When we lived in San Francisco, there was a restaurant in the Castro that served a firecracker pork fusilli. This is our attempt at recreating this dish. The pork has great flavor and works well with the spicy pesto and sour cream.
Firecracker Pork Fusilli
Servings: 8 – 12
Ingredients
- 4 lb Pork Tenderloin
- 4 clove Garlic
- 1 Green Onion
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 2 bunch Cilantro
- 3 tbsp Ginger fresh or frozen
- 2 c Pineapple Juice
- 1 c Soy Sauce
- 2 lb Fusilli
- Sour Cream
- 2-3 Habanero Peppers
- ¾ c Oil
Instructions
- Cut pork into 1 inch thick fillets and place in a large bowl or Ziploc bag.
- Add 1 clove garlic, onions, leaves from one bunch of cilantro, ginger, juice, and soy sauce to a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add the marinade to the pork. Cover/seal and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Remove the pork from the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking.
- Preheat oven to 200°.
- Remove the pork from the marinade. Set the marinade to the side.
- In a large dutch oven with a light coating of oil, sear the pork over a medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side. This will likely need to be done in batches a few at a time.
- Remove the dutch oven from the heat. Add all pork and the marinade. Make sure all pork is covered in the marinade and place the lid on the pot.
- Place in the oven and let braise for 2-3 hours.
- While the pork is cooking make the habanero pesto. Add leaves from one bunch of cilantro, 3 cloves of garlic, habaneros, and ½ cup of olive oil to a food processor and blend until smooth. If too thick add additional olive oil until desired consistency (should be slightly thick).
- When pork has finished cooking, remove from oven and let cool for about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pork from the liquid. Shred with a fork or break apart with tongs and set aside.
- Bring the liquid to a boil on the stove, uncovered, and cook until reduced by about ½.
- Cook pasta while liquid is boiling down.
- Once the liquid is cooked down, turn off the heat and reincorporate the pork.
- Assemble the dish by adding pasta, then pork mixture, a dollop of sour cream, and a bit of the habanero pesto.
Notes
- This makes a large batch, we go through it fast, feel free to cut it in half.
- Letting the pork marinate overnight is key to get the full flavor.
- The pesto will be spicy, the sour cream helps cut some of the spice, however, feel free to add more or less habanero based on how much spice you want.