The transition to a fully fledged comfort diet is well under way.
My favourite recipe books are being pulled out, with the old favourites from last winter showing up along with new additions.
However, I promised I’d be leaner and meaner this year, and winter should not be an excuse to pile on excess kilos I’m trying to shed.
Eating in winter should not always result in weight gain.
You can eat comforting food and still keep it clean.
This is an art I am trying to master. I guess the trick is to look at portion sizes along with the type of carbs I am working with.
Swopping ordinary potatoes for sweet potatoes, adding more pumpkin to the diet, etc. These small changes will bear fruit in the long run.
I just need to figure out the bread thing. Low-GI bread can be quite expensive.
One of my favourite proteins of choice is pork. I love its diversity, flavour profile across the different cuts, and of course, the many ways you can prepare it.
I have talked about pork here before, and most of my recipes are littered with easy-to-make pork dishes.
To add to this collection, I decided to do something slightly more intriguing and explore a cut I have not worked a lot with before – the pork fillet.
This is a nice, chunky piece of prime pork, taken from the core of the animal, and when prepared well, can be a super show-stopper.
However, pork fillet can become rather tough and dry if overcooked, so the trick is to take your time with it, plan everything in advance, and enjoy the process.
The recipe entails two cooking processes: frying lightly in a bit of oil, and then finishing off in the oven.
As you grow as a home cook, it is essential to know and understand that every dish does not start and finish on the stovetop or in the oven.
A mixed-method approach is somewhat necessary at times and brings intriguing results.
These pork medallions are seared and fried until they develop a nice, rich, golden colour all round from the dry rub (a mix of herbs and spices).
Although brown they would need to be finished off in the oven, so they can cook through.
Butter is your best friend on this journey, and of course, some patience.
It’s an easy recipe you can serve with butternut mash or sweet-potato fries.
The choice is yours. I just left it open-ended and made the cheesy paprika sauce to elevate the pork.
Pork Medallions with a Cheesy Paprika Sauce
Ingredients
1 standard pork fillet (you can ask your butcher at the store if it is not available on the shelf)
1 full onion, diced small
dry rub (Your spice rub should be a mix of your favourites. Mine is 3 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp curry powder, 2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1⁄2 teaspoon cumin, 2 tsp oregano, 2 tsp thyme, 2 tsp barbeque spice.)
3 tablespoons butter
1 tbsp flour
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup warm water
