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This week for lunch, I’ve made a slow roasted pork loin with a roasted garlic & sage crust. Alongside the pork, I made a pesto mac & feta topped with some fried onions. And to because I have a never ending supply of kale, I pan seared some kale to put on the side.
Pork loin is a very underrated meat, it’s a good source of lean protein that takes well to other flavors. If you are opposed to using red meat, I would recommend using pork loin. My trick to making sure the pork loin does not get dry and rubbery is a two step method. First, you sear the pork loin on both sides until they are brown in your pan. Second, once all the sides are browned, you take the meat off the burner, add a 1/4 of water, cover it with aluminum foil (if your pan can go in the oven) and cook the meat on 275 or 300F in your oven for 2 hours.
The result will be a tender and moist pork loin that is sure to make you happy.
The recipe for the pork will be posted tomorrow.
Now onto the Pesto Mac & Feta. First lets address the pesto. Yes fresh pesto is delicious, but also time consuming and dependent on seasons. Since I wanted a quick and easy pesto, I bought mine from a local company called La Pasta . Their products are carried by Friends and Farms, so I grabbed some. La Pasta makes fantastic sauces and pastas. There are no strange additives or ingredients you’ve never heard of. Their pasta is also excellent and freezes well.
Next the Feta, why Feta? Isn’t that just for Greek food? Feta cheese being uniquely Greek is a misnomer and a common misconception. Feta cheese is used and is made throughout the Middle East. While the literal word Feta can only be applied to the cheese made in Greece, almost identical varieties are made throughout Europe and the Middle East. Growing up in my house we just called it,Paneer-eh- Irani, so yeah I had no clue what Feta was. I get my Feta from a local Iranian Grocery store in the area, and it’s actually called Bulgarian Cheese .
My idea to use Feta came from my Turkish neighbors growing up. They used to babysit me growing up and my Turkish neighbor would always make me macaroni and feta smothered in butter and olive oil. If you’ve never tried it, you are missing out. It’s a great go-to quick comfort food.
The dish is fairly simple, and the recipe will be posted on Wednesday.
Finally the Fried Onions and Kale. Typically, you can use French’s fried onions . It sort of goes against what I preach, but it’s so damn convenient and delicious. Sometimes even I cave in. But this time, I didn’t!
So I decided to make my own fried onions, because I received some onions in my basket from Friends and Farms .
They are fairly simple to make. First, Peel the onions and then cut off both ends. Then cut the onion in half, and make perpendicular cuts to the grain of the onion so you can get a bunch of nice long strands. From there coat the onions in a flour and corn starch mixture. Then heat up enough peanut oil in your pan so it’s about a 1/4 inch thick. Once it’s hot enough (you can toss a test strand in), pour in your onions and cook till golden brown. I like to cook them in the oven once their close to cooked so they get extra crispy.
Once they are done, you can enjoy them any way you like. I like to use them as a topper on meals sometimes. It adds a nice decadent flair to the meal.
Have a great day everyone! Hopefully your work week does not ruin your life. Au Revoir!
