It was an early start today, which afforded me a quiet visit to the market. I made sauce and meatballs for tomorrow night's dinner and a rice/pork "something" (I can only imagine the cheerful nature of its recipient dutifully trying and smiling and swallowing after many, many prolonged chews...it could be a Panda Express night after all). The kitchen looked like an explosion, but it's all tidy now. If anything, this day is almost like Summer and deserves a nice, long walk to the library. If ever there was a punishment to me, it would be to take away my library card. Kitchen Confidential did not work out. Not being a great compartmentalizer, I could not separate myself from the thought of Anthony Bourdain killing himself. I am onto Armistead's next book Sure of You. The last one, Significant Others chronicled the impact of HIV/AIDS. The 60's and 70's were sexual times; it was considered free; no such thing as free lunch, that's for sure.
Ok, here we go.
Ok, here we go.
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Or knead it until it starts to look like a giant brain. Then you're done. Now, back to the sauce; it should be bubbling on low at this point. Make sure to use a spatula to scrape the bottom. It should not be crusty. If it is, toss it out and start again, it will taste burned - you cannot rid the sauce of the taste once it's there. My grandmother would not agree with adding parmesan but it's delicious, so add some, to your own liking.
Now, we make the meatballs. Set the sauce on low on the back burner and forget about it for a while. Turn the big brain into mini-brains, and add to a skillet. Don't overcrowd it, you have to flip these things around until they're brown on all sides.
The object is not to cook them in the skillet, only brown them. As they finish browning, pop them into the sauce. When they're all done, cover with the lid slightly off, and simmer on low. Occasionally, remove the lid and skim off the fat into a bowl and discard - your arteries will thank you later. After the pot has been on the stove for 4 hours, take it off, let it cool on the counter and then refrigerate over night, if possible. It will taste much better the next day.
Pork Rice Something
Pork rice something arose from watching street food videos for an hour this morning in bed drinking coffee before I spilled it on myself and was forced to not only get up, but wash the sheets. It should be dinner tonight, and it's cooling itself off in the fridge, but I don't know what to make of it. I think it started to get out of hand when I was doing a time lapse video using one hand while cooking the pork and enacting a chef-move for which I am unqualified with the other hand, tossing the veggies like a short-order cook. I think I have located all of the corn, but it was evasive. The avocados were not great, but it's almost November. I cut out all the brown parts. I know, it won't kill me, but the brown parts remind me of mold, and we have already uncovered my inability to place my feelings into little boxes to rest upon high shelves. Into the trash they went.
Lastly, there's something to be said for trying your best at doing new things. Even if you suck.
You will need the following for this recipe:
1 good sized orange
1 lime
1 each of yellow, red and orange peppers
Onions if you like (I do not like)
1 jalapeño
1 tomato
1 can of corn
1 pack of thinly sliced pork cutlets - or slice your own from a bigger piece
2 avocados
Spicy brown mustard
Pepper
Sea salt (because it is trendy, or just salt-salt)
Literally every bowl, knife and piece of kitchen-ware you have
Cut up orange, yellow and red peppers - make tiny strips. Cut up and dice one jalapeño. Slice up half of a tomato. Open a can of corn. Add all of that to a skillet with a little oil. Do the same with some onion if you want. Add some pepper. Flip it with your dominant arm and then spend some time on the floor hunting down the corn. You'll get the hang of it eventually.
Cut up 5 thin pork cutlets. In a separate skillet with some oil, cook them until done.
While the veggies continue to cook, turn to the avocados. Remove 2 decently sized avocados from their little shells, dice them in a bowl, add some spicy brown mustard, sea salt, a touch of onion powder, and pepper. Cut a fresh lime and squeeze overhead. Mix it together.
Take 1 orange, cut it in half and take it with you back to the veggies along with the avocado mixture.
Combine the pork with the veggies, turn the heat up and add the orange juice - get it bubbling good.
Slow down the fire, add the avocado mixture, flip everything again like a short-order cook and pour over some Thai rice. Eat it or save it to ambush your family later.
Lastly, there's something to be said for trying your best at doing new things. Even if you suck.
You will need the following for this recipe:
1 good sized orange
1 lime
1 each of yellow, red and orange peppers
Onions if you like (I do not like)
1 jalapeño
1 tomato
1 can of corn
1 pack of thinly sliced pork cutlets - or slice your own from a bigger piece
2 avocados
Spicy brown mustard
Pepper
Sea salt (because it is trendy, or just salt-salt)
Literally every bowl, knife and piece of kitchen-ware you have
Cut up orange, yellow and red peppers - make tiny strips. Cut up and dice one jalapeño. Slice up half of a tomato. Open a can of corn. Add all of that to a skillet with a little oil. Do the same with some onion if you want. Add some pepper. Flip it with your dominant arm and then spend some time on the floor hunting down the corn. You'll get the hang of it eventually.
Cut up 5 thin pork cutlets. In a separate skillet with some oil, cook them until done.
While the veggies continue to cook, turn to the avocados. Remove 2 decently sized avocados from their little shells, dice them in a bowl, add some spicy brown mustard, sea salt, a touch of onion powder, and pepper. Cut a fresh lime and squeeze overhead. Mix it together.
Take 1 orange, cut it in half and take it with you back to the veggies along with the avocado mixture.
Combine the pork with the veggies, turn the heat up and add the orange juice - get it bubbling good.
Slow down the fire, add the avocado mixture, flip everything again like a short-order cook and pour over some Thai rice. Eat it or save it to ambush your family later.