil Asado, but the main flavors generally seem to be garlic (lots of it!), lime, and oregano. In this version, I made a thin paste of these flavors, mixed with a generous amount of salt and olive oil, and marinated a large bone-in pork shoulder in this mixture. After marinating overnight, I roasted the pork for several hours at a low temp, before finishing it off at a higher temp to get a nice, crispy outer crust. Pernil Asado is traditionally served with Arroz Con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas) and Pasteles (a filled plaintain puree cooked in banana leaves).
Pernil Asado (Puerto Rican Pork Roast)
Remove the pork roast from its packaging and thoroughly pat dry all over. Using a sharp knife, cut just underneath the top layer of fat on the roast to create a pocket of space between the meat and the fat, but do not completely remove the layer of fat. Slash 3 large cuts in the top of the fat layer to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the roast in a deep roasting pan or large dutch oven.
In a food processor or blender, blend together the pepper, oregano, salt, lime juice and olive oil to create a thin paste. Pour this paste over the pork roast, rubbing some of it under the layer of fat where you created a space. Marinate the pork roast in the refrigerator for about 8 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to cook the roast, remove it from the refrigerator and allow the roast to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Place the roast on a V-shaped roasting rack set in a roasting pan, or on a rack set over a sheet pan and cover the top with foil. Roast for 4 hours covered. After 4 hours, turn the heat up to 450ºF and remove the foil from the roast. Continue to cook the roast at this higher heat until the top has turned brown and crackly, about 10 minutes. Remove roast from the oven, tent with foil and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Ingredients
Directions
Remove the pork roast from its packaging and thoroughly pat dry all over. Using a sharp knife, cut just underneath the top layer of fat on the roast to create a pocket of space between the meat and the fat, but do not completely remove the layer of fat. Slash 3 large cuts in the top of the fat layer to allow the marinade to penetrate. Place the roast in a deep roasting pan or large dutch oven.
In a food processor or blender, blend together the pepper, oregano, salt, lime juice and olive oil to create a thin paste. Pour this paste over the pork roast, rubbing some of it under the layer of fat where you created a space. Marinate the pork roast in the refrigerator for about 8 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to cook the roast, remove it from the refrigerator and allow the roast to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Place the roast on a V-shaped roasting rack set in a roasting pan, or on a rack set over a sheet pan and cover the top with foil. Roast for 4 hours covered. After 4 hours, turn the heat up to 450ºF and remove the foil from the roast. Continue to cook the roast at this higher heat until the top has turned brown and crackly, about 10 minutes. Remove roast from the oven, tent with foil and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
