My apologies, I realize that’s a ridiculously long title. That said, it needed to be descriptive! Last night the boyfriend, as per usual, declared his hunger, and I opted to do some fridge cleaning. I had two cutlets of pork loin left over from some time ago in the freezer, and an older chicken breast. I also had a number of tiny potatoes that were itching to be used in SOMEthing, so I thought, all right, a marinade and some mashed potatoes.

It took about an hour and a half all together to assemble, which for me is quite quick for a complex dish. The meat was incredibly flavourful and a bit spicy (for me, meaning for you not at all, chances are) and I was surprised at how well it captured the marinade’s flavour despite the short time they spent together in the fridge.

The mashed potatoes are rich and very, very creamy, thanks to skim milk, parmesan cheese, and nutmeg- the secret to mashed potatoes, just like my mother taught me. Nutmeg + potatoes = match made in Heaven. You’ll have to trust me on this one and see for yourself :)

Indonesian Curry Marinade Grilled Pork or Chicken with Creamy Nutmeg Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients (for two) (meat & marinade):

• 2 portions of white meat (I used one chicken breast and two small pork loin cutlets – go organic!)
• 1 tsp each of garam masala, minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp each of cumin, ground cloves, coriander, sea salt
• 1/4 tsp each of balinese chili powder, powdered ginger, pepper, and carry ou curry bombay
• 1.5 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

Ingredients (potatoes – makes one rather large bowl, serves 6):

• 8 small potatoes (Yukon Gold and Red, mixed)
• 1/2 stick soy butter (or 5 tbl)
• 7 tablespoons organic skim milk
• 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp each of pepper, nutmeg

Process:

1. Mix marinade ingredients together and whisk briefly in a medium-sized bowl. Dunk in meat and drench completely in marinade. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Place softened butter, milk, parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg at bottom of a large bowl.
3. Rinse the potatoes, place on a plate covered by a damp paper towel, and place in microwave for 5 minutes.
4. Heat a grill pan on medium high heat.
5. Turn potatoes over to their flipside and microwave for another 5 minutes. Continue flipping and microwaving until the potatoes yield easily to the touch and become softened.
6. Peel potatoes one by one and mash into the large bowl’s mixture with a fork, continually folding it over and under. Set aside and cover with plastic wrap to keep warm.
7. Remove meat from fridge; place onto grill pan and grill for approx. 5 minutes, then flip onto reverse side and grill for another 5 minutes (timing will depend on thickness of meat cuts).
8. Serve potatoes with an ice cream scooper and serve with a refreshing and light summer salad to balance the carbs.

And you’re set! It’s a rather simple recipe but chock-full of flavour and is a nice mix of down-home good ol’ Southern cooking with a flare of Indian and Indonesian curries. Yum! I plan to keep experimenting with this marinade… next time there’s yet another curry from Bali I’d like to try :).

I really, really like mango. Not only does it have a fantastic taste, but the texture is so thick that it can be used for a great many things. That thickness is the reason it’s so adept at smoothie-ing… and at making marinades, dips, and other thick sauce-like items. As per usual, the boyfriend was hungry, I was in the mood to experiment, and thus decided to try out a few things I had been meaning to look into for some time: a curry-marinade and the odd marriage of strawberry cucumber. I had long heard of this myth but was wary- cucumber is such a strong flavour in my opinion, and it’s hard to say what it will happily make off with… and strawberry was not a prime suspect on my list. But you never know until you try, right?

The result was quite nice, on both ends. The marinade was thick and flavourful (long live yellow curry powder and garam masala!) and the salad was fresh fresh fresh! That’s really the only word I can use to describe it. I’ll post the recipes in two pieces here below:

Mango Curry Marinade Grilled Pork Loin

Ingredients (for two people):

• 1/2 lemon’s juice
• 1/8 tsp lemon zest
• 2 mangoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp of paprika, garam masala, and coriander
• 1 tsp yellow mild curry powder
• 1 tsp orange juice, no pulp
• 1.5 tbl low fat sour cream
• 4 pork loin cutlets
• 1 tsp organic canola oil
• pinch sea salt, freshly-ground black pepper

Process:

1. Place lemon juice, lemon zest, paprika, coriander, garam masala, curry powder, orange juice, sour cream, salt, and pepper in a bowl; mix together
2. Puree mango in blender or food processor until creamy and smooth. Add to rest of mariande and mix thoroughly.
3. Place pork in bowl and make sure it is fully covered by the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and cool for 30 minutes- preferably longer (overnight will be the most flavourful).
4. Once the marinade has cooled thoroughly, heat grill pan with canola oil drizzled over the pan.
5. Place pork (try to keep as much coating on as possible) in grill pan and grill on all sides, flipping over every 5-6 minutes until grill marks have a golden colour and prok is firm to the touch.
6. Season with freshly-chopped chives or parsley on top for garnish

Fresh Spinach, Cucumber, and Strawberry Salad

Ingredients (salad for two):

• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves (can leave stems on)
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced very thinly (paper-thin)
• 10 dried apricots, quartered
• 2 tbl raspberry dressing or 1.5 tbl balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

Process:

1. Clean spinach, drain, and place in large mixing bowl
2. Slice strawberries rather thinly (about 1/4-inch thick) and add to bowl
3. Add thinly-sliced cucumber to bowl along with quartered apricots
4. Drizzle on raspberry dressing or balsamic vinegar and olive oil
5. Toss thoroughly to mix!

It’s a bit of a fusion dish, these two things together, but it’s quite delicious, and very fresh. The heat, though mild, from the curry marinade is offset by the freshness of the salad. Pair these together for an irresistable summer dinner!

Last night I had an old friend joining us for dinner and when I asked the boyfriend what I should make, he of couse replied, “meat!”- no surprise there- and so meat it was. The lamb roulade had been a hit and I had been wanting to experiment with roulades a bit further, so I decided to simply go on my memories from last time and see what I came up with. A recent grocery trip had yielded some new pestos, so I decided that meant stuffing was in order.

Here’s a quick description of how to replicate this dish and make your meat-eating friends or significant other happy:

• Take meat (pork loin, chicken breast, lamb, what have you) and either a) get a piece that is thick enough to be stuffed, or b) flatten it (as I did). To flatten, place the meat on a cutting board and cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. then beat vigorously (I hit it with a rolling pin- a meat tenderizer should work just as well!)
• Place stuffing ingredients in middle of meat pieces, leaving room on the sides and bottom/top so as to (mostly) avoid spilling. You can stuff with a large number of ingredients. I went with traditional basil pesto, red bell pepper pesto, salt, pepper, and grated parmesan cheese this time around. You can experiment, however, with a wide range of sliced meats (meat in meat! the boyfriend loves the idea), cheeses, spreads, vegetables, and more.
• Roll up the meat and tie with kitchen twine (or some similar string (you can purchase this at your local culinary wares store if you want to be fancy- or just get some twine from the craft/home store for much less, it’s really the same)) in as many places as necessary to ensure no spillage. This can be 3-5 times per roll, depending on how poorly you stuffed them (I once had to tie 6… that was not a fine stuffing job, I can tell you!)
• You can now rub the rolls in some spice to add extra flavour if you so desire. I used cumin and pepper- I bet red pepper flakes would have gone well, too.
• Take 3 cloves of garlic and 1 tablepsoon of butter (or vegan soy butter! I will continue to plug this substitution because there’s no reason not to do it) and bring to a simmer. Add in the meat rolls and begin searing. Add in 1/3 cup of dry sherry or a dessert wine (something that will caramelize) to give a nicely-coloured searing.
• Once the meat is well-coloured on all sides, transfer to a baking dish and bake in a 380 degree oven for 8-10 minutes depending on the thickness of the meat.
• Remove from oven and cut the strings, then slice as per your desired thickness.
• For the rice, I made a traditional spanish rice but 1) cooked it in a home-made lamb stock I had been meaning to find use for, and b) added in freshly-sliced cherry tomatoes for a bit of a crunch

As per usual, I perhaps had a bit too much fun with the plating, but the boys enjoyed it :). I should have cut the strings down so that there wouldn’t be such an excess, but I have an odd fear of them coming apart during roasting… but it’s probably a better idea for you to do so!

You can make this dish in so many different ways- what meat and stuffings would you use?