COJIN DE LECHONA/recetas para toda ocasión

whole pig

🥗Healthier: chicken

💰Cheaper: pork shoulder

Chicken is leaner and easier to find, while pork shoulder is more affordable.

pork fat

🥗Healthier: olive oil

💰Cheaper: butter

Olive oil reduces saturated fat, while butter is often less expensive.

sour orange juice

🥗Healthier: lime juice

💰Cheaper: vinegar

Lime juice provides acidity with fewer calories, while vinegar is widely available.

Separate the skin from the meat of the pig carefully using a sharp knife, ensuring not to break the skin.

Make small holes along the edge of the skin with a thin knife for sewing later.

Refrigerate the skin and prepare the pork meat.

In a blender, add 2 stalks of chopped green onion, 1 white onion, 1 red onion, 20 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of black pepper, 1 tablespoon of paprika, 0.5 tablespoon of dried oregano, 1-2 tablespoons of salt, 1 cup of water, and 0.5 cup of Worcestershire sauce. Blend until well mixed.

Add 2-3 bay leaves to the pork meat and pour the marinade over it, mixing well to cover the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.

After marinating, place the meat in a large pot over high heat, cover, and let it cook in its own juices without adding water.

Once cooked, drain the meat and reserve the liquid for cooking the rice.

In a separate pot, add 2 kilograms 250 grams of washed rice and the reserved liquid. If the liquid is insufficient, add 1 more cup of water. Add a drizzle of achiote oil and mix well.

Add 150 grams of fresh peas to the rice, cover, and cook on low heat for 15 minutes until the rice is not fully cooked.

On a working surface, spread the skin out and layer the rice, followed by the pork meat, and then another layer of rice on top, ensuring the meat is well covered.

Fold the edges of the skin over the filling and sew it together using cooking thread through the holes made earlier.

Make small cuts on the skin to prevent it from bursting during cooking. Prepare a mixture of achiote oil, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and apply it to the skin.

Preheat the oven to 140 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 3.5 hours at 180 degrees Celsius.

After 3.5 hours, remove the foil and bake for an additional 1.5 hours at 200 degrees Celsius.

Once done, make a hole in the skin to access the rice and mix it with the pork meat using a spoon.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: