Potato

Pork chop and cabbage

Posted by Gary


If you don’t want to read the introductory words, click here for the recipe.

Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. My week was rewarding and satisfying. Next week will be even better. 

Inspiration 

I got the inspiration for tonight’s meal from a bible study friend. She mentioned that she and her husband enjoy pork chops. I haven’t eaten a pork chop for I can’t remember how long. 

I went to the supermarket on Friday evening to dry brine the pork overnight for tonight’s meal.

Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce

What have I been reading? 

I’m in the last part of “The Myth of Normal” by Gabor Maté.

I’m not sure what I’ll read next. It may be some science fiction. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. I enjoyed the “Monroe Doctrine” series that advanced into science fiction with artificial intelligence-enhanced warfighting. The addition of biological and nuclear weapons heightened my interest. 

Recipe

  • Equipment 
  • Frypan 
  • Saucepan 
  • Oven 
  • Mortar and pestle 
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients 

  • Pork loin chops with the bone in 
  • Flaky iodised salt 
  • Black peppercorns 
  • Garlic powder 
  • Rice bran oil 
  • Red (purple) cabbage 
  • Marmalade 
  • Potato 
  • Tomatoes
  • Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Grind some peppercorns in a mortar with a pestle.
  2. Dry brine the pork by seasoning it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and refrigerating it uncovered overnight.
  3. Slice some cabbage and sauté in a frypan until it’s softened. 
  4. Add in some marmalade and stir it through. 
  5. Transfer the cabbage to a warm bowl for later. 
  6. Wash the dirt off the potato, quarter it longitudinally, rub in a little oil, and season the pieces with salt. 
  7. Place the potato into a hot oven (220 °C) and cook for about 25 minutes. 
  8. Cook the pork in a frypan for a few minutes on each side and measure the internal temperature. 
  9. The aim is to get the internal temperature to 68 °C. 
  10. Allow the pork to rest for the equivalent amount of time it took to cook on the frypan. 
  11. Quarter six small tomatoes and blend with some marmalade and Worcestershire sauce. Bring it to a slow simmer in a small saucepan. Then add ground peppercorns, salt, and garlic powder. I added too much pepper, so the sauce is bordering on uncomfortably spicy. It was surprisingly good with the finished meal.
  12. Dissect the bone from the meat with a knife and then slice the pork. 
  13. Plate up and give thanks to the Lord. 
  14. Eat with a fork while watching TV. 

What’s happening next week? 

I’m travelling and off to meet people I’ve only met online. It should be good. 

I’m shy and introverted, and meeting people in person can be awkward. We’ll see; I’m looking at it all positively. 

The rugby league State of Origin competition kicks off in Adelaide this week. I hope for a great game between the Queensland Maroons and the New South Wales Blues.

Because I’ll be away, I may not post next weekend. 

Self-hosting to WordPress.com 

I’ve considered moving from a self-hosted site to WordPress.com for this blog. The server charges are high, and my commitment to blogging isn’t as strong as it once was. 

My original idea when starting a self-hosted site was to be free to change things I desired without being constrained. Because of my current employment, income wasn’t a consideration. Drawing a second income would not be permitted. 

I’ve seen how WordPress.com has developed since then, and there are fewer constraints and more freedom. 

I’ve just paid my server fees for three years, so this is not something I’ll embark on soon, but it will be something to plan and execute at the right time. 

Final thoughts 

The pork was perfectly cooked. It was tender and juicy.

  • Do you like pork chops? How do you like them cooked, and what do you serve with them? 
  • Do you enjoy meeting people in person who you’ve only known online? 
  • What are you reading at present? 

Have a good week, and happy eating and living. 

Photographs

Pork chop
Pork chop
Pork chop
Pork chop
Pork chop
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce
Pork chop with red cabbage, potato wedges, and spicy tomato sauce

Potato and leek soup with beef short rib

Posted by Gary

If you are keen to go straight to the recipe, click here.

Hello Reader,

I hope you have enjoyed the last week. I shared a scheduled post last weekend because I was away in Brisbane to see my daughters and parents. 

A few of us went to The Ekka. It was so good.

Ekka photos

Chocolate custard Cannoli for lunch at The Ekka
Strawberry Sundae at The Ekka | One reason why The Ekka is the best show in Australia
The Loaded Nugget from the Nugg Shack at The Ekka. Battered chicken nuggets with hot chips, cheese, bacon, and spring onions.
An extra long Dagwood dog from The Ekka
Food from The Ekka

Recipe

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker [1]
  • Stick blender

Ingredients

  • Potatoes
  • Leek [2]
  • Beef short rib [3, 4]
  • Bouquet garni
  • Vegetable stock
  • Chillies
  • Parsley
  • Garlic

Instructions

  1. Wake up wondering what to cook on a wet winter day in Canberra. Do you wake up and immediately think of food? Sometimes I do. This morning I did not. I slept poorly, and when my eyes opened, my first thought was craving more sleep.
  2. Go grocery shopping to plan what to cook while in the meat section.
  3. Choose a couple of beef short ribs to be the meal’s centrepiece.
  4. Heat the oven to about 200 °C.
  5. Cut a couple of potatoes into large chunks.
  6. Cut the white part of a large leek from the green part and then separate the leaves under running water to wash out the dirt.
  7. Peel a few garlic cloves.
  8. Spread the ribs, potato, leek, and garlic onto a baking sheet and put it into the oven.
  9. Keep an eye on the tray and remove the tray when the food starts to change colour and caramelise.
  10. Put the chillies, garlic, leek, and potato into the pressure cooker.
  11. Add the bouquet garni and the ribs on top.
  12. Pour in some vegetable stock.
  13. Seal the lid to the pressure cooker and set the timer to one hour.
  14. Cook the contents.
  15. Remove the lid when the pressure has equalised.
  16. Lift out the ribs, the meat, and the bouquet garni.
  17. Put the meat into a bowl, and with forks, pull the meat.
  18. Process the soup with a stick blender.
  19. Place some of the meat into the centre of a soup bowl.
  20. Ladle the soup around the meat.
  21. Garnish the soup with parsley.
  22. Give thanks to the Lord.
  23. Eat with a spoon.

Thoughts on the meal

I could have made this soup more decadent with cream and perhaps some butter. However, cream and butter were unnecessary for flavour. There’s also enough fat in the beef.

I have enough soup leftover for a few more meals. I’ve aliquoted the soup into vacuum bags, and the bags are in the freezer.

Photographs

Pulled beef short rib meat
Potato and leek soup with beef short rib
Potato and leek soup with beef short rib
Potato and leek soup with beef short rib
Potato and leek soup with beef short rib

Final thoughts

How do you feel about carnival food? Do you like deep-fried sausages covered in the batter? Do you like battered chicken nuggets with hot chips, bacon pieces, cheese, and spring onion?

Would you add cream and butter to potato and leek soup?

References

1.      Cook, R.K., et al., Use of a Pressure Cooker to Achieve Sterilization for an Expeditionary Environment. J Spec Oper Med, 2021. 21(1): p. 37-39.

2.      Biernacka, B., D. Dziki, and U. Gawlik-Dziki, Pasta Enriched with Dried and Powdered Leek: Physicochemical Properties and Changes during Cooking.Molecules, 2022. 27(14).

3.      Stopforth, J.D., et al., Microbiological status of fresh beef cuts. J Food Prot, 2006. 69(6): p. 1456-9.

4.      Jeremiah, L.E., et al., Assessment of palatability attributes of the major beef muscles. Meat Sci, 2003. 65(3): p. 949-58.