mon grand-père avait trois cochons... - sorry kids, the big bad wolf got them in the end

I'm a little pressed for time today, so I'm going to try to make this short! This blog page is impossible to work with when it comes to layout, and font/size but I have no intention to learn html... so, sorry about the funny format!

The next few recipes deal with the poor 3 Little Pigs. I think that it was on Mythbusters that they tested The 3 Little Pigs tale and they tried to blow down straw, wood and brick houses and ultimately, with a massive vortex gun, they managed. Ergo, those 3 pigs, well, they became bacon.

The next recipe is very Canadian and very yummy. It's simply marinated in maple syrup and pan fried, so you will need a nice thin-ish filet, or whatever dimension that isn't too big to fry in 10 minutes. Think of preparing this 12-24 hrs prior to eating it. On the other hand, I only had a couple hours and it tasted great.


Pork Filet Marinated in Maple Syrup and Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/4 c/ 60 ml maple syrup
• 1/4 c/ 60 ml balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c/ 60 ml olive oil
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 fat garlic clove, smushed
  
• 1 tsp dried rosemary or a couple sprigs of fresh
• black pepper

1. Mix all ingredients in the bowl you wish to marinate the meat in. You want the marinade to cover the meat completely, so something with a small base and straight tall sides works great.
2. Place the meat into marinade and make sure it is fully coated. Cover and put into the fridge for up to 24 hrs. You may want to poke around a little in there in order to mix it up.
3. In the ideal world, you would have beautiful sunshine and a fully equipped porch and bbq on which to grill this, but you can always pretend and fire up your stove and heat a good pan until very warm. Seal the ends, and fry the fillet, turning it and basting it with the marinade while cooking. It should take no more than 15 mins.
4. Once it's done, put it to rest covered with foil.
5. Put the remaining marinade into a saucepan and bring it to a boil for a couple minutes to reduce it.
6. Cut the meat into thick slices, and cover it with the marinade/sauce.
7. Serve with smashed potatoes, broccoli, asparagus, brussels sprouts or all at once...

I think the second pig became a roast, I'll dig up a recipe and post it later once I have mastered one I like. In general, I find, find a piece of roast on sale at the store and pick up a bunch of fresh rosemary. I have made this recipe from BBC Good Food http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1350/roast-pork-with-apples-cider-vinegar-and-rosemary before and it made a regular Monday evening feel like Sunday lunch :o) The apple sauce really adds the edge, serve with steamy potatoes, yummy!

What happened to the smarty-pants pig? He was made into the classic Joy of Cooking Sweet and Sour Pork recipe. I always loved this recipe. To (psychologically) make up for all the sugary pineapple, serve it on a bed of wild rice and perhaps some boiled pekinga (I have no idea how to spell that, but you know what I mean :o)) cabbage.

Sweet and Sour Pork

• 2 lb lean boneless pork loin or shoulder
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Cut the pork into 1/2 inch strips, 2 inches long.

Brown the meat in a wok/skillet in the hot oil.

Drain the meat on paper toweling.

Cook the following sauce until thickened and clear:

• 1 c pineapple juice
• 1/2 c water or chicken stock
• 1/3 c vinegar
• 1/4 c packed brown sugar
• 2 tbsp corn starch
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Add the meat and simmer, covered for about 1 hour or until tender.

Add:

• 1 1/2 c pineapple chunks
• 1 small diced green pepper
• 1/4 c onion slices

Cook uncovered for about 10 mins. Serve over boiled rice.