In a day when all kinds of gourmet cookware is within arm’s reach, it is hard to beat grandma’s antique cast iron skillet to do the major lifting.

If you are looking for a quick veggie to accompany your favorite mojo pork recipe, this is a good one.  It is my own creation for fixing a dynamite asparagus side dish.  It will go with most anything and visually knocks it out of the park.  We usually steam our asparagus in an asparagus steamer.  But this is a great change of pace.   I heat a cast iron skillet in the oven while I clean and cut off the tough ends of the asparagus.  I chop up a little red bell pepper and a few mushrooms to add to the mix.  Put the asparagus mix in a large ziplock bag.  Throw in a pinch of oregano and some red pepper flakes if you like a kick. We do. Add pressed garlic, olive oil, and the juice of a freshly squeezed lime.  Juice an orange and throw the liquid into the bag.  I also mix some soy  into this marinade.  I like using soy in moderation for flavor.   Last, but never least, I add a spoonful of brown sugar.  The slight hint of sugar with the tartness and acidity of the lime is the secret to a good marinade.   All of this is my own twist on Cuba’s national marinade,  or mojo.  In Cuba, mojo is generally made from soured orange juice.  Adding lime gives the same flavor.   You will find that there are many personalized secret mojo additives much the same as the variations found in American barbeque.  The basis for a good mojo is orange, lime and oil.  Like most of my cooking I use a pinch of this and a pound of that.  Don’t be afraid to experiment.  Just don’t overdo it.  Exact measuring spoons are for wimps.  Do you think for one minute that I get an eyedropper out to measure my paints, as I mix them on my palette?  I cook the same way that I paint, much as a musician might choose to play music by ear.   It just happens.

A quick side note. I used the same mojo marinade to flavor the pork tenderloin that we cooked to accompany the asparagus.  This is great on the grill.  Last night there was eight inches of snow on the ground, so I cooked the roast inside in the oven.  If you marinade a pork roast, start the night before.  A pork shoulder is a good choice, or use a pork tenderloin.  You can marinade a pork roast overnight in mojo juice and it is “to die for” when you cook it the next day.  Just be careful not to overcook the pork.  Pork can get real dry in a hurry.  Use an internal  meat thermometer if you like.  I have a good one that plugs into the meat and has an extension that sits outside the oven on top of the stove.  Everything is personal opinion but I like my pork medium or slightly less than medium,  150 degrees will get ‘r done.   Cooking a pork roast wrapped in a banana leaf can help keep things moist if you cook it in the oven.  You can find banana leaves in the frozen section of most asian grocery stores, but the banana leaf is not absolutely necessary.  Banana leaves are commonly used in the tropics and in the Caribbean for slow cooking meat.

The vegetables need not sit very long in the marinade mix.  The secret to cooking vegetables is in preparation.  Have them all cut to size and ready to dump into the hot skillet.  The idea is to cook them quickly.  Drain off most of the marinade and add them to the pan.  Use a spatula to turn and stir fry the mixture.  I have found that  a preheated cast iron skillet gives a much more even heat than my larger wok,  while using it on our electric stove.  That is why professional cooks prefer gas to electric.  But the cast iron skillet solves that problem for me.  With practice you can learn to heat the skillet to your desired temperature ahead of time.  Like everything else, practice is key.  A really hot skillet will blacken the Asparagus.  I like that as a variation.  Blackened can be good once you master it.  If you wish stir fried Asian texture, don’t over heat the skillet.  Just get it good and hot, but not smoke’n white hot.  Which ever way you cook this recipe, it won’t take long.   The idea is to have crisp flavorful asparagus.  Don’t overcook the veggies until they go limp.

I use red bell peppers for color.  Did you know that red is directly opposite green on a color wheel? In artist terminology they are called complimentary colors.   Same is true for such mixtures as yellow squash and purple eggplants when looking for bright colorful combinations.  Artists understand and work with color everyday.  Chefs are no different.  A meal should be as pleasing to the eye as it is to the palate.

For the record, I make no claims at being a professional cook.  ( we do have a son, Bo, in culinary school)   If there are any holes in this recipe, it is totally on me.  I will tell you that I am a working artist who uses cooking for relaxation and a cheap form of therapy.   When you have one hell of a tough day, take it out in the kitchen.  It works for me.  Should you have a great recipe to share, pass it along.  It won’t go unnoticed.

Bon Appetit!