Moorish Pork Skewers
This recipe makes for an excellent tapas, an appetizer or happy hour snack. These tapas reflect the historical culinary influence of the Moors in Spain; for 800 years, Spain was under Moorish rule, and many Arabic spices and seasonings were adopted into Spanish cuisine and are still in use today.
When cooking with wooden skewers, remember to soak them overnight to prevent them from lighting on fire while the food cooks. We also threaded the meat on two parallel skewers instead of one, to hold the meat in place and prevent it from rolling when you flip it.
We served these kebabs with mojo picon, a spicy, garlic-and-chile sauce thickened with fried bread. It's also terrific on vegetables, fish, and beautifully salted, roasted potatoes.
- 1-1/2 pounds pork loin
- 2 teaspoons Sweet Smoked Paprika, divided
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper Medium Grind
- 1 teaspoon Greek Oregano
- 1 Tablespoon Mediterranean Thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon California Roasted Granulated Garlic
- 1 slice bread
- 4-5 Tbsp olive oil plus a drizzle, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Cumin Seed
- 5 dried De Arbol Chiles
- Kosher Salt to taste
- Trim pork of any excess fat and cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Place meat into a bowl and add the 1 teaspoon Sweet Smoked Paprika, Ground Cumin, Black Pepper Medium Grind, Greek Oregano, Mediterranean Thyme, and California Roasted Granulated Garlic. Mix well with a drizzle of olive oil. Marinate for at least an hour, or overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, heat your grill to medium-high heat. Prepare the rest of the dish as the grill heats.
- Make the mojo picon. Fry the bread in a little olive oil, drain on paper, and tear into pieces.
- In a food processor, pulse the garlic cloves, Cumin Seed, De Arbol Chiles, sherry vinegar, fried bread, and remaining teaspoon Sweet Smoked Paprika until a paste forms. Drizzle remaining olive oil into sauce tablespoon by tablespoon while mixing, until it reaches the desired consistency. Taste, and season with Kosher Salt to taste.
- Thread marinated pork onto metal or soaked wooden skewers.
- Place skewers on grill and cook each side for 2-3 minutes. Serve with mojo picon and rice, potatoes, or over a simple salad of lettuce and onions.
