On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:52:19 -0700, Julian Vrieslander
> wrote:

>Cindy and I did another tag-team dinner project tonight. While she
>grilled a couple of pork tenderloins on the Weber, I concocted a sauce.
>
>This was our most recent attempt to duplicate a favorite dish from one
>of our favorite restaurants. Little Havana, on Biscayne Blvd. in North
>Miami, is one of many excellent Cuban restaurants in South Florida. I
>always get the same stuff when I go the roast port in tamarind sauce,
>with plantains, black beans and rice, flan and cafe con leche for
>dessert.
>
>Rough recollection of last night's efforts (no measurements - this was
>all grab-and-fling cooking):
>
>Under ideal circumstances we would roast the pork and start the sauce
>with deglazed pan drippings. But we were short of time. Cindy put some
>tamarind pulp in hot water to soften. I cooked some minced garlic and
>sliced scallions in olive oil. When they were soft, we moved them to a
>bowl. Into the same pan went the strained tamarind juice, beef broth,
>soy sauce, dark brown sugar, oregano and thyme. High heat for several
>minutes to reduce. Heat was then lowered to medium. Cindy rubbed a
>small lump of butter into an equal amount of white flour, and that went
>into the sauce for thickening. The onions and garlic were returned to
>the pan and the sauce was stirred until it had the correct consistency.
>It was a bit too thick, so we added some water.
>
>The sliced pork and sauce was served with grilled plantains, black beans
>(from a can, but not too bad), and Cindy's cucumber salad. The sauce
>came out fairly close to the version at Little Havana: a nice blend of
>fruity, tangy, herbal, and savory.

This sounds great. I have some tamarind paste, and this has inspried
me to get busy and make a sauce myself.

Thanks for posting this.

koko
--
There is no love more sincere than the love of food.
George Bernard Shaw
www.kokoscorner.typepad.com
updated 7/06