Eat This Now      11/21/2008  

No Kidding: Cabrito’s New Dishes Are Decidedly Porky

Now that winter has the city in its icy grip Cabrito has added some hearty items to its roster of upscale takes on rootsy Mexican fare. The name of the West Village spot references its signature slow-cooked goat, but all of the new dishes feature pork in one form or another. That’s not surprising considering that chef Dave Schuttenberg worked with Zak “Porkaccio” at Fatty Crab.

First up was a pair of pork belly tacos slicked with a tamarind and chili de arbol glaze and showered with thin slices of jalapeno, cilantro and a bracing green apple and jicama slaw. Resist the temptation to use a knife and fork to eat these tacos. If you don’t, you’ll miss the chance to combine decadent braised Berkshire belly with that bright slaw in one bite. Does Schuttenberg care that belly may have jumped the shark? Not really.

“I was a little hesitant at first because pork belly is so prevalent in the mass culture, but we tried it and it was rich, porky and unctuous. If it wasn’t delicious, I wouldn’t use it.” The secret behind the sumptuous planks of pork in the tacos? An overnight soak in a south of the border brine that includes chili de arbol, chipotles and Mexican cinnamon. Then the belly gets braised in chicken stock for about six hours. Just before serving it gets a quick sear.

Cabrito’s pozole makes the stuff I get in the down and dirty taquerias of Jackson Heights look positively anemic. The bowl can barely contain the two massive Berkshire pork spare ribs. Schuttenberg told me how to eat his Flintstonian take on the well-known Mexican hangover cure. Squeeze in some lime, toss in the cilantro and chopped onion, and finally crumble the fried tortillas on top. I stripped the meat off the bones with a spoon and dug in to the fiery red broth. About halfway through I was starting to feel like I had hot flashes, but in a good way. “I get the chilis from New Mexico. I’ve never had better,” Schuttenberg said. No doubt the masses will agree as they mop the sweat from their brows. He adapted the recipe from his mother-in-law, Cecilia, who uses Mexican oregano in her pozole. “It’s mind-blowingly fragrant. For a five-gallon batch I use half a cup.”

In a desperate attempt to eat something marginally healthful, I also tried the collard greens with chicharrones. After all there’s nothing wrong with a little pork crackling and how unhealthy can a nice serving of braised greens be? The collards had a smoky chipotle pepper kick and the pork cracklings did a fine job of standing in for fatback. It turns out that my attempt at virtuousness was misguided. Schuttenberg starts by sweating onion, garlic and chipotles in that mother of all Mexican cooking mediums, lard. Then he adds the pork shoulder bones from his carnitas along with apple cider and the greens. The chicharrones owe their superb crunch to the fact that they’re fried twice. Schuttenberg seemed amused by my last-ditch attempt at virtuous eating. “To me collard greens aren’t health food, they’re soul food. I’d hate to be known for Mexican health food. That would be sacrilege.”

–Joe DiStefano

Comments

One Response to “No Kidding: Cabrito’s New Dishes Are Decidedly Porky”

  1. DocChuck on December 17th, 2008 1:47 pm

    Our neighbors here at our retirement village love baby-back ribs. They make decent ribs, although maybe not as good as those we produce in Arkansas where we have much better equipment.

    When I ask what we could bring they always INSIST upon my Southern-fried corn. So, when I have enough nods of approval, I am ready to share the recipe/method with my readers:

    Ingredients (for 2-4 servings):

    3 large ears fresh sweet corn

    5 strips hickory-smoked bacon, regular slice, (Petit Jean brand preferred)

    1 cup coarse-chopped yellow onion

    ½ cup medium-chopped fresh red bell pepper (green okay, but not as pretty)

    1 tablespoon finely-chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (or less for the weak-hearted)

    1 medium clove fresh garlic, minced

    Pinch, each, Diamond Crystal Coarse Kosher Salt, freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

    Special equipment needed:

    12-inch seasoned cast-iron skillet (Lodge brand recommended)

    Spatter screen (use when frying bacon)

    Sturdy slotted spatula

    With a sharp German knife (only German cutlery can be used), cut the kernels from the corn into a bowl. Be sure to get ALL the corn and milk . . . get REALLY close to the cob! Set aside.

    Heat the cast-iron skillet on medium setting until hot.

    Fry the bacon until crisp, really crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spatula (draining fat back into the skillet) and set aside to cool and crisp.

    Reserve the bacon fat in the skillet.

    Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and jalapeno pepper to the fat and sauté until soft (onion is translucent). While the veggies are cooking, crumble the crisped bacon (by hand).

    Add the corn to the skillet, adjust heat to a bit higher level and fry, stirring frequently . . . the corn will burn if you do not STIR AND TURN the mixture until it begins to caramelize.

    Add the crumbled bacon bits and a pinch, each, of kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

    Continue to fry (constantly stirring and turning) until the corn is browned (caramelized).

    Serve immediately (best served from the skillet) onto heated plates with accompanying entrée and side dish. Eat with your fingers, not a knife and fork.

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