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Writer's pictureJose Ardito

Christmas dinner 3: Pork in pineapple sauce, rice with bacon & raisins and Russian salad with shrimp

The basis of the Christmas menu that we bring you today is very traditional, however the homemade pineapple sauce gives this dinner a total twist and turns it into something very special that your guests will not forget.



If you love to cook for Christmas but are bored of making the same recipes, I invite you to make this pineapple sauce and give your Christmas dinner a 360º turn.


This recipe is designed for 6 people, so if you want to make more or less, multiply or divide the amounts and everything will be fine.

Baked pork and home made pineapple sauce

Ingredients


1 whole pork shoulder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon mustard powder

2 pinches of salt

2 very ripe pineapples

1 onion

2 tablespoons brown sugar


Preparation


Start the day before by making a few cuts to the skin and fat of the pork and season it with plenty of salt on all sides and leave it in Dry Brine in your fridge.


Remove the pork from the fridge and spread the spice mixture starting on the meat side, then pat the pork skin dry and finish by smearing the spices on all sides. Now in a super hot pan over high heat, seal the pork piece first on the skin side and then on all sides. This step will help texture the meat and keep it juicy. It is time to put the pork in the oven preheated to 140ºC and we will leave it there until it reaches 68 to 73ºC which will give you a well done but super juicy pork.


For the sauce, start by peeling and chopping the pineapples and onion. In a hot skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of butter and fry the onion until crystallized, then add the pineapple, salt and pepper, cook for a couple of minutes and add the sugar and a little water. Let it boil for two minutes and then blend.


Strain the sauce and put it to reduce in a pot until you have achieved the desired texture, taste your sauce and correct the flavor by adding more sugar or salt. Take it off the heat and save it for serving time.


Rice with bacon and raisins

Ingredients


Cooked white rice with a little salt

5 strips of bacon (smoked is best)

Raisins to taste (I don't like them very much but the rest of the family love them)

1 handful of fresh parsley


Preparation


Chop the bacon very small and put it in a hot pan over medium heat to toast without adding oil or butter. When it's medium toasted add the raisins and sauté everything for a couple of minutes.


Then add your white rice little by little until you achieve the desired proportion of bacon, raisins and rice. Chop the parsley and mix it with the rice. Save it for plating time.


Russian salad with shrimp

Ingredients


3 potatoes cooked and peeled

2 small carrots, cooked and peeled

400gr of cooked and peeled shrimp

1/2 cup of arberjas or peas

mayonnaise to taste

a splash of heavy cream

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled


Preparation


Start by cutting the carrots and potatoes into small squares. If you are using frozen peas, place them in a microwave safe plate, add a little butter, cover with plastic wrap, microwave for 2 minutes and they will come out perfect.


If your shrimp are very large, cut them into two or three pieces so that each tablespoon has a piece of everything. Grate the eggs, add mayonnaise and a little cream. Salt and pepper and mix everything very well.


When the pork has reached the right temperature, remove it from the oven, let it rest for at least 20 minutes, and then slice it.


The only thing left to do is serve this spectacular dinner of rice with bacon and raisins, Russian salad with shrimp and our fabulous baked pork ... but don't forget to add the wonderful pineapple sauce, I assure you that everyone will want to repeat.


As we always say:


If your plate doesn't look like our picture, don't worry! We spent over 40 minutes trying to find the perfect angle for the photo.


If you don't have one of the ingredients on the list or don't like something, feel free to replace it.


This recipe is only a guide and you can adapt it to your tastes. So don't stop doing it, you will be surprised how delicious it is!


Remember: "Practice makes perfect"


You can see how we did it in this video and don't forget to subscribe to our Arditos Kitchen YouTube channel:




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