Pork in Escabeche Sauce

Escabeche is a historic, vinegar-based sauce and preservation method originating from ancient Persia as sikbaj (vinegar stew). It was brought to Spain by the Moors in the 8th century, evolving into a marinade for fried fish and vegetables that spread throughout the Spanish and Portuguese empires, becoming a staple in Latin America and the Philippines. Recipes using escabeche first found their way into Spanish cookbooks in 1324. As you can see, it’s been around for a long, long time.

The United States celebrated Cinco de mayo a few days ago, but Larry and I have been celebrating all week. We love Mexican food, and all the Latin flavors in all their context, from all the Latin countries. One of the other “cinco de mayo” dishes we celebrated with was pork in escabeche sauce.

Pork in Escabeche Sauce

I marinated the pork in the escabeche for about 4 hours before roasting it in the oven. But you can grill it too. I cut my pork into pork chops rather than marinating the whole pork loin.

2 lbs pork, either chops or the whole loin

1 TBSP garlic

2 TBSP orange juice

2 TBSP white wine vinegar

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp of each allspice, cloves, cumin and coriander

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or ground chili or to taste

Mix everything together well and pour over the pork. Like I said, I marinated my pork for about 4 hours before roasting it.

Roast in in the oven at 450* F or 232*C for about 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 140* F or 60*C. Then check every few minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of about 155* or 68-69*C. Don’t over cook or it will come out tough and dry. Ours came out just perfect. It was so tender and juicy and full of flavor.

I served it over a bed of rice, with black beans, corn and Peruvian peppers. !Esta mui rico!

Have a great day and make everyday great. Live life to the fullest and enjoy each day. ‘Til next time.