Food, Family and Music: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month 2022

Big Apple Punch

Ingredients

8 cups Fresh Apple Cider
4 cups Dry Hard Cider
4 cups Ginger Beer
¼ cup Lemon Juice
3 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 Lemon (sliced into rounds)
1 Apple (cored and sliced into rounds)

Directions

1. Combine fresh cider, hard cider, ginger beer, apple brandy, lemon juice, and Angostura bitters in large pitcher.
2. Stir in lemon and apple slices.
3. Serve over ice.

Pernil Recipe

Ingredients

1 (7-pound) bone in or boneless pork shoulder
¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
12 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons Adobo seasoning
2 packs of Saźon seasoning
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for seasoning at the end
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more for seasoning at the end

Directions

• Score the fat on the pork shoulder in a criss-cross hatch fashion. Then, cut deeply once in each direction across the pork, like you are going to cut it into four quarters, but then leave them attached at the bottom. Use a sharp knife to make about 20 slits, about 1 inch deep, all over the meat. Place the meat in a 13 x 9 baking pan, or another shallow baking pan large enough to comfortably hold the meat with some space around it.
• Combine the oil, garlic, fresh and dried oregano, Adobo, saźon, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the meat, working it all over the surface and into the slits. Cover the pork with foil and refrigerate overnight.
• Bring the pork to room temperature, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300F°. Bake the pork, covered for 3 hours, then remove the foil and bake for another 3 to 4 hours at the same temperature, until the pork is fall-apart tender. The internal temperature should be at least 165°, but it may be higher, which is fine – it’s most important that the meat is super tender. If you would like a crustier exterior, turn the heat to 375°F and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the outside of the pork has a nice browned crust.
• Let the pernil sit for at least 20 minutes, then use your fingers (if it’s not too hot; some people like to wear kitchen gloves to protect their fingers from the heat), or two forks to pull the meat into chunks and serve.