LIGHT PORK SALAD with PLUM SAUCE

Below is my first Pork dish. EVER. Big steps here people. I suppose what has kept me away from cooking this meat for the past year has been a number of things; 1. I thought all pork was fatty, 2. It is an understatement to say that it is difficult to cook correctly and 3. I was scared of cooking something new and so foreign to me. I grew up in a very red meat and three vegetables type household. Well, more like seven or ten vegetable childhood. However, the year 2012 is almost up and its time to stop being a wuss and try new things. Hence the pork.

Now you may be thinking that a salad was not very creative or brave for my first pork venture. Well that may be, but we all have to start somewhere. The plum sauce marinade softened the hardness of the pork and the garlic, ginger and goat’s cheese all added their unique essences to the dish. Definitely a meat I will cook with again.

INGREDIENTS

Salad

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 50g goat's cheese, roughly torn 
• 1/2 a large cos lettuce, washed and roughly chopped

Plum sauce

• 300g lean pork cutlets, fat trimmed and cut into even 4cm pieces
• 3 tablespoons gluten-free plum sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 3cm fresh ginger, finely grated 

COOKING 

1. Combine all the ingredients for the plum sauce and toss to combine. Marinade in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes (Don't cut corners and skip this refrigeration step, as the garlic and other ingredients need this time to tenderise the tough pork). 

2. Meanwhile, combine the lettuce and goat's cheese in a large serving bowl. 

3. After 30 minutes, heat the oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Cook pork pieces, stirring, for 5-7 minutes or until cooked and there is no pink flesh remaining. (It can be really tricky cooking pork! One minute too long and the meat is very tough, one minute too short and you can end up with food poisoning. Just make sure you are constantly around the cooking pork, and cutting a few pieces open to make sure it is no longer raw). 

Serves 2-3 as a main / 4-6 as a side 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes

Total Cooking time / 7-9 minutes 

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COOKED BEETROOT SALAD

There is nothing better than cooked beetroot. After baking fresh beetroot you will never want to go back to beetroot in a tin/can, as it tastes highly sweetened and processed in comparison. Fresh beetroot does take around 40-45 minutes to cook, however all the labour it requires is turning the oven on. I was unable to eat this entire salad (as my meat-loving boyfriend did not want to help) therefore I used the leftovers to make beetroot dip – blog post up tomorrow!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large beetroots, peeled & cut in half
• 1/3 cup of fresh chives & fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils (or fresh), drained and rinsed 
• 2 handfuls of mixed lettuce leaves, washed
• lemon juice

COOKING 

1. Preheat fan-forced oven to 200 degrees celsius. Peel and cut beetroots in half and wrap halves in foil. Cook for 40-45 minutes or until beetroot is tender (that is, you can slice the beetroot with a knife easily). Remove from oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice beetroot into thin slices or wedges. 

2. Place lettuce, lentils, herbs and beetroot in a large serving bowl and toss. Drizzle fresh lemon juice on top and serve. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 55 minutes maximum 

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