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!

Old-School Spaghetti!

Speaking of simple yet, delicious here's an old favorite in any household; Spaghetti! Good old-fashion and easy to spice up with a few tweaks. Now when I was a kid my mother would throw this together with some ground beef and sauce out of the jar and we would love it. But as I got older I started to experiment with adding my own little flourishes. Nothing too outrageous, but I can say that I have a fabulous recipe for my own sauce that takes about ten hours to prepare. This is not it. I had received a few extra cans of peeled tomatoes by accident when I ordered groceries from Safeway, so I had to put them to good use. They will undoubtedly turn up in some future dishes if you monitor this blog. I added them here to about half a jar of Barilla Spicy Marinara, apple cider vinegar, a dash of cayenne, and of course salt and pepper. I mashed up the toms after letting them heat up for a bit, then placed the lid on the let her simmer, while my angel hair pasta boiled.

For the meat, I started off by sauteing a red onion, normally I'd throw in a green pepper, but I didn't have one so I just added in the meat and seasoned it with some basil and oregano for that authentic Italian flavor. A little minced garlic too (I almost forgot). As an added measure I poured a few shots of whiskey on, because I believe in cooking with booze. I've probably mentioned this before but I come from the Justin Wilson school of cooking ("A little wine for the turkey-a little for me! I guarantee!). Once the meat is thoroughly cooked I layer each component and serve. To keep with the traditional, old-school vibe, I made some red Kool-Aide much the way my grandma used to make; thick as syrup so thick it stains the glass.

I gotta get my camera fixed~!

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!