THAILAND

spicy pork stir-fry


it seems kind of wrong to have a thai recipe without fish sauce, but it does have that mix of heat and sweetness from the basil which to me is also distinctively thai (and i suppose you could add fish sauce to the finished product if you liked). obviously, the thai basil is best, but it's often hard to come across, so i find the usual stuff works perfectly well. as with all stir-fries, make sure you have everything chopped up and ready to go - i find this takes only about 15 minutes from start to finish.




serves 3 or 4

300 - 400g pork tenderloin, thinly sliced (don't use other cuts of pork as they'll be too tough)
1 red pepper, diced
1 yellow or green pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped or 1 tsp. bottled
2 - 4 fresh red chilies, chopped (my supermarket rarely has fresh chilies, so i generally go with a liberal sprinkling of red pepper flakes instead)
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. oyster sauce
15 - 20 fresh basil leaves

make sure your wok is very hot (the oil in it should be just about smoking), then add your garlic and chilies or red pepper flakes and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

add the pork and stir-fry for a few more minutes until the pork has lost its pinkness.

add soy sauce, oyster sauce and sugar (and a little water if it looks too thick for you). stir-fry another two minutes.

add diced peppers and basil leaves and stir-fry two minutes more, until the pepper have just started to soften.

garnish with extra basil leaves if you're feeling fancy.





*this can be served atop rice noodles to make it more substantial. in that case you may wish to add 1/2 tsp. cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp. cold water, plus another couple of tablespoons of water to make more sauce

SPAIN

flamenquines

this is a recipe i saw mario batali making on oprah with gwyneth paltrow while i was at the gym. all three of those people annoy me, but the recipe looked good, so i made it the very next day, and it was fantastic! not the healthiest thing in the world, but a great friday night indulgence and a lot better than ordering crappy takeout. i served these as suggested, with grilled asparagus drizzled with olive oil and lemon, and french fries.

(for 2 people)
* 2 1/2-inch thick boneless pork loin chops
* Freshly ground pepper
* 2 thin slices of serrano ham (i used prosciutto)
* All-purpose flour , for dusting
* 1 egg
* milk
* dry bread crumbs
* Pure olive oil , for frying
* Mayonnaise , for serving (optional, i didn't use it)

Working with 1 pork chop at a time, place in a resealable plastic bag and pound into a 1/4-inch-thick cutlet. Arrange the cutlets on a work surface and season with pepper. Cover each cutlet with a slice of ham and, starting with the short end, roll tightly into a cylinder. Dust with the flour.

In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs with the milk. Put the bread crumbs in another shallow bowl. Dip the pork rolls in the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs, pressing them on lightly. Transfer to a plate.

In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil until shimmering. Add the pork rolls and fry over moderate heat, turning, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 155°, about 5 minutes. Transfer the rolls to paper towels. Serve hot, with mayonnaise if desired.

The breaded pork rolls can be refrigerated overnight. Let return to room temperature before frying.