Roast Pork with Garlic and Rosemary p. 754

Final meal of the planned week of meals saga. Closely tied with the ketchup stir fry for best meal of the week.

This meal was relatively easy, but it takes time. Every 15 minutes for over an hour I basted and added more stock to the pan and the pork.



We ended up with a beautiful and delicious pork roast. I had never cooked a boneless pork roast before and it was not my favorite cut of meat. Too fatty for me. Maybe next time I'll try the pork loin roast.

Braised Pork with Spicy Soy Sauce p. 758

Oh my, just thinking about this dish makes my mouth water. Being a bit behind in my posts, it has been well over a week since I made this delicious pork entree.

Ingredients: pork shoulder, soy sauce, sugar, stock, garlic, ginger, onion, lime juice, pepper.

I left out chiles, onions, and lime juice, simply because we either didn't have it or didn't like it.

Start off by combining almost everything (except lime and salt and pepper, if using). I just noticed that Mark Bittman notes that you can prepare this mixture up to a day in advance and let it marinade together for up to a day... That wouldn't be a bad idea, but not totally necessary.

Bring it to a boil then turn the heat down. Let it cook for a little while (I let mine cook about 30-45 minutes.) Add lime juice, salt and pepper at the last minute and serve over rice.



If there are any left overs they will taste even more delicious the next day.

Shredded Pork p. 759

Ingredients: onion, garlic, bay leaves, cumin, chile, pepper, and of course, a pork shoulder.

I've cooked a pork shoulder before. It was so delicious slowly cooked and then shredded put over various dishes.

This recipe is very similar only with a shorter cooking time, less ingredients, and the pork is cut into smaller bites. Honestly, even though the cooking time was shorter and more convinent, I didn't like working with the smaller bites and didn't like the flavor better.

We didn't use the meat right away. In fact, we used it a night later and put it in quesadillas (look for those tomorrow). We used them another time over nachos and it was a tasty dish. But over all I feel this dish is lacking in flavor.

Maybe its because I'm a Memphian and am used to some very flavorful pork, but I was slightly disappointed in this one.

Stir-Fried Pork with Spinach p. 748

Ingredients: pork, spinach, peanut oil, garlic, soy sauce, lime, stock.

I marinated the pork after I chopped them with soy sauce and white wine vinegar while I did other stuff. I can't testify that it was a huge improvement, but I always enjoy marinated meat and it probably did contribute to the end flavor.

Mark Bittman suggests getting all your ingredients ready before beginning any cooking as stir-frying can go pretty fast. No time in between steps to mince your garlic or juice your lime.

Start by cooking your pork until they lose their pink color. This should only take a couple of minutes. Remove from pan when done.

Next cook your garlic for a few seconds. I tossed in some hot pepper sauce during this step. Bryan likes things spicy. After about 30 seconds add in your spinach to let it wilt. Once it is all wilted add in the pork for a minute or so and remove from heat.



Serve over rice.

Bryan and I enjoyed this dish, but both thought that adding chopped peanuts would really kick it up a notch.

Braised Pork with Red Wine p. 757

Ingredients: pork shoulder, red wine, stock, carrots, garlic, butter.

Mark Bittman suggested cooking this dish in a crock pot. Well, maybe suggested isn’t the right choice of words, but it was an option. And I just love the idea of crock pots. Fixing it and forgetting it. So handy.

I couldn’t find the exact cut of meat suggested and honestly, have no idea what I bought and used. But that was a mistake you should learn from. Neither Bryan and I really liked this dish and we chalked that up to the meat. It was an alright stew-type dish, perfect for winter. But we just weren’t crazy about it. Perhaps the correct choice of pork would have suited it better, I don’t know.

Broiled Pork Tenderloin with Mustard Curry p. 752

Ingredients: Dijon mustard, curry powder, pork tenderloin.

I love serving pork tenderloin when having guests. Its easy to prepare and always delicious. This recipe doesn’t disappoint.

Simply mix your mustard and curry powder (add some salt and pepper while you’re at it) cover your uncooked tenderloin.



Then broil until done… about ten to twenty minutes.



I recently purchased a meat thermometer, which is one of the best kitchen tools. How to Cook Everything often gives the proper meat temperature (there is even a chart in the back of the book for all different types of meat) and it much handier (and more aesthetically pleasing) to pop in the thermometer instead of slicing it open. Inevitably when we sliced the meat pre-thermometer it would always get overcooked. Those days are over. If you haven’t purchased a meat thermometer, please go get one today.


Broiled pork tenderloin with mustard curry, served with creamed corn, and pink eyed peas.

Broiled Pork Chops, p. 747

Brief description: pork chops broiled, seasoned with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.



This is a very simple, straightforward recipe. Rub some olive oil and lemon juice (we didn't have lemons or lemon juice on hand, so we substituted lime.. its similar right? Bryan said that they both prevented "the scurvy" so we should be fine) on the pork chops, salt and pepper and broil for a few minutes on each side.

Here's the finished product, which we served with fresh corn on the cob and steamed broccoli. Simple, delicious and nutritious meal!