The first thing I made for Tapasgeddon, in order to get me in the mood for the rest of the cooking, was a white sangria. This one is loosely based upon this recipe, but I felt the need to make a few flavor additions:
- 3 Pears, cubed
- 2 Apples, cubed
- 2 Pinot Grigio
- 2 Ginger Beers
- 1 oz. Mint, lightly chopped and macerated
- 2 Tbsp. Lime Juice
- 1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
In true slacker fashion, I basically chopped stuff up and threw it all together.
So far, it's good. I can't wait to taste it after it mellows a bit.
Maybe it's my genes; maybe it's because I'm not Jewish; or maybe it's just because I'm working my way up to cannibalism. Either way, nothing goes with pork chops like hot sauce.
Now, this doesn't mean your dish HAS to be spicy (unless it's meant for my consumption). Hot sauce comes in two basic varieties- the thick kind you either brush onto food or add in small dabs, and the watery Louisiana style hot sauce which is less about heat and more about flavor. Obviously, I stock both and use the latter for most of my cooking.
Tonight, I took some pork chops (hooray for sales!) and treated both sides with a small amount of hot sauce, cayenne, garlic pepper, and salt. (Other potential additions are: minced garlic, crushed red pepper, chili powder, small amounts of ginger, cumin, or paprika). After melting down a small amount of shortening, I cooked it for about seven minutes per side (until the center was white); had I not been so hungry, I'd have given it the sear treatment before the cooking on medium.
Seeing as how I used about a teaspoon of each ingredient, the taste wasn't as hot as previous variations; instead, the hot sauce imparted its own fresh-vegetables taste that took it out of standard weak-chops fare and placed it somewhere in the upper troposphere.
Not my best shot at this one, by far; but certainly quick, easy, and worth eating on a budget. Viva le hobo!
