This tender and tangy pork specialty, flavored with sour orange juice, achiote, and onions, is one of our favorite Yucatecan food recipes. Before refrigeration, pork was salted for preservation and acids like orange juice were added to dishes to combat the saltiness. We have been told that this particular recipe originated in the historic town Mani, just about an hour away from Hacienda Petac. We slow cook it over a charcoal fire rather than a pan on the stove, and serve it rolled into corn tortillas. It is perfect following sopa de tortilla and with a cold beer!
Ingredients: (for four)
5 or 6 tender filets of milanesa of pork – try to choose ones without sinew
Juice of 2 sour oranges
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper
4 halves of sour orange
Preparation:
Marinade the pork filets in the orange juice, minced garlic, and a dash of black pepper and salt for half an hour.
Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal fire. When the fire is ready, cook the pork filets. Be careful not to overcook them. Since they are thin, they will only need to cook a few minutes on each side.
To serve, put a filet and a half on each plate along with the juice of half a sour orange, roasted tomato chiltomate sauce, and roasted red onion salsa.
