Pork – Keyboard Monkeys

I love finding creative ways to use leftovers, and because we have pork quite often I sometimes have to get extremely creative. Taco / Burrito bowls are in easy way to use leftovers but they’re not the most creative, so last night I decided to try something a little different and come up with an apple salsa to go in the pork burrito bowls. The salsa turned out better than I expected and is extremely good alone with chips, but it is amazing with the pork, rice and lettuce on the burrito bowl. It’s so good, in fact, that I’m going to have the leftovers tonight. So if you’re looking for something a little different, a little spicy and sweet, give this a try:

Apple Salsa

Dice:
1 apple
1 sweet onion
1 red bell pepper
2 jalapeno (without seeds – optional)

Whisk together / Shake:
1 tablespoon each
apple cider vinegar
lemon juice
lime juice
vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients and add:
1/2 teaspoon each
salt
pepper
garlic powder
parsley
basil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

I had to get rid of the jalapeno seeds, and that’s where a lot of the heat is, so I needed to add the cayenne pepper to get a little more spice. If you leave the seeds in, or just want a more mild salsa, the cayenne can be left out.

So the first recipe I’m posting on the new site is actually my most recent. We eat a lot of pork because we find it on sale quite often, buy in bulk, and freeze it. This saves us a lot of money and generally means we have something available when we don’t know exactly what we want. Pork is very versatile, and I’ve got a ton of great recipes for it but the other night I wanted to try something a little different, so I came up with Pork Cutlets with Mustard Sauce. This turned out great so I thought I’d share it right away.

This recipe, served with some steamed vegetables and a side of wild rice or pasta, looks very elegant and would definitely impress your girlfriend, or that hot chick you finally worked up the courage to ask out (my wife loved it) but it’s also very quick and simple. There’s not a lot of prep work, and it cooks rather quickly, giving you more time to enjoy your evening.

Pork
4 pork cutlets, about ½” thick
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Mustard Sauce
1 cup chicken stock (or 1 cube chicken bouillon dissolved in 1 cup water)
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
¼ cup water
1 tsp – 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Bring chicken stock to a boil and cook until reduced by ½ cup

While stock is reducing, preheat grill, season both sides of pork and cook 3-5 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Remove the pork from the grill and cover with aluminum foil, allowing the meat to rest for an additional 5 minutes.

Once stock is reduced turn off heat, whisk cornstarch into water (1 tsp will result in a thinner consistency and 1 tablespoon will result in thicker, almost gravy like consistency), then add mixture to stock, whisking thoroughly. Whisk in mustard, salt and pepper, then remove from heat.