Sunday, February 13, 2011

Valentine's Dinner for One: Pork Schnitzel with Braised Savoy Cabbage and Potato Salad


Tomorrow is St Valentine's Day, which is widely celebrated around Planet Earth. It is a time when people try to be with that special person who means most to them and very often sharing a romantic Valentine's meal together will form a big part of the occasion. I didn't think I was going to have time to prepare a Valentine's Day feature for the blog this year but when I hit on this idea, I knew I had to make the time.

I decided to dedicate this post to those who are spending St Valentine's Day alone this year, especially where this is not through choice. This may be as a result of recent bereavement, the end of a relationship or marriage, or perhaps the fact that distance separates loved ones through unavoidable circumstance, with those serving in our Armed Forces around the world and their loved ones being the obvious consideration. Today's post is therefore dedicated to encouraging all who are spending Valentine's Day alone in 2011 not to dwell on the fact but to prepare themselves a special meal and enjoy the food...along with a glass of wine or two! The particular recipe is not important - the act of taking the time to prepare something is! It is, after all, simply another day but if you are in this situation and not feeling too good about it, you may find the article linked to below of some use.

Tips on How to Survive Valentine's Day Alone

Okay, on with the recipe. Schnitzel is an Austrian dish, most commonly made with veal, as in the case of the world famous Wiener Schnitzel (Viennese Schnitzel). Schnitzel is also made, however, with a number of other meats, particularly in Germany. Pork is one of those meats which is commonly used and the one I have elected to use on this occasion. Frequently, German schnitzels can be larger than the average dinner plate and I have tackled a great many in Germany which I knew beforehand I would never be capable of finishing. This, however, is a recipe for a schnitzel of more moderate size.

Ingredients

6oz leg of pork steak
2 medium potatoes
4 savoy cabbage leaves
1/2 small white onion
1 tbsp canned sweetcorn with peppers
2 tbsp low fat mayonnaise
1 clove of garlic
6 fresh mint leaves
2 slices of bread
1 egg
Pinch of dried sage
Salt, white pepper and black pepper
Sunflower oil for frying
Fresh lemon wedge for garnishing

Method

The potato salad will require to be prepared first. The potatoes should be peeled and diced. The size of the dice depends upon your own preference but in this instance I went for just under half an inch. The diced potatoes should then be placed in to a pot of cold, lightly salted water and on to a high heat until the water begins to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes only.


The potato pieces should by know be fairly soft. Take one out with a spoon, let it cool and taste to ensure this is the case. Drain the potatoes through a colander and plunge them in to a bowl of cold water to quickly cool them. After a couple of minutes, drain again, add them to a large plastic lidded dish and refrigerate for half an hour. Cooling them like this will serve to help prevent them breaking up in the mayonnaise.

Mix the potatoes with the tablespoon of sweetcorn and peppers in a mixing bowl. The remaining sweetcorn and peppers will keep refrigerated in a plastic dish for a couple of days, to be later used as desired. Peel and grate the garlic clove in to the bowl. Add the mayonnaise and the roughly chopped mint leaves, season with salt and white pepper, stir carefully but well and cover with clingfilm. Refrigerate again while the remainder of the meal is prepared.


The two slices of bread should be made in to breadcrumbs and spread evenly on a dinner plate. The egg should be broken in to a wide bottomed bowl and beaten.

The pork leg fillet will require to be pounded and flattened. Ideally, a meat mallet should be used for this purpose but a simple rolling pin will suffice. One top tip here is to not beat the unprotected meat. Instead, lay a large sheet of clingfilm on a chopping board and the pork fillet on top. Season the fillet at this time with salt and black pepper. Cover with another large sheet of clingfilm. Pounding tender meat like pork or chicken in this way helps it keep its form and not disintegrate. Remember also to pound it lightly - it is not a tough and thick beef steak!


Your pork pounded, you should add a generous amount of sunflower oil to a large, non-stick frying pan. At least a couple of tablespoons. Put it on to a medium heat and draw your pork through the egg, then the breadcrumbs and - very importantly - repeat. Doing this twice will ensure a thick and even coating. Place the breaded pork fillet carefully in to the frying pan. It will take around five minutes each side to cook, leaving a beautifully golden, crisp coating finish.


Roughly shred the savoy cabbage leaves and slice the white onion. Add around a tablespoon of sunflower oil to a medium sized pot, heat and add the savoy cabbage and onion. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and the pinch of dried sage. Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pork schnitzel is ready.

It then remains simply to plate your pork shnitzel, stir fried cabbage and potato salad and garnish with the lemon wedge. The lemon should be squeezed over the schnitzel immediately prior to eating.

Chihuahuas Are More Destructive Than Pit Bulls

We used to have a 90# pit bull. She was gentle and, while powerful, relatively non-destructive in the house. We now have two dogs, one of which is a 9# chihuahua mix. She is a whirlwind of destruction, gnawing all manner of clothes and towels to bits. Ferocity* matters more than size, I guess.

That's her, officer! The little one! I'd recognize her anywhere!


* - Well, ferocity or an abundance of nervous energy.

Not your traditional Sunday Dinner

Why have Roast Beef and Yorkies when you could be having Hot Thai Duck Noodle stir-fry with Chilli Jam? (Page 79)  First hurdle was actually getting the duck.  Recipe calls for 400g of cooked duck meat so after scouring tesco.com for the best solution I eventually went for an Aromatic Duck with 12 Pancakes.  Boy and Girl were very excited to spot it in the fridge as its one of their favourites so were rather crestfallen when I told them I was puting it in a stir fry!

Like most stir frys this was pretty easy to throw together - they key is getting all your ingredients prepped in advance so you don't waste any time when it comes to putting it together.  As usual there were a couple that I deviated from.  For ginger & chilli paste I used my trusty frozen cubes of each, instead of Thai holy basil I used bog standard and I used Pak Choi instead of Bok Choi - no idea what the difference there is!



Unfortunately the end result was dissapointing.  Recipe called for 400g of egg noodles which you had to cook, refresh and add to the stir fried veg/duck at the last minute and heat through for 30 seconds.  The sheer quantity and they fact they were now cold from refreshing meant they needed much longer to heat through which in turn meant the veg turned from crispy to soggy.  The photo in the book certainly shows a significantly less proportion of noodles than what I ended up with. 

The only redeeming feature was the accompanying Chilli Jam.  But I used my own version which I make from Rachel Allen's recipe rather than Giraffe, so the credit there goes to me and Ms Allen.  Boy and girl rolled theirs up in the pancakes and hoisin sauce and declared it a hit.  Personally I wouldn't bother with it again and will stick to the more traditional Sunday Roast - you can't beat Delia's Yorkies.

Zig Ziglar Supports Rabbi Lapin

I just finished listening to Zig's "Secrets of Closing the Sale" two times through in a row. It was great. One of Zig's main points is that a good salesman has empathy for his prospect and is there to solve the prospect's problem. Echoing Rabbi Lapin's point about profit, Zig says something to the effect that you will get what you want only after you help lots of other people get what they want.

That sounds about right to me. In my experience, I've known lots of people who have done well in their careers through empathy and kindness. I've known a few who have been utter jerks. For the most part, though, jerks go nowhere because they rapidly burn through their professional and customer relationships.

Shades of Grey


Yvoire, France 2010


Again, this week, I was intrigued by the wonderful exercises put together by the Magpie's Fancy.  I am delighted with her blog and just felt compelled to give 'The Picture' exercise a try.
Here goes...



Amid the distracted shuffle of the plentiful masses who arrived to breathe and feel the joie de France,

they saw nothing. 

Amid the myriad of sweet-scented crèperies that wafted their savory aroma of melted nutella
and the potteries  that extended their olive painted wares to their hopeful guests,

they noticed nothing. 

They slipped through the ever-present crowds, they ambled along their well-worn lane, each quiet step of their stroll in sync with their present, their pasts, and their futures together.   

The grey wooly sky that rounded overhead, the cool stroking breeze that caressed by, and the smooth sure-footed but time-worn rocks that bore them safely along, all knew the essence of their bonds. 

Holding each other so gently, so supportively, so tenderly, arm-in arm, keenly separated them from the rest. 

My ears wishfully longed  for a shade of their stories.  My eyes softened with yearning for a glimpse of their interwoven pasts. 

Finally, as they meandered nearly out of sight, my heart quietly celebrated the hushed existence of their winsome souls on this earth. 
Soft and Serene. 
Thoughtful and prolonged.
Adored and admired.

Boredom on Sunday

Hari ni sgt2 boring.
Stay di rumah n cuaca sgt2 panas.
Huhu..
Kerja berlambak.huhu.
Ada la buat kerja jugak kn.tp takde la produktif sgt.
Hehehe.

Sejak2 dgr crite dr officemate pasal dorg kne 'Kacau',
hm ain pun makin takut.huhu.
Takut nk stay office smp mlm2. Scary la wei...

Ok.semalam saje la jenguk Facebook Heliza Helmi,
pastu tibe2 ternampak la gmbr Lisa Surihani yang comel loteh tu.
Cantik betul rambut die.. ish2..memang idaman saya la. Hehe..

Cuba tgk gmbr die ni..serius shit cantik kan???
Ok, confirm May ni ain nk g buat rambut cam die..
Kenapa May?? tggu allowance peak period dulu la.
Baru ada fulus nk g buat rambut.. hehe =)

Lisa

Hmm, beg tgn ain pun da rosak.
Nk kne beli beg baru..hehe.
Ingatkan nk beli beg Charles & Keith.
Ain pun ngah survey2 katalog die.
Tp ada ke outlet die kt JB??
Ke kne g Singapore???
Haha..passport pn takde..
Berangan nk g Singapore.
Hm, nmpak gaya nyer ain kene g buat passport.
Dr nk g KL bek ain g Singapore kn???
hehehe....=))

Mlm ni kita makan ayam masak Unkep
Hahaha...ain pun tak tau cmne ejaan nyer
tau sebut n makan jer..
hahahha..
Tukang masak mlm ni ialah Cik Nursazella.
Berkat daripada tok guru..DJ Lin, Johor FM.hahahaha..
Sama2 kite tgu utk merasa masakan nya..hehe =))

Btw, Aleeya, my little sis makin besar n nakal.
Mcm kakak-kakak die jugak.
Di sini saya selitkan gmbr adik kecil sedang photoshoot
di Desaru, Kota Tinggi, Johor.

Lisa

Aleeya dengan muka pelik.

Lisa
Gaya beruk mak nyeh dr Aleeya

P/s: Ok la, sudah azan, masa utk saya mandi n masak.
Kite jumpa lagi eh.
Tata..titi..tutu...