Since he was a young high school student at Dalton, my son Rodrigo was given to entertaining–like me.  I was one of the few parents who would allow a group of his classmates, supervised by a teacher, to come and cook and have dinner at our apartment.  They had pasta parties and cookouts in our beautiful apartment decorated by Mary McFadden and Kohle Johannen that was featured in Architectural Digest.

As he  grew up, he continued to entertain and one day invited us for a roasted pig at his garden apartment in Williamsburg.  He enlisted the help of Top Chef Lianne Cho in getting a 60-pound pig tha he wanted  to cook in the new La Caja China
that he’d gotten through mail order from Miami. To this day, that is the  most gorgeous, perfectly cooked and delicious pig i ever ate and the caja china has become one of my favorite ways to cook whole lambs, goats, and even two huge butterflied turkeys.  After the event he gave it to me. he had ordered it to use it just that one time.  His mother’s son indeed!

It is perfect for summer entertaining. The secret is in the marinade.  It can be something as simple as lots of fresh herbs with garlic,  to adobos, recados or mojos,  see my article on sauces and adobos.  I will write more about thes in the near future.  In the meantime, order your caja china,