Holiday Recipes From DIG Chefs

We asked two of our chefs for their best holiday recipe - read below to make Chef Margarita’s Pernil and Chef Amaris’s Creole Shrimp & Grits.

Chef Margarita’s Pernil

Ingredients

1 bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder

10 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of olive oil

3 tbsp sofrito, preferably homemade

2 tbsp dried oregano

2 tbsp Sazon

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup butter

1 can of beer

Chef Amaris’s creole shrimp and grits

Ingredients

1 medium diced onion

2 celery stalks, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp creole seasoning, divided

1/2 cup white wine

28oz can of diced tomatoes

1 bay leaf

6 cups of fish stock

1.5 lbs shrimp, peeled and deveined (26/30)

1/2 cups chopped parsley

1 1/2 cups quick grits

1 cup sharp cheddar

Preparation

1. Prep the pork: Score the skin crosswise and place in a roasting pan skin-side up.

2. Make the mojo: mince 5 cloves of garlic and mix with the citrus juices, olive oil, and 2 tsp of oregano. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Melt the butter in the microwave. While it melts, mince remaining cloves of garlic. Mix together.

4. Rub the garlic and butter mixture on top of the skin, making sure to stuff within the slits we made earlier. Then, add the marinade on top of the pork and let sit in the fridge overnight.

5. Cook the pork: the next day, set your oven to 300 degrees. Cover the pernil in foil and roast for 3 hours.

6. After three hours, up the temperature to 400 degrees and remove the foil. Roast for another 1-2 hours or until the internal temp reaches 210 degrees. Let cool 20 minutes before serving.

Preparation

1. Make the shrimp: Heat a skillet over medium heat & add oil. Oil is hot when it begins to thin and spread easily around skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic, green pepper, and sauté until translucent. Stir in 1 tablespoon of creole seasoning and toast allowing spices to bloom.

2. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits at the bottom. Then, turn heat to medium high and let the liquid reduce by half. Add in tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add in the bay leaf, and if necessary, add more seasoning to taste. Simmer for 15 minutes.

3. Season shrimp with remaining tablespoon of creole seasoning add to pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until pink and tails curl.

4. Make the grits: bring fish stock to a boil. Once bubbly, whisk the grits in slowly. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often for 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove from heat, and stir in cheese and butter. ​

5. To serve, spoon the cheesy grits into a shallow bowl. Stir chopped parsley into the shrimp and serve on top of the grits.

6. Garnish with more parsley and serve immediately.

Visit Chef Margarita at DIG on Bleecker and Chef Amaris at DIG SoHo through the link below.