Cornmeal pancakes with spiced pork & avocado salsa
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- More effort
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 750g/1lb 10oz boned pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 7-8 large chunks
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2cm piece ginger, grated
- 1 tsp each cumin seeds and coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp wine or cider vinegar
- 200ml beer
- 1 tbsp light muscovado sugar
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 2 cloves
For the cornmeal pancakes
- 140g plain flour
- 75g fine or medium cornmeal
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
For the salsa
- 2 ripe avocados, diced
- 12 cherry tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 6 spring onions, sliced
- 1 red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 rounded tbsp chopped coriander
- juice of ½ lime
- lime wedges, soured cream and extra coriander to serve
Method
- STEP 1
Heat oven to 150C/130C fan/gas 2. Put the oil in a solid bottomed casserole dish over a medium-high heat and brown the pork in batches. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- STEP 2
Add the onions and cook gently until soft but not coloured, about 5 mins. Tip in the garlic and ginger and cook for 1 min more. Add the spices and oregano and cook for 30 secs more until aromatic.
- STEP 3
Pour in the vinegar, beer and sugar then bring to the boil and simmer for 1 min. Remove from the heat, tip into a blender and process until smooth. Pour the sauce back into the pan and add the browned pork, cinnamon and cloves, and season well. Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook on the middle shelf of the oven for about 2½-3 hrs until the meat is really tender and falls into shreds in the sauce.
- STEP 4
While the pork is cooking, prepare the pancakes. Tip the flour and cornmeal into a bowl with the baking powder and ½ tsp salt. Pour in the oil and 125-150ml of warm water and mix until the dough is firm, but not dry. Tip out on the work surface and knead for 1 min until smooth. Return the dough to the bowl, cover and leave to rest for 30 mins.
- STEP 5
Heat a frying pan over a medium heat. Divide the dough into 18 even-size pieces. Lightly flour the work surface and roll each one into a thin, neat disc roughly 12cm in diameter. Keep the remaining dough covered with cling film to stop it drying out.
- STEP 6
Cook the pancakes in the hot pan for about 30 secs until the underside is dry and just starting to brown in places. Flip the pancake over and cook the other side for about 30 secs. Remove from the pan and keep warm, wrapped in a clean cloth. Repeat with the remaining dough.
- STEP 7
Combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. Shred pork into sauce, then spoon onto each pancake and top with the avocado salsa and soured cream. Scatter with chopped coriander and squeeze over lime.
