prep time was about half an hour, cooking time was about 15-20 minutes, and i expect to have about 4-5 total meals out of this.
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| looks good enough to eat, huh? |
ingredients:
pork chops (about 1 pound, sliced into strips)
sliced water chestnuts (5 ounces, drained)
baby carrots (a good handful, coarsely chopped)
broccoli floret (coarsely chopped)
macadamia nuts (handful, coarsely chopped)
green peas (14 ounce bag)
olive oil
texas pete
worchestershire sauce
seasonings (cayenne/black pepper, garlic powder, tarragon, oregano, paprika)
chow mein noodles
preparation:
after chopping the broccoli, carrots, and macadamia nuts, i added the drained water chestnuts and the bag of peas. i never used to like water chestnuts, but lately, i've decided that they add an excellent crunchy texture to dishes. after mixing the vegetables, i tossed them with a little olive oil and black pepper and put the bowl aside for later.
the pork chops happened to be the cheapest cuts at the grocery store, and i simply sliced them into strips to make the dish resemble a stir fry. if it works, it works...right? i added the pork strips to another mixing bowl and tossed them with olive oil (enough to coat the meat but not enough to pool at the bottom of the mixing bowl), texas pete (3-4 shakes), and some worchestershire sauce (2-3 shakes). clearly, i would have used soy sauce if i were feeling particularly asian-inspired, but i figured i'd just see how it turned out. in addition, i added black pepper, cayenne pepper, tarragon, garlic powder, oregano, and paprika. paprika doesn't seem to do much but add a little color (aesthetics are important), and i added the pepper because i wanted a little heat. obviously, the bowl had to be well-mixed to prevent some bits being bland and other bits being over-seasoned.
i preheated a large pan to medium to medium-high heat and browned the pork. obviously, the pork has to be poked and prodded to cook everything evenly, but this is why spatulas exist. once the pork was cooked (took about 8 minutes total), i stirred the vegetables into the pan and turned the heat up to high. a pan is not a wok, but it'll do in a pinch...and like i said, i was experimenting. i constantly stirred the whole mixture to ensure that all the vegetables got cooked (and not burned), and this took another 7-8 minutes. my personal litmus test for doneness was to taste the carrot pieces and make sure that they were not cold in the center.
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| in the pan |
verdict:
the pork turned out to be tender and had only a touch of heat to it. since i was diluting the pork seasoning by adding a big bowl of (mostly unseasoned) vegetables, i could probably have added a little extra texas pete and/or cayenne pepper without things getting too out of hand. similarly, i could have been a little less restrained on the other seasonings, but i've learned that leaving the leftovers in the refrigerator overnight seems to meld the flavors together...so i have high hopes for how it tastes after a little judicious reheating. and not to pat myself on the back too hard, but i managed to cook the vegetables long enough that they were no longer raw -- yet short enough that they weren't overcooked and soggy; i call this a win.
in hindsight, using nearly a whole pound of peas was overkill, but i didn't want to end up with a partial bag in my freezer that would just turn into a chunk of ice. and i like peas, so it's no big deal. also, i can probably just put whole macadamia nuts into the mix next time; maybe it's because these nuts were a little older, or maybe they just cook down better than i expected, but the macadamia pieces had only a hint of crunch.
all told, i am well-pleased.
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