They All Can’t Be Winners

I want to apologize for the lateness of this blog post and any lateness of future post.  There are some personal things going on taking up a lot of my time and energy, things that don’t really need to be talked about here.  However I am committed to updating at least once a week, unfortunately I really can’t say when during the week it will be.  I’m shooting for posting on Tuesdays but like this week, that will not always be possible.  Thank you for you’re understanding and now back to our regularly scheduled post!

When I first moved to Phoenixville, there was a bookstore that sold overruns and books with defective covers for really cheap.  The store has since gone out of business or moved, what ever the case the location is now a unisex barber.  I went there just a few times (the book store, not the barber) and the only books I ever bought were a Brad Meltzer hardback that was missing its dust jacket and a book of Thai Street Food recipes.  I still haven’t read the Meltzer, but I this weekend I did try one of the recipes for the first time, sort of.  I found a recipe for Pork that sounded OK, but need a little something.  I thought if I combined it with my cowed pleaser, Old Man Mitchell’s Ginger Plum Chicken, I might have something. 

It turned out I only have the beginnings of something.  This is a dish that really just the start of something.  I have a few ideas of the changes that I need to make to get something I like out of the recipe.  Laura liked it more than I did, and graciously took the left over off my hands.  It’s funny, about half way in I knew something was wrong, but couldn’t put my finger on it, at which point I was already cooking and we were way too hungry for me to stop, pick a new recipe, go shopping and start cooking again.

Wok Fried Pork with Ginger, a work in progress

What you will need:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of pureed ginger (Really it should have more than this, but this is what I used)
• 1 package of Japanese Udon noodles (I recommend Nasoya brand)
• 3 pork tenders
• 6 cloves of pressed garlic
• 1 green pepper
• 1 large piece of ginger root
• 20oz can of pineapple chunks
• 2 tablespoons of Braggs soy amminos
• 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons of plum sauce
• A large Wok

1. Add the oil and pureed ginger to the wok and let sit while prepare the other ingredient
2. Press the garlic into the Wok and mix with the ginger
3. Cook the noodles as directed, I find they are best with a little salt add to the water
4. Slice the pork into thin strips
5. Peel the skin of the ginger root and cut in to matchstick size pieces
6. Chop the green pepper into large chunks
7. Drain the juice out of the can of pineapple
8. Cook the ginger and garlic in the Wok over High heat until they start to brown
9. Add the chopped ginger pork and peppers
10. Add the soy and vegetable broth
11. Add the pineapples
12. Stir fry until the pork is mostly done
13. Add the plum sauce and noddle
14. Stir fry for another minute and then serve.

One plus of the recipe was the matchstick ginger.  That was Damn tasty and definitely something I want to experiment with again.  Other than that, I don’t want to give the impression that the meal was bad.  Its just that I was kind of bland.  There were hint of something good, but it just missed the mark.  Hopefully you will inspired to tinker with the recipe and make something great from it.

Before dinner Laura took in a showing of the Dark Knight Rises.  First off we both enjoy the picture immensely.  There were a number of really fun little nods to the comic.  It was long but didn’t feel nearly as long as it nearly 3 hour running time.  It was very much the last act of three act story and I highly recommend watching or re-watching the first two films in the series before seeing this one. 

It was a film that has really stuck with me and I keep evaluating the themes and ideas that it put forth.  I want to talk about this film more but I fear spoiling things for those who haven’t had a chance to see it yet.  Please let me know that best way to put some spoiler contain up on the blog and I’ll go into my thoughts more deeply.  I also will want to see it again, so you have little bit of time.

Till then, get the hell out of my Kitchen and go to Gotham.