Friday, July 31, 2009

Spanish Pork with Orange & Poppyseed Salad

Beat up sneakers. Ratty old jeans. The dog.

Old standbys, they're the things that make life reasonable. No matter how exotic you get, they're the things that remind you that life is best at it's simplest.

The dog had surgery this week. During his annual check-up they found a cyst on his back. No one is sure if it's a problem, but best to have it taken out and tested.

The dog. Suddenly everyone is nervous about the dog.

He spent a day wearing one of those plastic hoods; don't tell me dogs don't have emotions. The pooch was flat out embarrassed. I swear, on his walks he looked the other way every time we ran into someone. Stupid cone.

He also has this square patch shaved into his side. I keep telling people that we had a small nuclear device implanted. You know, for security.

When I took off the cone he curled up on my feet and hasn't been too far away since. Man's best friend.

If a dog is man's best friend then, delicious magazine, volume 5 issue 11, has to be CrabbyCook's best friend. It is the single greatest issue of a cooking magazine ever. I've never prepared as many recipes from a single magazine as I have from that one issue. Spanish Pork with Orange & Poppyseed Salad is a great meal, light subtle flavors and the meal looks drop dead gorgeous. What more do you need? Enjoy...


Spanish Pork with Orange & Poppyseed Salad
from delicious magazine, volume 5 issue 11 plus a few Crabby adjustments

4 pork loin chops

1 teaspoon cumin
1 TBSP smoked paprika
Zest & Juice of 1 orange
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup maple syrup (the real stuff)

Orange & Poppyseed Salad

2 oranges
1 large, seedless English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves or other peppery green
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and diced
1/3 cup champagne vinegar (white wine vinegar can be substituted)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 TBSP granulated sugar
2 TBSP poppyseeds


For the pork, combine the cumin, paprika, ketchup, orange zest, orange juice and maple syrup in a large zip top bag. Shake well to combine. Place the pork in the bag, seal and refrigerate at least 1 hour and preferably overnight.

For the salad. Zest the rind of one of the oranges and set aside in a small bowl.

Peel the oranges and remove the sections. Place into a large bowl along with the sliced cucumber and diced jalapeno. Set aside.

Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar and poppyseeds in a large glass jar. Shake well to combine. Set aside.

Remove the pork loin from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to grilling in order to bring it to room temperature.

Preheat your grill to medium high.

Grill the pork to desired doneness, about 5 - 6 minutes per side depending on the thickness.

Remove from the grill and allow them to rest.

While the pork is resting, divide the salad among four plates. Slice the pork chops and place atop the salad. Drizzle the orange poppyseed dressing over the plates and serve.


This is a great meal. My only complaint was that it needed a bit more heat, so consider adding additional hot peppers.

Alright, I'm off to walk the dog. Until next time remember, you can do it, you can cook.

4 comments:

Ninette said...

Looks delicious! I've never heard of delicious magazine.

Lauren said...

Looks like a wonderful combination of flavors! Is there a way to cook this without a grill? I'm still learning how to cook meat. Glad to find you at Tastespotting!

www.crabbycook.com said...

Hello ladies,

Ninette, delicious magazine is published in Australia. I found it at Whole Foods (once) and at Barnes & Noble a couple of times. Because of the shipping it's pricey ($9/issue), so I really scan an issue before buying.

Lauren, welcome to Crabby and the fun of cooking. I'd take the following approach if I didn't have a grill. First, remove the chops from the bag and lightly dry them with a paper towel.

Second, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Wait for it to get up to temperature.

Third, heat an oven-safe frying/saute pan over high heat. When hot add a tablespoon of cooking oil and swirl it around.

Add the chops, turn down the heat to medium-high and step back, avoid the temptation to move them around. It will probably sizzle a lot and may be kind of smoky. Cook on one side for 4 minutes.

Fourth, turn the chops over and immediately insert the pan into the oven. Roast for as long as it takes for the correct doneness. For a 1 inch thick chop I'd say another 5 minutes, but you'll have to check to be sure.

Remember, the pan will be HOT. so use oven mitts.

Transfer the chops to a plate and let them rest for 5 minutes then your back to the main recipe.

Good Luck.

WineWizardBob said...

After eating poppyseeds, dont pee in the cup.

In the mountains of northwest Spain is a region called Valdeorras. The red grape there is Mencia, also grown nicely in Bierzo. It is one of my favorite summer red wines because it is fruity like Beaujolais used to be and can take a chill this time of year and it is yummy with grilled white meats. And it's not expensive. What more do you want?

OH, and just like most Beaujolais, dont buy an old one. 3 years or less is best.