Note: I am still trying to get a handle on the new Macro lens I got for my Nikon D80.
It's the bowl that is tiny and out of scale, NOT that I used giant mutated pineapple boulders. Not that I wouldn't, just that I didn't.
The new Frugal Feasts Column is all about cooking the cut of pork called picnic shoulder. It's available in most groceries for about 99 cents a pound in a cryovac bag.
Yes it is fatty and has a bone in it, not to mention a thick leathery hide, but after a couple hours in a slow oven the meat winds up tender and flavorful.
And with some careful editing with a sharp knife, pretty lean as well.
Robin loves to serve this as a pork roast, with some vegetables thrown into the pan for the last hour or so of cooking time.
I am not a huge fan of the whole sliced-meat-on-a-plate-thing.
Which, I might point out, totally sums up the difference between our cooking styles.
Robin likes to roast, slice and serve.
I am such a futzer that unless a recipe has 19 steps and 27 ingredients, I just don't feel like I've given it my best.
Basically I like to fast forward directly to leftovers. Isn't Peter the luckiest man,
ever?ANYWAY
When we lived in DC there was a little wok shop up at the Chevy Chase Pavillion that served heaven in a bowl. You started out with a sticky bed of rice and then the sullen teen behind the counter would add little scoops of freshly stir-fried ingredients in accordance with your wishes (sometimes).
The best combination was cabbage and chicken and carrots. For some magical reason I cannot fathom cabbage turns sweet and silky in a wok. It was kind of monochromatic but yummy. In fact, all it really needed was a glass of chardonnay to turn it into Marion Winick's famous Beloved Yellow Dinner, (detailed in her great book of essays:
Lunchbox Chronicles: notes from the parenting underground).Ever since I've been turning leftovers into a lame approximation we call Rice Bowl.
Tonight it was bits of Robin's pork shoulder, frozen peas, garlic and the leftover pineapple salsa from the new column.
Here's the basic recipe to serve 6
Make 2 cups of brown rice according to package directions.
Meanwhile, cut up enough left over pork to make about 3 cups of approximately 1 inch chunks. (If you don't have enough meat, add another veggie like red pepper or sliced carrots).
Mince 2 cloves of garlic, thaw a cup or so of frozen peas by running hot water over them in a colander and slice some green onions.
Heat three tablespoons of vegetable or peanut oil in a heavy skillet and when the oil starts to shimmer add the pork and the garlic. Stir together for a minute or two to warm the pork and slightly cook the garlic.
Add the frozen peas and push the mixture around for a minute or two to warm the peas. Remove the pork and vegetable mixture from the pan and keep warm.
Add a can of low sodium chicken broth to the pan and stir to scrape up the browned bits of pork and garlic stuck to the bottom. Add 1/4 cup soy sauce, 4 tablespoons honey or 3 of sugar and bring to a simmer. You can add a teaspoon of corn starch mixed with 1/4 cup cold water if you want a thicker sauce but I never bother.
Taste the sauce and add more sugar or soy if needed. A splash of orange or pineapple juice would be good here too, as would some ginger.
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Serve in individual bowls on top of a spoonful of the the warm cooked rice. Garnish with pineapple salsa (or crack open a can of pineapple chunks) and top with sliced green onions.
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