3 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed
1 teaspoon dried papaya seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 medium onion, sliced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped

1 cup diced tomatoes and tomato juice
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Grind together the dried papaya seeds and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, then form a paste with the olive oil, allspice, garlic and salt. Rub the pork shoulder with this mixture and marinade overnight.
2. Heat bacon fat with onion in a large pot over medium heat. Continue to cook the onions until they reach a deep brown color, then add in the Scotch bonnet pepper.
3. Move onions and pepper to one side of the pot and add the pork shoulder. Brown on all sides, then add the tomatoes and bay leaf.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to keep a gentle simmer. Cook pork until tender, about an hour , then discard the bay leaf.
5. Remove the pork from the sauce and keep warm. Add the brown sugar to the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick.
6. Tear pork into small pieces and return to the sauce. Serve on top of cooked white rice or with pita bread.

Makes 6 servings

2 cups peas
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the bacon, frying until crisp.
2. Stir in the peas and coconut milk and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until peas are tender and the coconut milk has slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat, stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 servings

I've got pots and pans! I bought a set of 3 pots and a frying pan for thirty dollars. I'm still not sure I can stick the pan into the oven and the pots make weird noises when they heat up, but they're not cheap Teflon crap and they made it through one meal, so they'll do for now.

I can't remember the last time Shannon asked for seconds of a dish. Before I met her, she was dating this Indian guy whose mother cooked for them. He never really bothered to learn anything about the food his mother would make for him, and one of the dishes Shannon fell in love with and he said it was butter chicken. After many, many butter chicken experiments, we've learned that it was definitely not butter chicken that she loved; at least not in any way we've ever prepared or eaten it. This Jamaican Pulled Pork reminded her of the dish she loved, except she loved it even more. Not bad considering I just threw it together. We ate it with the leftover pita bread from the Syrian/Iraqi place last night and with rice cooked in chicken broth.

I made a pot of Cilantro Coconut Peas too. In contrast, Shannon hates peas and refused to try them. I liked them enough to eat them, but did not keep the leftovers. I love the creaminess of coconut milk and thought that the flavor was simple and pleasant, but the peas I bought were rather starchy instead of sweet. Perhaps a bit of sugar would've perked the dish up enough to warrant saving.