Sweet and Sour Pork
Sometimes everyone needs to be rescued by Jamie Oliver.
That’s right. My soldier has been deployed for almost 3 weeks now which means, for the first time in over 5 years, I have no one to cook for. No husband, no clients, no roommate. Just lil’ ol’ me. And, to make matters worse, the best restaurant in town offers a choice of:
-
Deep Fried Pork Schnitzel Covered in Re-hydrated Brown “Gravy”
Nitrite Sausage in a Bun So Crusty You’ll Sever the Roof of Your Mouth
Seven Pounds of Noodles Smothered in Something White
Which means, I have no choice but to cook every single meal for myself, all the time. Sounds great, right? Right…
Pretty soon, even I was running out of inspiration. I’m not surrounded by awesome chefs, food writers, and obsessive foodies like I was in Austin. Options for great food – not only at restaurants, but also at grocery stores – are just limited. I finally reached my lowest state this week: Every other meal consisted of PB&J on a rice cake and some cucumber slices. And, then, bored with that, I just stopped eating.
Bored, bored, bored.
And, that’s when I was, like, WHOA. This has got to stop. I have to find some inspiration. I have to find something worth eating or I’m going to waste away – and, lose my cooking skills.
So, I headed to the library and stumbled upon Jamie Oliver’s very simple, yet just enough of a kick in the pants, book Jamie’s Food Revolution.
I picked this recipe because I knew that I could easily find the ingredients it called for, and I hoped the flavors might just rouse my culinary curiosity. It worked!
That Jamie Oliver. There he goes, even saving me from MY rut. Someone give that man a high five!
SWEET AND SOUR PORK
serves two very hungry people
adapted from Jamie Oliver’s recipe
olive oil or coconut oil
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp. garam masala
salt
1Tbs. sesame oil
2 inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
5 big cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 small onion, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tsp. cornstarch
3 Tbs. wheat free tamari
(1) 8 ounce can of pineapple chunks
(1 little can) 6 ounces pineapple juice
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1. Heat a good amount of olive oil or coconut oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Toss the pork and garam masala together and throw them in the pan. Brown the meat on all sides. When the meat is browned, transfer it to a plate.
2. Clean the saute pan and return it to the heat. Add some more olive or coconut oil and the sesame oil. When the oil becomes fragrant, add the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes and salt. Cook for about 30 seconds and add the onion and bell pepper.
3. Cook everything together for about 2 minutes. In a small cup, combine the cornstarch and tamari. Add it to the pan and toss everything together.
4. Quickly add the pineapple chunks (with their juices), the balsamic vinegar and the pineapple juice.
5. Return the pork to the pan, stir to get it nicely coated in sauce, and then, cover.
6. Allow everything to simmer together until the sauce has reduced to a nice consistency and the pork is cooked through.
7. Garnish with cilantro. Serve with steamed rice and heart of romaine leaves on the side.
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