Tis the season of entertaining and I don’t think there’s
a tastier bang for the buck than a large section of roast pork loin. To impart the most flavor I have found no
better way than to smear it in a flavored salt and garlic paste 24 hours before
cooking. You can make the paste with a
lot of mincing but I recommend using your Cuisinart. Start with a head of garlic, a tablespoon or
two of kosher salt, and a splash of olive oil, you can add any additional
ingredients once it’s finely minced. For
pork I often add rosemary or shallots, fresh mint for lamb, and a hefty grind
of black pepper for beef tenderloin. The key is to cover the entire piece of
meat with the paste before wrapping it in saran and putting it in the fridge
overnight. The roast meat will be
amazing on its own but I often serve it with either a toned down version of the
paste, more of a pesto using some sort of greens, or something complimentary
such as an apple and onion chutney. And
if your entertaining all the work on this one is done ahead of time, just
remember to set the timer so you don’t overcook it.
A raw cabbage salad is so underrated despite its amazing
crunch, flavor, ease of preparation, and longevity in the veggie drawer. I often eat it shredded with just kosher salt
and extra virgin olive oil, sometimes a squeeze of lemon, but nearly as easy to jazz it up a
bit more. In this case in addition to the
salt and olive oil I tossed it with some chopped fresh mint, pistachios, lime
juice, and a generous sprinkle of my favorite Indian spice, garam masala. Just as easy with cucumber, tomato, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta. The point is, once you start eatting cabbage raw you’ll never be caught without
one in the fridge again.
