Moscow Food Co-op Recipes

Omnivoria:
Peri Peri Pork Chops; Some Hints and Tips

I was looking over the meat counter for something yummy to write about when one of the polite young men behind the counter suggested I try the Co-op’s own Brazilian Peri Peri marinated pork chops. One look at these finely marinated chops sitting in the cooler was all it took for stomach to start rumbling. My brain said “but you need to do something with an in-depth recipe for experienced cooks”, my stomach said “lime, garlic, peri peri… What’s peri peri? GET THEM.” In a true testament to my maleness, my stomach won. All is not lost, as I have something better than just any recipe to pass along before the end of this column.

First things first, what the heck is “peri peri”? Well, as plenty of people probably know and I just found out, it is a variety of hot chili pepper popular in many African, Portuguese, and Brazilian cuisines. It is also known as the “African Birdseye” pepper, and is similar in color, size, and heat to a Cayenne or Thai pepper. It is frequently used in marinades for chicken and fish in the Northeast of Brazil, and was certainly well suited to the Beeler’s pork chops in our meat department.

I have to say that I was once again impressed by the inherent quality of the Beeler’s Pork. I was also impressed with the marinade, an excellent balance of lime and garlic flavors with just a hint of heat from the peppers. Needless to say, I cooked them as they were and served them with a simple potato side dish and some of my mom’s homemade pasta salad. Absolutely a delicious meal and I would recommend anyone looking for a simple meat addition to their menu on a busy night to check out the Co-op’s own offerings in the meat cooler. I would also advise asking any questions you want of the meat department workers, all of them I have met were quite knowledgeable and helpful.

When I cook at home I very rarely use recipes so instead of a recipe, I am including instead a list of helpful hints and tips for use by cooks of ANY skill level. A number of these tips are simple little things I have picked up in my almost 17 years of food service and hospitality work. A few are even older, dating back to when my mother taught me to scramble eggs at the age of five.

Seventeen Years in a Nutshell

1. Mise en place. This is French for “all in place,” but in the culinary setting the translation is expanded to mean “A place for everything and everything in its place.” I don’t follow it as well at home as I do at work, but the more you work on it the easier it gets. Knowing where your tools are before you need them is always a good thing, as is reading all of a recipe before starting on it. An excellent example of this concept would be any given cooking show, where they have all their ingredients prepped ahead of time.
2. Knives. A knife’s main function is to be dulled. Having a good knife only makes a difference if you take good care of it. This means knowing the difference between sharpening (removing material to make a new edge) and keeping sharp (using a hone or steel to freshen the edge). Knife storage can be tricky, but what I have found to work best at home is using a slotted wood block, putting the knives in upside down to keep the edges from rubbing on the wood. I would also stress, ALWAYS put your knife down with the edge facing away from you when you are done using it.
3. Pre-mixed Seasoning Blends. This is one of my favorite tricks, making my own blend of dried herbs and recycling an old spice jar to keep them in. My personal favorite is a blend of one part thyme, two parts basil, and two parts oregano. This blend can be readily added to just about ANY cuisine, but it is only the tip of the iceberg as far as flavors are concerned. A good example of this concept would be chili or curry powders.
4. Sticky Pans. In this modern age of non-stick cookwares this not the issue it used to be, but if you find yourself using a cast iron, stainless, or other pan for cooking foods that stick, make sure the pan is at cooking temperature before you add whatever fat or oil you plan on cooking with.
5. Runaway Cutting Boards. If you are using a hard cutting board on a hard kitchen counter, the board is going to slide all over the place when you go to cut on it. Simply put a damp paper towel under the cutting board, problem solved.
6. Have Fun! Cooking good food for friends and family is a precious thing. Plan ahead, stay organized in the kitchen, and enjoy creating feasts of synergy, dishes that exceed in flavor and substance their base components.

Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes, and images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted.

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