Jan 12: Pork

I braved the frigid kitchen, dull knives, lack of pepper and missing measuring cups to make a real dinner for me & Stephen. Wild rice, steamed kale, and pork loin cooked with garlic, red onion and rosemary. I kind of made it all up and it was juicy and delicious. 

When I was studying abroad in Stockholm, I lived in a dorm that was half-populated with Swedes and half with international students. We shared a living room and a kitchen, each of us having our own locking cabinet. There was an Italian guy named Diego who used to cook elaborate, amazing meals - always a pasta involved somewhere and always lots and lots of salt. Although my cooking back then was even more rudimentary and simple than it is now, he gave me one of those life-lasting compliments that I think about from time to time: "Ellen, you have really good cooking instincts."

Many a time, I have walked into my kitchen with no idea what I was going to make and ended up with something tasty. One of my favorites was Chicken with Black Sauce. All I had was chicken and onion and celery, and I poured into the pan every black sauce I could find: balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and Worcestershire. I couldn't tell you what proportions of each ingredient (but I can tell you to put in the celery last or it gets too soft), but I urge you to try it. It was good enough that I've made it at least a half dozen times since.

After taking a 5-night cooking class a few years ago in Manhattan (a single-girl-in-the-city cliche!), I feel even more confident to take on ingredients I've never cooked before. Like pork loin. I know the basics of telling whether meat is cooked (even a chef's trick of knowing just by pushing on the outside - although usually I go for the not-so-subtle slice into the thickest part). I've discovered if I don't try to get too complicated, my brain can actually "imagine taste" the ingredients combined together and make decisions on what is needed. I am pretty good at making "kitchen sink" meals - putting together the remnants of an almost-empty fridge into something not just edible but potentially enjoyable. 

Not to say I haven't had my share of disasters and failed experiments. They just haven't deterred me from continuing to try.