During the fall and winter, I eat pork chops, baked potatoes and salad. But in the summer, that just feels to "heavy" for a hot night. So instead I grill the pork chops, slice them thin and put them on top of the salad, which is bigger, and put the potato on the side.
And somehow this tells my brain, "You're actually eating a salad. Nice and light for a hot summer night.It just happens to have an entire pork chop sitting on top of it."
It doesn't have to make sense. It just works.
Ingredients
lettuce
tomato
green and red bell peppers
pork loin
salt and pepper
optional:
additional salad toppings
Directions
Not much to this one really. Chop up the lettuce into bite-size pieces. I find it easier to eat than having to cut everything up once it's in the salad bowl.
Peel and chop the cucumber into bite-size pieces. Use a fancy-shaped chopper if you have it.
Seed and chop the peppers into ... you guessed it, bite-sized pieces. Note that my wife likes to cut them in half through the core. Not how I do it, but it works for her.
And if the stem is short, it's more stable to do it upside-down.
Chop the tomato into ... oh, you know what's coming next.
And the onion, blah blah blah ...
Okay, now for the pork. Start with a pork loin and slice 3/4-inch thick pieces.
Lay them out on a hard, non-porous surface (yay, linoleum) with some space between them. Sprinkle a little water on top so they don't stick, and top with plastic wrap to prevent splattering. Then pound them as flat as you can get. Yes, a they do make meat mallets for this. But until my next trip to the restaurant supply store, a heavy frying pan works just as well.
Lay them out on a plate.
Season generously with salt and pepper.
Grill over high heat until all the pink is gone, and the edges are starting to get a little brown and crispy.
Slice very thin across the grain, and transfer to the top of your salad.
Some people will say you should never use a knife to move food like this. I do it all the time, and haven't cut myself yet. But officially, I'm telling you that you should probably use a spatula instead.
Now, once you've got the chop on top ...
Add your dressing. In my case, grated Parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
And that's it.
UPDATE: Ferretnick over at What's That Smell did his own version of this. He did some really interesting substitutions, all of which I like, except for the cucumber to zucchini. (Me likey the cukey.) I especially like the addition of nasturtium petals.
PS: I've been a little slow on the updates recently because of all the work on my big secret project. I'm just about ready to start telling people about it. If you absolutely have to hear it first, sign up for the free class at the top of the blog. I'll be announcing it there first.
11 comments:
The 'light' salad part sounds right to me! This is the way we eat too, but usually without the potato during the summer.
Looks wicked good to me. Salad is a great tool for feeling better about what you're eating. When we order pizza we usually get a salad too. So it's healthy! Ignore all the bacon and high fat cheese.
I do a similar salad but use chicken thighs. I like the thighs because they have a bit of fat that makes them more tender even though most is gone during cooking. I dress it with olive oil, garlic, and cider vinegar.I think by your pictures I use more onions as well.
Nicely done, sir! Looks very tasty:) I can get behind a "salad diet" like this one!
I just went to my summer stand by of pasta salad with grilled chicken because it was 108 on my front porch. In the shade. Also a good was for us to go through the pickled & marinated things in the pantry.
Linda, light is a state of mind. (That's what I keep telling myself.)
Bob, salad is like antimatter. The more you add, the lighter everything else gets.
Halidom, I went light on the onion for my wife's sake. When it's just me there's way more. And I completely agree on the chicken thighs.
Jenni, as long as there is a single leaf of lettuce on the bottom, technically it's a salad.
Stephanie, I don't miss the triple digits. (Although honestly, I'd trade it for the single digits. I hate being cold.)
Drew, I can deal better with the single digits, just because you can always put more clothes on if you're cold, but you can't take off too much when it's hot before you get arrested. Although, I'd miss my iced tea.
P.S. I'm going to make a plum pie tomorrow. I'll tell you how it goes.
This is also a great way to use up leftover pork, steak or the ubiquitous chicken - even restaurant leftovers are great too. Just slice thin, like you demonstrated, and nuke just enough to take the fridge chill off then add to salad. Very easy way to stretch leftovers.
Since you already noticed that I posted a link about your recipe, I'll just say "Thank you!".
For not only the kind words but also sharing good recipes on here.
This salad was every bit as yummy as you made it look (and perhaps even better!)
I'm looking forward to making it again.
I added you as a link over on my blog, as I suspect I'll be coming here a lot more often to try out more of your dishes!
I got a kick out of seeing you use a pan for a meat mallet! I have never used a mallet and in fact just last weekend taught my son the art of holding a big butcher knife safely to use the handle as a mallet.
Ferretnick, I just updated to include a link to yours. I really liked the side-by-side photos.
Nivera, even the biggest meat mallet I've seen isn't big enough for me. When I do pork tenderloins -- not pork loins -- one good shot gets them mashed nice and flat. I wouldn't want to use a knife. Not because I'm afraid, but just because I want something bigger and heavier than a mallet. Not thin and light.
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