Fries on Steroids

So, I was hungry.
I decked out the frozen curly fries, popped them in the oven. While I was waiting, I whipped up some fresh mayo -- put mustard, paprika, garlic, parsley, scallions, salt, pepper, 2 yolks, 2 hits of lemon juice, and a bit of zest.
I topped the fries with the mayo, garnishing with radishes.
Then, I proceeded to inhale the stuff -- it was so good.

Since I didn't have a whisk, I had to use a fork. But, it worked out.

Greek Yogurt with English Lemon Curd, topped with Granola:

An unlikely mix of ingredients, creating a truly sapid bowl of goodness.

I just had a grilling session with both of my doctoral supervisors together today. I have to admit, as well as it went, I was a bit stressed out by it. Being in the hot seat for one straight hour is not fun, though incredibly enriching. There's a lot of work to be done till I boil down my project to something more than just another idea.

Nevertheless, to celebrate the completion of the day, I decided to raid my pantry for a treat. I picked up a tub of Greek yogurt (I got the iconic Fage brand Total yogurt), a jar of store-brand (ASDA) Lemon Curd, and a box of store-brand (Tesco) granola (the box calls them "oat clusters") that contains plenty of freeze-dried strawberry slices in it.

The yogurt is simply magic to the tongue and mind -- thick, creamy, rich, just tart enough, grounding one immediately in a state of gustatory wellness. To start, I treated myself to a  spoon of it, with honey drizzled on top -- the perfect way to prime my appetite. Then, I decided to try something new -- I mixed 1 tablespoon of lemon curd into 2/3 cups of yogurt, and then sprinkled granola on top. This turned out to be one of the best things I've ever had. Mary Poppins was onto something with her measuring tape: put this bowl up to it, and it will also say "practically perfect in every way."

The sweet and sour nature of the lemon curd only enhanced the brightness of the Greek Yogurt. The thickness of it is simply heavenly, with a density similar to Labna, but with a little more air incorporated into it.  The crunchiness of the granola, and the sour strawberries further enhanced the well balanced citrusy yogurt. I'm eating it right now as I'm writing...can't get enough of it. Need a pick-me-up? Go grab a bowl of this fine stuff and tell me what you think. After all, the proof is in the pudding. Bon Appetit!

Reinventing Leftovers with Reggae Reggae Sauce:

The Makings of Seared “Jerked” Pork Chops, with Spicy Roasted Vegetable Pilaf
1 November, 2009, Cambridge, UK



I had a bunch of roasted root vegetables that I was getting tired of eating, day after day. They are relics of an, otherwise, wonderful side that accompanied a roasted chicken I had about a fortnight ago. They include roasted potatoes, rutabaga (what is called “swede” in the British vernacular), parsnips, and carrots. I’ve stretched my imagination on how to “extend” the life of them, having made home fries, vegetarian hash, omelets, and frittatas. As I ran out of ideas on how to reinvent the damned things, it became clear that they were at the end of the plank.

Right before I pushed them into the freezer, I decided to see the extent to which Reggae Reggae Sauce* can, to use their slogan, “put some music in [my] food.” Here’s how the experiment went, and it took 15 minutes of prep time, marinating/thawing overnight, and about 35-40 minutes to cook, of which most of it consists of waiting, and no participation.

I marinated two frozen pork chops with the sauce – just poured enough to coat each one on both sides, and left it in the fridge overnight to defrost and marinate.

At hand, just lying around the fridge, I had ½ a yellow bell pepper, a scotch bonnet pepper, and ½ an onion; I diced these finely. I also defrosted the remaining cup and a half of roasted vegetables in the microwave. Poured 1 ½ cups of long grain rice, got 3 cups of water heated in a water boiler.

Scraping the marinade off of the pork chops, and patting them dry, reserving the marinade on the side, I heated about 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a milk pan, on high, and seared the pork chops for about 4 minutes per side. I set these aside on a plate to continue cooking on top of the rice later on. With the remaining oil in the pan, I put my chopped onions and peppers into the pan, and browned these, then added the rice to coat and slightly toast the rice for about 5 minutes, then fortifying it with about 1 tablespoon of chicken base that I had made earlier (reduced 5 cups of chicken stock, that I made from the roast chicken, down to ½ a cup). While toasting the rice, I had poured boiling into the vessel containing the leftover marinade, and poured it directly onto the rice. Then I added the roasted vegetables. Stirred everything together; got everything to a rapid boil, and then covered the pan and reduced it to a medium boil. I continued to cook this for about 20 minutes. Placing the seared pork chops on top of the cooking rice, I reduced the heat to the lowest setting, and cooked everything for about another 8 minutes before turning off the heat.

Removing the meat from the rice, I let them rest for about 5 minutes. While waiting, I fluffed the rice and let it cool down to a safe-temperature to eat. I then thinly sliced the pork chops, which were quite juicy, and then dressed them with 1 ½ tsp of chili oil, and about 1 tablespoon of Reggae Reggae Sauce. I spooned some of the pilaf onto a plate and top with some of the meat, and topped it off with some hot sauce. This was tasty, and I ended up eating more of it than I should.

*Reggae Reggae Sauce is a Jamaican jerk sauce. It is dark brown, malty in its flavor, slightly sweet, and mildly acidic, with a viscosity of loose ketchup, but with a bit more texture. The flavor is complex, almost like Worcestershire sauce, but with a sweetness similar, but less pronounced as Bulldog brand tonkatsu sauce from Japan, or HP brand British Brown Sauce, only with a stronger bouquet from the herbs and spices of Jerk seasoning.