SUPER-SIMPLE SUPPER: PORK ESCALOPES WITH PINEAPPLE: quick & easy

Delicious, quick supper after work or school... 

This savoury-sweet substantial dinner will warm heart & soul
as we struggle toward Spring.  

Pork is becoming a more popular meat not just because it's increasingly well-priced.  It is also - when properly cooked - almost as healthy as chicken, and beautifully tender. 

And, being a 'light/pink' meat, it's a good compromise between poultry (which can get boring) and more expensive, less easily digested beef.   

Pork is also one of the few foods that boost Vitamin D. 

67's recipe teams pork shoulder steaks* with fresh pineapple, and serves it with easy-cook rice & vegetables. 

With a little prep the night before, the meal can be done and dusted in 20 minutes.

Cost: per person, £1.50

Feeds: 1-2, recipe multiplies easily

Equipment: air fryer, med pot; small frying pan

Ingreds:

1 pork shoulder steak, bashed with a rolling pin to half its width 

Marinade: 2 tbsp dry sherry or wine or white grape juice; 1 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce, 1/2 tsp 5-spice powder 

scant tablespoon light veg oil: peanut or sunflower

1/4 tsp grated peeled garlic plus

1/4 tsp grated peeled ginger (fresh is great but jars are popular)

drop of sesame oil

thinly sliced whites of 1-2 green onions (sorry, not in photo!) (opt)

1 slice fresh pineapple, hard core removed, fresh or defrosted frozen (or 1 slice tinned)

juice from pineapple

water or stock

1/4 tsp white wine vinegar, Shaoxing Rice vinegar or plain white vinegar

 Pork shoulder steaks & pineapple from the 67 freezer

1/2 cup quick-cook white rice (or 1 generous cup defrosted previously cooked rice, white or brown)

generous handful of two quick-cook veg like mange tout, green beans, frozen peas OR cauliflower, tenderstem broccoli

Garnish: finely sliced green onion (opt)

Method:

The night or morning before cooking: 

• bash pork shoulder steak (defrosted if from freezer) with a rolling pin to half its original width; cover with cling film; refrigerate
• Chosen veg: top & tail green beans; remove strings from top and bottom of  mange tout; separate cauliflower florets into thumb-size pieces; cover, refrigerate
• grate garlic; peel & grate ginger (or use from a jar); mix together with sesame oil in small bowl; cover & refrigerate
• cut pineapple ring into small wedges, save juices; cover; refrigerate
• mix marinade ingredients in a small jar with a lid; refrigerate

When ready to cook:

1. Shake marinade until mixed; pour into a flat plate or soup bowl, add pork; turn after 5-7 mins
2. Wash rice; add 1 cup water, a clove of unpeeled garlic and a slice of ginger;   bring to the boil; turn heat down low, cover.  
3. Turn air fryer to high
4. If using cauli or broccoli: when rice has been cooking 5 mins, scatter over the top of the rice; re-cover
5. After 5 mins, scatter quick cook veg over cauli/broccoli
6. When both sides of pork are marinated, shake off excess but keep marinade; cook in air fryer 2-3 mins per side until brown (it won't take long; they are thin); cover and keep warm
7. Put small frying pan over high heat; when hot, add oil, garlic, ginger and white of green onions; stir once or twice - don't let it burn! - then turn heat to med; add pineapple & juice plus leftover marinade and any juices from pork; cover, simmer a few mins
8. Veg and rice should be nearly done; if not leave a couple more mins then take off heat and leave to one side, covered
9. Add vinegar to pineapple sauce; taste; if too tart, add a touch of brown sugar.  If sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon or two or water; if too thin, mix 2 tsp cornflour with 3 tbsp water and pour into pan; add little more water & a touch more soy sauce if needed
10. Arrange vegetables on a plate; remove garlic clove & ginger from rice
11. Stir rice with a fork, add to plate with pork 
12. Either pour pineapple sauce over meat and rice OR serve in a separate dish 

(4 for £3.70, M&S; £3 at Sainsbury's: 7/3/22)

Comments:

'Very nice and spring-like; the pork was really tender.  White rice seems more suited to the pork but brown was excellent with a vegetarian meal.' Retired writer

Tips:

• No air fryer?  Shallow-fry the pork in a thin layer of light veg oil about 3 mins on each side; transfer to a plate and keep warm; use the same pan for the pineapple gravy
• Pineapples are great value, usually selling at under a pound and are far superior to tinned.  See how to deal with fresh pineapple
• Many supermarkets sell grated ginger & garlic in small jars; 67 has never been tempted but many have been, quite successfully

 

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission