Day 14: Braciole ai Mirtilli/Cetrioli alle Olive (Pork Chops with Blueberries and Cucumbers with Olives)
The intersection of sweet and meat is often taken up with proteins other then beef. Prominent examples include duck a l’orange (orange duck) and 咕嚕肉 (goo lou yok or sweet and sour pork). In this dish, first I browned floured pork chops in a heavy cast iron skillet with butter and olive oil. I then utilized butter and fat from the pork chops as a starter for a red wine, blueberry, and honey sauce to cook the dish in. It was then baked in the oven and allowed to stand for several minutes before serving.
The cucumber were merely peeled and sliced. I then salted then and allowed them to drain for 30 minutes. I then rinsed and dried the cucumbers and added lemon juice, olive oil, and pitted and quartered black olives.
Day 8: Braised Pork with Normandy Potatoes and Herb Bread
Today’s dish was born in a kitchen that did not even have a good knife. The food was cooked, put into Tupperware, and then taken to a bar where my friends and I watched the Penguins triumph over the Red Wings.
To keep it short, the pork loin was braised in olive oil, white wine, and butter along with onions, garlic, and a good amount of rosemary. I then made a sauce by adding dijon mustard and white wine vinegar.
The potatoes where cooked with pancetta, green onions, and yellow onions in meat stock. After cooking I added heavy cream and allowed it to reduce to deliciousness.
The herb bread contains thyme, rosemary, black pepper, and olive oil along with the standard ingredient of the bread.
Comments from some of the people who ate the food:
“Pretty tasty” - Matt
“Oh, it was delicious.” -Chris
“It was like rosemary cake.” -Alexa
Sorry the pictures look so bad, they were taken when I was drunk and in a dark bar.
