Bite into a Peruvian pork sandwich
With a landscape varying from coast to mountains and rainforests, Peru’s cultures, cuisines and ingredients differ greatly across the country. Unexpected and diverse, Peruvian food is underpinned by Incan origins, with strong use of corn, chillies and potatoes – 4000 varieties of which are grown in Peru. Over time, immigration to the country has seen traditional dishes enriched and adapted to fuse influences from Spanish, Chinese, African, French, Japanese and Italian cuisines to create modern Peruvian food. The newest addition to Phaidon’s national cuisine series, Peru: The Cookbook by Gastón Acurio showcases dishes such as ceviche, stuffed potatoes and this recipe for sánguche de lechón (pork sandwich) to create a definitive guide to Peruvian home cooking.
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ cup panca chilli paste
5 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
2½ teaspoons dried oregano
2½ teaspoons ground cumin
salt and pepper
1 x 2.5-kg boned pork leg (you can also use pork shoulder, rib, or loin)
1 cup white wine
8 French bread rolls or any crusty rolls
2 cups Creole sauce
METHOD
Put the oil in a bowl with the chilli paste, garlic, oregano and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and mix together well.
Wash and dry the pork leg thoroughly. Coat the leg with the chilli mixture and set aside to marinate for four hours.
Preheat the oven to 150°C.
Transfer the pork leg to a roasting pan. Pour over ½ cup water and cook in the preheated oven for one hour. Mix the white wine with 1 cup water, pour over the pork, and continue to cook for another hour until golden and cooked through.
Remove the pork from the oven and let cool.
Carve the meat into thick slices and set aside.
Slice the bread rolls lengthwise down the middle and fill with the pork slices and Creole sauce. Serve.
Recipe and images from Peru: The Cookbook by Gastón Acurio. Published by Phaidon Press.
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