When we were in Nashville visiting with Zzzadig,
he suggested a pork-based pizza
that would be in line with Mr. Hawthorne's diet.
We enjoyed this so much the first time I made it,
that I'm making it again.
It's that good.
This is definitely in my repertoire now.
This is definitely in my repertoire now.
We had bought a pork loin a few weeks back,
which we cut into individual 1 1/2-inch thick chops and froze.
We partially thawed out two of these.
Partial thawing makes it easier to slice.
Starting at about 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick,
slice the chop and roll it or unfurl it as you slice.
You want to keep the slice in one large piece.
Cover with plastic and pound until about 1/4-inch thick.
My pizza ingredients:
From top right clockwise:
pesto
zucchini
red onion
spinach
mushrooms
red and green peppers
Spread the pounded pork pieces onto a greased baking sheet.
I've become quite fond of this smoked sea salt
I found at a gas station outside of Vegas.
And I also found this little cactus planter there
which wanted to come home with me.
Junior makes his wishes known.
He wants food.
Now.
Back to the pork.
I gave it a sprinkling of pink Himalayan sea salt.
Action shot!
Good neighbor Zippy, in the background,
came by to have a drink with us.
came by to have a drink with us.
My ingredients are ready to build a pizza.
I grated both Mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheeses.
The cheeses go on the non-diet side of the porkza,
which would be MY side.
This is the pesto I made last summer
the day before ThatBitchIrene blew through.
I knew I was going to lose all those basil plants anyway,
so I ended up stripping the leaves
and making about a gallon of pesto,
which I've been using all winter long.
Spread pesto evenly over pork.
A layer of grated cheese on my half.
A bed of spinach.
Zucchini layer.
Season with salt ...
... and pepper.
Artfully drape pepper slices over the pile.
More cheese on my half!
Add sliced red onions
Colorful!
Black bean stripe down center.
Mr. Hawthorne just looked at the pizza and said,
"This looks like a vegetarian grave."
I use dried beans, never canned.
Take an extra 30-40 minutes to simmer some beans.
Makes all the difference.
Another layer of cheese for me.
Give it a little oil drizzle on the non-cheese side.
And I apparently can't drizzle and shoot
at the same time
since I'm drizzling on the cheese side,
not that anything's wrong with that.
not that anything's wrong with that.
Porkza is ready for the oven,
which was heated to 450 degrees.
I reduced the oven to 375 when I put the pizza in.
20 minutes and it's ready.
Please do not overcook pork.
I love cheese bubbles.
The well-pounded pork is fork-tender.
I love this.
There are so many variations one could make on this.
I'm thinking a cumin-rubbed and lime-zested pork slice
with an avocado sauce,
red onions,
grilled corn,
kidney beans
jalapenos,
cheeses,
cilantro.
Oh my!
I nuked this slice for 1 minute
the next day for lunch
and it was perfect.
Whats the deal with the diet Rosie ? Has Mr. Hawthorne decided to grace the pages of the Victors Secret Catalog one more time. I remember his coy expressions on page 22 in the spring "93 edition set the standard in the industry
ReplyDeleteHe's trying to fit back into his naugahyde thong, South.
ReplyDeleteTell him to use a teflon shoehorn LOL!
ReplyDeleteSouth, thanks for the tip! You know what they say about each thirty pounds you lose, you gain an inch somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for your sake that the label on that Thong says Dry Clean ONLY!!!
ReplyDeleteOh no, South. I wash the naugahyde thong and the pleather one in Woolite. By hand. Very gently.
ReplyDeleteMr. Hawthorne will accept nothing less.