Spiced Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Veg

So I've had this pork tenderloin in the fridge for almost a week, and tonight was probably the only time I ever would have had to make a proper dinner.  Between work, school, and moving apartments, I've spent too much time and money eating out or just eating crap instead of actually cooking.  So tonight at around 8:30, I decided I was hungry, remembered the pork loin, and immediately started to freak out because I didn't think I had time to cook it properly.

Wrong I was.

This pork loin tastes like you've been marinating it for hours, but it takes only about 40 minutes to cook, from start to finish.  The secret is in the spice, a thick rub that seals in the juices, flavors the meat, and magically transforms into a juicy sauce in the oven, perfect for drizzling.

I started by trimming the pork loin.  The tenderloin that I bought was a little over 2 lbs, but when I took it out of the plastic wrap, I found that the butcher had cut it in half down the middle, so I actually had two 1-lb loins.  Bummer.  But no worries, I just wrapped one of them up (after trimming the fat and silverskin) and popped it in the freezer for later.  I knew I wouldn't have leftovers, but I didn't really want to microwave a perfectly cooked pork loin the next day, either.

Next, I made the rub.  I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I don't like recipes.  Especially for spice rubs.  For this one, I just opened my well-stocked spice cabinet and grabbed a little of this and a little of that.  I ended up using a teaspoon of each: sea salt, minced onion, garlic powder, garam masala, cumin, and paprika. I also have this badass spice grinder that I found in a discount store... it's Chinese Five-Spice, which is one of my favorite seasonings, but all the components are whole, so you can freshly grind as much as you need, when you need it.  I ground a little of this into my spice mix (I didn't measure, I just grinded until my elbow was sore) and mixed up the whole shebang.  I will say this: when experimenting with a spice blend, it can't hurt to taste a little bit on a wet fingertip.  You know when you finish a bag of potato chips and you stick your finger into the corner to get the last of the seasoning?  It will taste like that, a little potent, but not unpalatable.  If it tastes like you'd like to have it on potato chips, you've made it right.

Clockwise from the salt: cumin, paprika, garam masala, minced onion, and garlic

I rubbed the pork loin with some olive oil (roll up your sleeves and really massage that baby) and sprinkled all sides with my spice rub, patting it in and making sure the loin was totally covered, with no meat showing through.

I wanted to get a good sear in a pan first, to seal in the juices, so I lubed up a large skillet at high heat and I cooked the loin for 2 minutes on each side (there being 4 sides and not only 2... we are working in 3-D, people).

Nice and crusty

Next, I placed the loin on a foil-lined roasting pan and roasted at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the temperature reads 155 degrees on a meat thermometer.  (Really, folks, I feel like the food police will come and get me if I say this, but I only cooked mine to 130 degrees.  I don't want to hear anything about what temperature meat should be cooked to, because no matter what, I believe that it's better to undercook than overcook anything.  And that includes poultry.  But if you like rubber pork, go ahead and cook it to 155.)

Meanwhile, I sliced up some butternut squash and cut some cauliflower florets (okay, I did the prep yesterday, but I won't count that extra time), tossed them with some olive oil and leftover spice blend, and spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet.  The pork and the veg go in the oven at the same time.  When the pork was done, I left the veggies in the oven and pulled the pork loin out of the oven, and basted it.  Basted.

Baste:  Did I ever tell you that I make my own chicken broth?  Well, I do.  All the time.  Every time I cook a chicken in the crock pot, I always return the skin and bones to the pot and add about 5 cups of water.  I cook that baby on high for about 8-10 hours, or until the bones are bleached, strain it, and freeze it in ice cube trays.  I use that broth to make soup, rice, mashed potatoes, what have you.  I also use it to baste pork.

Take about 20 broth-ice-cubes and throw them in your skillet, the one you cooked the pork in.  You should have left it on high.  Whisk that melted broth for about 10 minutes on high, and you should have a gorgeous reduced fake semi glace.  It's too strong to use as a sauce at this point, but it can be used to....

Baste.  Baste and cover immediately with tin foil and set aside to rest for 10 minutes.  While your pork rests, your veggies begin to caramelize (which is a magic moment), and by the time the pork is cool enough to touch (but just!), your veggies are ready to pull out of the oven.  Slice the pork loin into medallions and top with sauce from the bottom of the foil pouch.  Serve while veggies are piping hot.

When the cauliflower is nice and brown, it's done

I served this to my boyfriend, our roommate, and a friend of ours, and every last bite was devoured gleefully within seconds.  The pork was unbelievably moist and juicy, and the flavor was out of this world... nothing like so many bland pork loins I've had previously.  The roasted veggies, seasoning with the same as I used to spice the pork, complemented the meat perfectly, and were creamy and crispy at the same time... like roasted marshmallows!  (If marshmallows were good for you)

Anyway, now I'm totally excited about that leftover loin that I froze... I might make this tomorrow.  Or tonight, while sleepwalking.  Because this pork is dreamy.

Kimchi Spring Roll - FAIL!

Yes, this was a fail.  So why am I still blogging about it?  Because the flavors were all there... sesame oil, kimchi, chili paste, fish sauce, etc... there was just a massive execution mishap.  I will tell you exactly how I made these in the hopes that you can learn from my mistake and never make spring rolls this way, ever.  I'll also tell you how I would do it next time, so hopefully there is still a salvageable recipe buried in here somewhere.

Fail.

To be honest, these might have turned out okay if I had changed just one little ingredient: the wrapper.  I sent Scott off to the Asian market today to pick up supplies, and I even provided him with a shopping list.  My error was that I did not make a detailed enough list for him.  When I asked for spring roll wrappers, I meant for him to get the kind that are flour-based, square, and either refrigerated or frozen.  I can't possibly blame him, because what he brought home was clearly marked "Spring Roll Wrappers", only they were Vietnamese-style rice paper wrappers.

Totally different.  I figured I could either run down to the grocery store (the Asian market is too far away for a last minute trip) and pick up some phyllo dough, or I could just see what happens with the rice paper.  I hate, hate, hate phyllo dough (to cook with, not to eat... that stuff is delicious), so we decided we would just figure out how to work with the rice paper.

Sort of see-through... weeeird!

From there, I just made everything as normal.  I browned some ground pork in a skillet with some sesame oil, minced ginger, and julienned carrots (I use the terms "minced" and "julienned" loosely, as my knife skills are sorely lacking) marinated in a blend of soy sauce, mirin, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chili-garlic paste.

 A word on fish sauce, for those who have never cooked with it before: the flavor is essential to most Asian dishes, so you really can't substitute.  It's typically made from anchovies, water, and sometimes some salt and sugar.  It tastes delicious.  I promise.  Here's the thing, though... when you open up the bottle and take a whiff, it straight up smells like sweaty underwear.  It is a most pungent, unpleasant, and gag-inducing aroma, but please don't let that deter you.  Something magical happens when you cook with it, and it makes all Asian food taste like manna from heaven.  Strange but true.

My first time working with actual ginger. True story.

Meanwhile, I chopped up some kimchi that Scott also picked up from the Asian market.  By the way, this kimchi was made fresh just for us... all the store had were giant, restaurant-sized jars of kimchi, so when Scott asked if they had anything smaller, the shopkeeper told him, "Fifteen minute!  You shop!", and before Scott had gathered everything from my list, the guy presented him with a half-gallon sized jar of freshly-made kimchi.  Nice!

A hot mess of chopped kimchi.

Now to deal with these rice paper wrappers... I filled a bowl with some hot water and wrapped a cutting board with a wet kitchen towel.  I had all my fillers at the ready, and I had my oven pre-heating to 425 degrees.  I also had a small bowl with equal amounts of sesame and canola oil to brush over the spring rolls, to prevent them from getting too crunchy in the oven.

Sesame oil is one of my favorite smells

One at a time, I dipped a sheet of rice paper in the hot water for about 5 seconds, then laid it out on my cutting board.  I placed a tablespoon of the pork mixture and a tablespoon of kimchi in the center of each one, then rolled them up like a taco.  It was fast and easy work, and in about 5 minutes, I had made 8 of them and was ready to be done.  I had originally planned to made a whole bunch of spring rolls for freezing, but I didn't think these would turn out well, so I stopped at a dinner-for-two sized amount.

You can only barely see the wrapper in this shot

After brushing them lightly with oil, I baked them for about 10-15 minutes, until they were getting brown on top and the fillings were starting to think about oozing out, and let them cool until they were almost at room temperature.  (Trust me, I tried digging in when they were cool to the touch, and the steam that came out of the spring roll nearly burned off my face)  I served them with the Pioneer Woman's sesame noodles, topped the whole thing with some spring onions, and grumbled through my whole meal.

Okay, next time, I would do things exactly the same way, except that I would use flour-based wrappers instead of rice paper.  Don't get me wrong, the rice paper is good, but it's meant to make summer rolls, chilled or room-temperature rolls filled with vegetables.  It just didn't work for this kind of filling.  I do have a lot of pork and kimchi left over, so I will be making fried rice sometime in the near future.  All in all, dinner wasn't terrible, and Scott even said it was good, but it's not something I would ever serve to guests.

Stephen's Scotch Eggs

This post is dedicated to my brother, Stephen, a Marine currently serving his first (and hopefully ONLY) tour in Afghanistan.  My family briefly stayed in Wimbledon, England, with my aunt and uncle, where we were first introduced to Scotch eggs.  They are greasy, fatty, and full of protein, and boy are they delicious!  Today, if you ask Stephen what his favorite ethnic cuisine is, he is likely to mention British food as one of his favorites, largely due to Scotch eggs, which he ate plenty of during our stay in Wimbledon.  When I saw this recipe online, it reminded me of him, and I just had to make them in his honor.

Like many British foods, this is traditionally deep-fried, but mine is a somewhat healthier version, in that it is baked.  A Scotch egg is simple... a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage, breaded, and cooked so that the sausage and egg meld into one portable, hand-held breakfast or snack, perfect for the Atkins dieter or anyone who needs a major protein boost.

The recipe is simple.  Boil some eggs, wrap them in some breakfast sausage (I used Jimmy Dean Hot Sausage), coat in an egg wash, roll in Panko, and bake.  I'm going to call this first try a fail, mainly because I forgot about them in the oven and they baked WAY too long, and the sausage shrunk and split, revealing the egg underneath.  But they were still quite tasty, and they stand alone as a perfect breakfast, without the need for condiments (though if you must, they go best with a dollop of stone-ground mustard).

For one batch, you need about 5 large hard-boiled eggs (I used 10-minute eggs), one pound of sausage, one beaten egg for the wash, and about 1/4 cup of panko breading.  You could use fresh breadcrumbs or any store-bought seasoned breadcrumbs, but I prefer Panko for the delicious crisp they provide.  Estimate one egg per serving, as they are quite rich.  I will definitely be making these for Stephen when he gets home from Afghanistan, and I hope he enjoys these as much as he loved the ones from his stay in England!