FIVE GOLD RINGS!

Ah, the gilded fifth day. It’s the day sung the loudest in the song because it’s the day pretty much every woman is waiting for. And who wouldn’t? We all love a little bling-bling right? Well, no. I’m sorry to say, ladies, but the fifth day has nothing to do with jewelry. If you haven’t guessed already, it has to do with a bird. Of course. Specifically, it means the Ring-necked Pheasant. (There’s the pheasant! I knew it’d come up sometime or another!) Wow. Seven birds in seven days. No wonder the meaning was changed. One can only eat so much fowl.

To represent the five golden rings, I’ve picked something that’s not a meat and is very popular, especially if you’re from Hawaii. Or, in case of today’s recipe, Brazil. There’s a restaurant here in town called Tucano’s. It’s one of my favorite places to eat. It’s a Brazilian place that serves not only my favorite Feijoada, but also a Brazilian BBQ of sorts called Churasco. It’s done on long sword-like spits over a wood burning pit. They have everything - pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin, sausage, chicken, vegetables and, of course, brown sugar glazed pineapple. I’m salivating as we speak. Every time I go there, I feel like I have to be carried out in a wheelchair.

You can do this out on the grill in the summer, if you like. For the sake of winter, I’m doing it in the oven. Unless you’re in Phoenix during those frosty 70° winters. Oh, and you definitely have to down it with some guarana!

Five Golden Rings

Pork Loin Brazilian Churasco with Roasted Squash, Red Peppers and Pineapple Rings

1 2-3 lbs pork loin roast
2 T salt
2 tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp pepper
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 T chili powder
Juice of 2 limes

2-3 zucchini
2 large red peppers
¼ C olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

1 large can pineapple slices
½ C pineapple juice from can
½ C brown sugar, packed
½ tsp ground allspice

6 pack or 2 liter bottle of guarana soda, chilled

Preheat oven to 325° F. Trim the fat off the roast. In a heavy skillet, render the fat. If there’s little or no fat, use olive oil. You should get at least a couple of tablespoons fat. Mix together the salt, granulated garlic and pepper and season the roast. Brown the roast in the hot grease on all sides until golden brown, about 3-5 minutes each side. Place on an oven broiler pan and place in the oven. In the same skillet, mix in the brown sugar , chili powder and lime juice and heat just until the brown sugar becomes liquid and starts to simmer. Pour over the roast in the oven, fat scraps and all, making sure you completely cover the roast. Cook for 1 - 1 ½ hours or until a meat thermometer reads 155°F.

While the roast is cooking, cut the ends off each zucchini, then cut them in half cross-wise. Cut each half in quarters, trimming off the seeds. Do the same with the red peppers. In a mixing bowl, toss the oil, salt and pepper together and mix in the squash and red peppers, coating well. In another mixing bowl, combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar and allspice. Carefully soak the pineapple rings in the mixture.

When the roast has 30 minutes left, add the vegetables on one side of the roast and the pineapple on the other. Cook until the roast is done. Let the roast rest for 10-15 minutes before carving.