The Other White Meat (and I am still not crazy about Publix)

So I knew I needed to whip up some supper, and I figured since I was going to Grease Burger Bar tomorrow for happy hour and Wednesday for lunch, I should pass on the red meet. I was really not in the mood for chicken or fish... So that lead me to pork, the other white meat. Again, I don't have a grill and want to keep it easy, so Roasted Pork and Black-Eyed Pea Salad it is, then!!



I set off for Publix, on foot, as it is right across the back parking lot from my apartment, and I am just getting the fixings for this. This time, the spices and veggie choices were easy to pick out. It was just the needed pork loin (2 loins, 10-12 oz. each). Being Publix, the only loins they had of that size are already "marinated" or covered in spice.. not what I needed. So I grabbed the man filling in the steak display to ask for "plain" pork loin. At first, he looked at me like I had lobsters coming out my eyes, but then I explained that I just needed pork loins that aren't "that," as I pointed to the pile of lemon pepper and and BBQ flavors of loin that are available.

"OH," he says. Apparently, I am in luck when it comes to plain pork loin. They are on sale! of course, they are not small. My choices end up being chops, loins as big as my thigh, or smaller bits of loin that are bigger than what I wanted but, as he pointed out, I could cut up and put half in the freezer. I picked the latter. I can use the other half for the pork quesadillas that are coming up later in Martha's book!

So, back at Ibis Reserve Circle, I preheated the oven and started to mix the spice rub. YUM.. paprika, salt and pepper, red pepper and thyme...



And this is what a yummy, fat pork loin looks like after said spice mixture is rubbed into it.



So into the oven that went, and it was on to the salad. Sounded interesting, as I have never had black-eyed peas outside of New Year's eve celebration. Here is the red pepper and my glass of Coppola Rosso, which we tried the other night at a wine tasting. It is a delicious blend of Zinfandel, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Highly recommended, and very tasty.



So, I chop up the pepper and two scallions, and mix it with some defrosted frozen corn. The sauce is Dijon mustard (again, Martha? Really? I swear she loves the Dijon) cider vinegar and olive oil. Actually, it calls for vegetable oil, but aren't olives vegetables??



Oh, the pork is done...I pull it out and put my thermometer in. I miss the one I stole from Jenny (which I have returned). It worked better. But my new one actually photographs better.



Well that can't be right...Martha says the temperature should read 150 degrees, so the needle should be where the arrow is on the right side of the dial. I am not a fan of trichinosis, so OK... back in for 15 minutes. Surely that will do it.... I dance around to some more songs, and clean up the random dishes until the buzzer goes off again.



Still not ready... sigh.. OK.. 8 more minutes for the meat to cook while the salad "cooks" in the fridge... Jan used to cook the hell out of pork, until it was like an old boot. I know you don't have to do that before you eat it, so I went with Martha's 150 degrees, rather than the thermometer's 170. Better that we compromise...



160 on the thermometer. Good enough for me!!! And let me tell you, it was all perfect!



Here is the Roasted Pork and Black-Eyed Pea Salad playlist:
Ring of Fire Johnny Cash
Where the Streets Have No Name U2
Time Is Running Out Muse
Stay Lisa Loeb
Already Gone The Eagles
When I'm 64 The Beatles
Joey Concrete Blonde
Love on the Rocks Neil Diamond
Straw Hat & Old Dirty Hank Barenaked Ladies (oddly enough, written about a man who stalked Anne Murray)
She Edie Brickell and New Bohemians
Call Me Calmly Barenaked Ladies
Outrageous Mixology Will and Grace (a mix of dance music and clips from the show. AWESOME)
Make a Circuit With Me The Polecats
Keep it Together Madonna (Don't forget that your family is gold)
They Don't Know Tracy Ullman (the video has a cameo by PAUL MCCARTNEY!!!)
Falling Down Duran Duran
Crazy Pills Will Farrell
Erased Annie Lennox (the ULTIMATE break-up song)
Stupid Sarah McLaughlin
All Through The Night Cyndi Lauper
Human Human League
A Matter of Trust Billy Joel
Same Deep Water As You The Cure
I'm Alive Electric Light Orchestra (from the Xanadu soundtrack. Oh yeah.)