Southeast Asian Pork Patties

The fresh flavours of these patties go with just about anything, whether the rest of your menu is Asian-inspired or not. 

1 lb ground pork

1 green onion, finely sliced

1 large clove garlic, minced

½ t powdered ginger

½ t sesame oil

¼ c chopped cilantro

¼ c panko breadcrubs

1 egg

½ t salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.  Mix with hands until uniformly blended.

Form into four patties.  Brown in a lightly-greased frying pan over medium low heat for roughly eight minutes per side.

Serve hot, with soy sauce for dipping, if desired.

Pork Stroganoff

The classic beef stroganoff recipe calls for beef tenderloin.  This version uses pork tenderloin in its place, which is equally tender and delicious.   

2 t vegetable oil

350 g (approx) pork tenderloin, cut into strips

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

227 g sliced mushrooms

1 c low-sodium chicken stock

2 T flour

1 t paprika

2 t soy sauce

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

¼ c frozen peas (optional)

1/3 c sour cream

Hot buttered egg noodles, to serve

In a large, nonstick skillet, heat one teaspoon oil over medium heat.  Add pork, and quickly stir-fry until pink just disappears.  Do not overcook.  Remove to bowl.

Add remaining oil to pan, and add onion, garlic and mushrooms.  Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms have released their liquid and most of it has evaporated.  Add peas, if using. 

Combine chicken stock, flour, paprika, soy and pepper in a jar; shake until smooth.  Pour over vegetables.  Cooking, stirring often, until mixture comes to a simmer and thickens. 

Return the meat and any accumulated juices to the skillet, stirring until the meat is just heated through.  Remove from heat, add sour cream, and stir through until combined.

Serve over noodles.  Makes three servings.  

Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is the perfect make-ahead meal, and it’s great for pot lucks as well.  Everyone loves it, and it’s simple and economical. Even the side dishes (buns, coleslaw and baked beans) can be ready to go at a moment’s notice.     

The moist heat of a slow cooker produces meat which is pulled much more easily than meat cooked in an oven.  The oven does produce those delicious, crispy bits that everyone loves though, so to replicate, broil the pulled meat for a few minutes once it has been combined with the sauce and reheated.  Watch it like a hawk though, and make sure your dish is approved for broiler use. 

Rub

2 t seasoned salt

1 t freshly ground black pepper

1 t smoked paprika

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t chili powder

1 t dry mustard

1 T brown sugar

3 - 4 lb bone-in pork shoulder

The day before cooking, combine the rub ingredients in a small bowl; mix well.  Rub into the exposed areas of the meat.  Place on a rimmed plate, cover well, and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Place meat fat-side-up in a slow cooker.  Cover, and cook on low for eight hours.  Remove meat to cutting board, and cool enough so it can be handled comfortably.

Tip the juices from the slow cooker into a gravy separator; discard fat.  In a medium saucepan, add the degreased juices, and the following:

1 c ketchup

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

1 t smoked paprika

1 t dry mustard

¼ t cayenne

½ t seasoned salt

½ t black pepper

2 T brown sugar

1 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T cider vinegar

Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for five minutes.  Cool.

Shred meat using two forks, or just use your hands.  Discard any fat.  Toss meat with cooled sauce; put into lightly-greased dish.  Cover with foil. 

Reheat in a preheated 325 F oven for 20 minutes or until hot.  Remove the foil and broil for a few minutes to crisp the meat, if desired.    

  

Pigs' Tails

If you’re a bone gnawer like I am, you’ll love these.  They’re sticky, sweet and full of rich pork flavour.  These may not look very appealing at the market, but once cooked, they’re unrecognizable.  Yet another thing to love from the versatile piggy!

Not much of a recipe, more of a method than anything. 

-Pigs’ tails

-Salt

-Your favourite bbq sauce

If there is any skin on the tails, carefully cut it off, along with any excess fat hiding under the skin.  Cut the tip off of each tail.  One or both of these steps may have already been done for you, depending on the butcher.

Cover the tails with cold water in a pan large enough to comfortably hold them.  Salt the water, and bring the tails to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for two hours.

Drain the tails, and let cool slightly.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bake the tails on a rack in a shallow roasting pan for an hour or so, or until they begin to brown and crisp, turning them over at least once.  Brush on your bbq sauce, keeping a close eye on them so they don’t burn.

Pile them up on a plate, and dig in!   

Although I’ve never tried cooking these on the barbecue, I'm sure they'd work just fine.

Pork Bomb

If you're a bonafide pork lover like I am, this dish is Nirvana.  Pork loin, ham, sausage meat and bacon all wrapped up in one tidy bundle.  This can be done either in the oven or on the grill; if using a grill, use indirect heat with a drip pan.

The pork cut in the recipe may or may not be available to you.  If not, you can substitute a large pork tenderloin of about 1-1/2 lbs.

12 thick slices bacon
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 lb thinly-sliced ham, proscuitto, Parma or Serrano ham
1 boneless pork loin centre roast, well seasoned with freshly ground black pepper

On a large cutting board, weave the 12 slices of bacon; 6 horizontally X 6 vertically.

Using your hands, spread out the sausage meat as evenly as possible over the bacon.  Next, cover the sausage meat with the ham of your choice, overlapping the pieces slightly.  Lastly, place the pork roast along an edge of the bacon concoction, and roll until roast is enveloped. Secure the closure with toothpicks, and place on a rack in a roasting pan, seam side down.

Roast in a preheated 350 degree oven until the pork reaches 160 degrees. Allow to sit, covered, for 15 minutes before carving.

Guilty Pleasures: Fried Luncheon Meat

We always brought a can of Klik with us when we went camping (which we don’t do very often anymore), so I keep some in the cupboard for when the mood strikes.

If you’re turning your nose up right now, don’t knock it ‘til you try it!  Very similar in taste to bacon, and cooking it removes a lot of the fat.  Slice it thinly (you can get about twelve slices from one can), put it into a dry frying pan, and cook it over medium heat until it’s crispy.  Drain it on paper towels, and serve as you would bacon.  Delish!