Hi Everyone, A little over two weeks ago when I shared my Holiday Bits, with you, I mentioned that I did not make any garlic pork for Christmas. Well, shortly after writing the column I could think of nothing else but eating garlic pork. A full week later, I opened the glass jar in which the Garlic Pork was curing and inhaled deeply, filling my lungs with the heady aroma of garlic and thyme.
I had the first eating all planned. I got up early the morning and made fresh artisan homemade bread. Sliced up some cucumbers and tomatoes, bought fresh from the market the same day, and tore large swatches of crisp, leafy green lettuce. I pan-fried the garlic pork, cooked 2 eggs sunny side up, stilly runny. A big mug of bay leaf and lemongrass tea completed the meal. I lingered long and leisurely over my breakfast. I was in food heaven.
As I sat there sipping my tea, I began to think of some of the other ways to enjoy my garlic pork, more for the flavour than anything else, and so as the Bajans would say, ‘I went to town’ with the garlic pork – not all at once. If you still have garlic pork, try it some of these ways or hey, make a fresh set of garlic pork and stretch the taste of the holidays a little longer.
Take your pick.
Garlic Pork Fried Rice
Pan-fry the garlic pork, chop it into small pieces and then cook it with ginger, garlic and veggies so that the flavour can permeate the entire dish when you add the rice. Don’t use any five-spice powder; you don’t want it competing with the flavour of the garlic pork.
Garlic Pork Sandwich
Pan-fry the garlic pork, slice thinly and layer on top of bread that has been lightly dabbed with mayonnaise. Pile on some cucumbers, tomatoes and shredded lettuce. If you want to really mix things up, instead of mayonnaise, use your favourite jam. Trust me that sweet and savoury combo will have you swooning.
Garlic Pork Bits
Instead of bacon bits, think of garlic pork bits. Cook the pork, chop into tiny pieces and then add back to the pan and let the bits become crisp and crunchy. Sprinkle over baked potatoes or your favourite salad. If you’re into making your own pizza, sprinkle some of the bits just as the pizza is removed from the oven, slice and serve immediately.
Garlic Pork Roast Potatoes
Remove the meat from the brine liquid and cut up into small pieces. Toss with par-cooked potatoes along with some of the brine, and a generous drizzle of oil. Roast together in a hot oven.
Garlic Pork Plantains
Pan-fry the meat, chop it into small pieces, add it back to the pan and cook until crisp. Fry green plantains and then pound the hot plantains with the crispy garlic pork and serve hot. You can choose to form the mixture into balls and eat as is or dropped into soup just before you serve it.
Garlic Pork with Bora or Pumpkin
Cut up the raw meat and fry up with onions and hot pepper. Add chopped bora or pumpkin, toss, reduce heat to low and cook covered. Season with salt, cook for another couple of minutes and then serve with rice or roti.
Garlic Pork Omelette
Pan fry the meat, chop into small pieces and add to eggs, alone or with veggies and fold to make omelette.
So what’s it going to be?
Cynthia
Cynthia@tasteslikehome.org
www.tasteslikehome.org
