Spicy Asian Fried Pork w/ Vegetables and Rice

I don't normally try Eastern dishes outside of work, there are my weak point. Yet on this day I had a craving for some of those tiny little pieces of corn (how to they get so tiny), water chestnuts, and spicy pork. So I ran up to the nearest grocers and picked up a few things.I didn't feel up to cutting a bunch of veggies and using only half of them, plus it would have cost three times more, so I just picked up a pack of pre-cut onions, red peppers, broccoli, and snap peas. It was called an Asian medley or something. 

I chose some boneless rib cutlets, marinated them in some chili garlic sauce (found on the Asian food isle of you local supermarket) after giving them a nice rub down with some Perfect Pinch, Savory All-Purpose seasoning. A little white wine, and Louisiana hot-sauce just because! And let that sit while I prepped the veggies.



I stir fried the vegetables with the remainder of Chili Garlic sauce, salt and pepper. I also put on my rice around this time. Adding nothing but salt, pepper and plenty of butter. That's the southern boy in me!

I cooked the meat in a separate pan at the same time. Making sure to toss it periodically so it didn't burn on one side.To know when their done just remove the fattest piece and slice it open. If it's white and not pink then it's done and if the biggest one is done then their all done. Providing that your pan heats up evenly! Which it should unless you're using an old gas burner that hasn't been properly cleaned in a while.

 

This is kind of a sloppy presentation but you get the idea. Mix your veggies and meat and dump it on top of the rice. Then mix it all together with your fork (or chop sticks) and chow down!

Pineapple, Rum, Stuff Pork and Shrimp Jamborie!

I'm not sure what I want to call this dish. I'm thinking Shrimp and White Meat in honor of Tim & Eric. Perhaps I'll call it Pineapple & Rum Stuffed Pork Sirloin with Sauteed Shrimp in a  light Garlic Butter Sauce! Too descriptive? I'll think of something! Step One; I marinate the shrimp and pork along with the pineapple in some cheap rum my girlfriend brought with us to see that cheesy Topher Grace flick Take Me home tonight! I drank most of it but what little I had left over went into making this! I added some Louisiana hot sauce, minced garlic, white wine vinegar (although I would have used Apple Cider if I had any), a pinch of salt and a dash of pepper (exact measurements depend on your hand size).

$4.99 was too much for this Rum

As the meat marinates I focus on a few other things, like the laundry, smoking a bowl, and oh yeah, my side dish. Now I know it seems like I include potatoes on a lot of dishes (and I do), but this time it's because I bought too much. I got a 5 pound bag when I meant to get a three pound bag. I didn't want to do mashed potatoes again, or a baked potato, so I pealed and cubed the taters and julienne some onions and baby carrots and set the to boil. You could if you like substitute the onions and carrots with celery and red peppers. My grandmother used to make hers that way. I then enjoyed a cheap rum and vanilla Coke, which was quite good.

While the potatoes did they're thing, I carefully stuffed the pork with some Peppadew Goat Cheese. Which is Goat Cheese with roasted red peppers mixed in it. I used my titanium pairing knife that I love soooo much!  cut a slit deep into the pork and inserted the delicious, delicious cheese, yum! You don't want to over stuff, but remember that the cheese will melt and become a lot smaller than it looks when you stuff it. so you want to have a good amount but be sure you can close it after wards.

 

I placed the pork in a pan and then poured the Marinade it had been soaking in all over it with a little more rum and vinegar. I also rubbed the meat with a mixture of salt, Cayenne, black pepper, and cumin. Now at this point the oven had been preheating for close to an hour at 400 so I drop it down to 350 and pop in my pork sirloin. Feel free to take this time to smoke another bowl, watch wrestling and put the clothes in the dryer. Also feel free to julienne some more carrots and some cucumbers, and onions. I made a dressing to from some honey mustard, salt, black pepper, vinegar, and olive oil. When it gets about half an hour in check the pork and if need be add more rum and pineapple juice. You should by now have checked your potatoes as well and if they're done to  your liking take them off the stove pour them into a strainer and remove all water. I added a small amount of blue cheese dressing and tossed the potatoes. Now at the 1 hour mark you want to take a lump of butter in a sauce/frying pan and once it melts pour the shrimp and the rest of your marinade in add a little more minced garlic and let simmer. Place a lid on it to speed up the process. I also cut a little extra onions to toss in the mix too. Turn the oven down to warm and wait ten minutes, then plate and serve. You can go over or under with the shrimp it depends on your taste. I chose over for mine. Now my girlfriend doesn't care for shrimp (she's not allergic, just doesn't like it), so her plate was made available san's shrimp meaning I got a little more than I would serve for one person. Well wah-la, The Pineapple-Pork Express! Huh? No, well I'll keep working on the name!

 

Stuffed Pork with Cheesy Heart-Attack Sauce and Baked Potato

This is a simple dish that looks great  and taste even better. I created it when I worked at the Del Mar Lounge in St. Louis. It's a simple pork loin cut open and stuffed with a mixture of Goat Cheese, Smoked Gouda, and fresh bacon bits. Then baked till a nice medium well and topped with melted blend of the above mentioned cheeses along with some butter and a little bit of cream. Served here with a baked potato equally drowning in cheese and sour cream. It's the stuffing that get's you! When you bite into the pork it explodes with cheesy heart-attack inducing goodness that will have your doctor shaking his head. I also season the pork with A Cayenne/Cumin, Salt/Pepper mixture that adds an extra bite to the whole shebang!

Pork-Chops w/ Baked Potato, French -Cut Green Beans, and Honey-Glazed Carrots

We'll I guess I will start with last night's feast, then work backwards for a week until I cook something new(usually on Sundays).

Last nights dish was Porkchops, baked potato's, and French-cut green-beans with honey-glazed carrots. I started with the meat, which was a Pork Loin Blade Chop. A considerably larger cut than your mom used to fry up, but more on line with restaurant size pieces. After pre-heating your oven at 350  degrees, the first task is getting out your spices.  For this I used Cayenne ( you'll find this is a favorite of mine), Ground Cumin, Garlic Salt, Basil, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt. I know it seems redundant to use garlic salt and seas salt, but I can't stress the importance of properly salting pork enough. Use each seasoning conservatively and them use your hands to rub them into the meat. Go lighter on the Basil than the others it's for accent only you don't want it coming through as strong. 

Next you open a can of pre-cut carrots, or you can cut your own, it doesn't matter. I prefer to use the canned carrots for this because I had too many cans in the cupboard and I wanted to get rid of one. Take only about 1/4 of the can and pour it on the Pork use all of the juice/water that is in the can though, you won't be needing it later. Add a few thick slices of onion. It doesn't matter if it's  red or yellow onion. You could conceivable use a white onion, but I don't know why you would. Then pour generously some cheap white wine. No need to break out the good stuff. I used this $12 bottle of 2009 12 Apostles from Austraila.  I don't drink wine because I'm not a wino, but I do cook with it! I drink cheap whiskey like a real man! You can if you are so inclined splash a little Louisiana hot sauce on them puppies as well!

After you've done all that cover your pan with tin foil to seal in the goodness and steam from the alcohol as it evaporates. Place it in the old oven and crank it up to 400. Then get your taters which you should have wrapped in tinfoil as well, so as not to burn the skin. Stab it full of holes on every side. Just pretend it's a hooker in Grand Theft Auto and go to town. This will help cook the potato's quicker and more thoroughly. These puppies are the least of your worries they are simple and need no basic care to prepare.

Once you got that going on go smoke a bowl or watch the Simpsons, or both. After about 40 minutes of chillin' come back over and begin work on the  beans. Get some Honey, Apple Cider Vinager, and slithered almond (or just cut almonds, which ever you prefer). Get your frying pan out because this magic trick can't be preformed in a pot. 

After You've sufficiently greased the pan with butter (not oil), then add your can of green beans. Be sure to empty out half the water before, you don't want this too watery. Then add your carrots, and almonds. Hit it with some salt and pepper to you liking. and then squeeze on the honey generously and add about two teaspoons of vinegar. Mix it all up, drop the oven down to 250, and go sit down for about ten to fifteen minutes.

After all that hard work pull it out arrange it on the plate to be ascetically pleasing to the eye and dig in.