What to do with a pork loin? All I know is it will turn out like shit if its overcooked.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:56 pm What to do with a pork loin? All I know is it will turn out like shit if its overcooked.

i like to slice it fine with a really sharp knife - i'll often set half aside to marinate in ginger / garlic / spring onion for a stir fry the next day - pat it dry, a little salt and ground white pepper, then fry it quickly in small batches in nut oil. from there i put it into a red or green thai curry, or my inept rendition of a satay sauce, or a one-pot pasta alfredo thing with loads of celery, mushrooms, spinach.

Been on a mustard greens kick and I have been eating this salad like every day -

4-5 pieces of curly mustard greens depending on size
green cabbage sliced thin as you can, just half a cup
half an apple, any kind but Red Delicious
juice of 1 lemon
half a can of anchovies
olive oil (the oil from the anchovies is fine)
black pepper

1. Rip or cut the mustard green leaves off the ribs and give them a quick chop. Mince the ribs fine. They are what makes this, they are kind of like spicy celery. Add this and cabbage to the bowl.
2. Cube the apple into smaller bits, like 1/4" or less, and add to the bowl with the lemon on top.
3. Chop the anchovies, add to the top, and drizzle olive oil over with some black pepper.

That's it. I sometimes throw in other stuff, like green onion, pepitas, or avocado. Sometimes I use the whole can of anchovies because I like them. You can sub fennel bulb for the cabbage. But as it is above it's a good mix of bitter/sweet/salty/crunchy/sour. People who say they hate both mustard greens and anchovies have really enjoyed it.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2025 3:56 pm What to do with a pork loin? All I know is it will turn out like shit if its overcooked.

Brine it and then throw it on the grill. You can do a lot with a pork loin, but yes they can get tough if overcooked. Though, brining will help keep it tender and juicy.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 8:07 am I used to spend hours cooking, now I am in dad mode pretty much all the time. I used to also have time to watch movies! I basically gave that all up when my daughter came along so that I could still make time for music.

I need recipes w/ minimal cooking where you mostly cut up a bunch of fresh stuff and put it on the table.

We do that with riffs on pho, rice bowls, and tacos but I need to add more to the repertoire.

I'm in dad mode, too. I do the majority of cooking though. One of the easiest meals for me to make is spaghetti and meatballs. I have a really simple sauce recipe that you can prep and cook meatballs with while the sauce cooks and the pasta water boils. All in all, the whole thing takes 45 minutes from start to finished on a plate and everything is made fresh. I'd be happy to share.

The key to cooking when you're a busy parent is managing your time well.

Bit of a stupid question but here goes. Last night I made a batch of beef stew to have over the week. It finished late (midnight), so I left it to cool overnight. I get up this morning and it's good, but a little watery.
I know at this point it's best to portion and freeze/refrigerate it, however, partner wants to fix the wateriness now by reducing it for 45mins (instead of reducing each portion) and then batching it up. So effectively it'd be reheated twice when eating some. This is against food safety recommendations, but realistically could we get away with it?

PEPPER! wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2025 5:08 pm Been on a mustard greens kick

Have you tried pickling them?

There are some fantastic Chinese dishes that include pickled mustard greens. They usually involve the thicker-stemmed Chinese variety of mustard greens, but I've had good results with the regular kind.

Suan Cai Yu is a fantastic Sichuan dish, a filet of sole with pickled mustard greens, poached in a spicy broth with ginger, dried red chiles, and a lot of green Sichuan peppercorns.

andyman wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 5:05 am Bit of a stupid question but here goes. Last night I made a batch of beef stew to have over the week. It finished late (midnight), so I left it to cool overnight. I get up this morning and it's good, but a little watery.
I know at this point it's best to portion and freeze/refrigerate it, however, partner wants to fix the wateriness now by reducing it for 45mins (instead of reducing each portion) and then batching it up. So effectively it'd be reheated twice when eating some. This is against food safety recommendations, but realistically could we get away with it?

You could remove the solids with a slotted spoon and set them aside while you reduce the liquid to the desired consistency, then reintroduce them afterward.

Or you could use a ladle to skim most of the liquid off by pressing it into the stew until the liquid runs over the edges to fill the ladle. Then transfer the liquid to a small saucepan for reducing.

This way, you can reduce the liquid without overcooking the meat and vegetables.

JohnAlbert wrote: Mon Feb 10, 2025 5:58 am

PEPPER! wrote: Sun Jan 26, 2025 5:08 pm Been on a mustard greens kick

Have you tried pickling them?

If I grow them this summer I will! I get the little foil packs of suan cai for making dan dan noodles and I add them to fried rice as well. I ended up pickling a lot of extra stuff from the garden last year. The best things were kimchi from Italian chicory (I grew a ton) and pickled nasturtium seeds, which come out like capers and are great on salads.

Another easy dish I've been digging lately is oven roast carrots on labneh with zaatar. If I'm lazy I just use Greek yogurt instead of buying/making labneh. There are a ton of recipes online, all more or less the same. Just roast the hell out of the carrots. It's one of those magic combinations that punches way above its weight.