Epic Journey: Part 24

Lemon water, sweaty sheets, and bare feet....

Suffice it to say... I've been sick! For the first time in nearly a week I feel almost human again. Time to do a bunch of laundry and get caught back up with the life I've been circumventing for the duration of this near-plague. Missed a full day of classes, haven't checked the mail, geesh - I haven't even been OUTSIDE since Thursday!

One of the things I normally love to do - cook - is one of the things I felt least like doing, but Friday night (before the full weight of the suck was beset upon me) I stuck it out and made a really good soup. I would wager that soup could have saved my life! Ok, maybe not quite THAT good, but good enough that I wrote down the recipe so I could make it again - and that makes it at least worth sharing:

*2# Pork Loin - quartered

*½ large white onion – small dice

*12-15 large baby carrots – halved

*1 med-large sweet potato – peeled and large dice

*1 stalk of broccoli – cut into bite-sized florets

*1 yellow squash – diced

*4 – vine-ripe tomatoes

*¼C marinara sauce

*4C water divided (3 to blanch toms, 1 to cool them, ALL to go in the soup!)

*2 TBSP minced garlic

*1 tsp AWESOME salt ( I used Himalayan Rock Crystal Salt, but a nice sea salt would work, too)

*1 tsp cracked black pepper

*1 tsp basil

*1 tsp oregano

*¼ tsp thyme

Over med heat - brown the loin quarters in the bottom of a large pot – olive oil with salt, pepper and 1 TBSP minced garlic.

While the loin browns, chop the onion into small pieces, then the carrots, then peel and chop the yam.

Once the loin is at least seared on all sides, add in the onions and a couple TBSP of water as well as the dry herbs. Let this cook at least until the garlic juices start to caramelize. Stir frequently.

When you add the onions, in a separate pot start the 3C water to boil – sprinkle liberally with salt

Pile on the orange things in the main large pot. Let this cook for a while over med heat while you blanch the tomatoes in the separate smaller pot.

Blanch the tomatoes – Roll them constantly in the boiling water 1 at a time for about a minute each. When you lightly tap the stem area with the edge of the spoon and the skin splits, take the tom out and gently roll it in the remaining cup (or so) of cold water that you have in a separate bowl to stop the cooking action. Do this for all 4 toms. Remove the skins and place the toms in a medium bowl and break them harshly – Give them large chops in the bowl, just enough to break them up into pieces that will cook down once they are put in the main pot. Spoon on top of the broken tomatoes about ¼C marinara sauce. Just enough to give the toms a boost, but not take over…

Once you are done blanching, pour the boiling water and the cold water into the main pot. Allow this to simmer for about 5 minutes. Raise the temperature to med-hi and allow to boil for at least 15 minutes.

Remove the pork chunks and let them rest on a plastic cutting board for at the very least 10 minutes. Shred them entirely using 2 forks and return the meat to the pot with the remaining TBSP of minced garlic. Add the toms, broccoli, and squash and reduce heat. Stir well and simmer for at least 20 minutes on med heat.

Makes about 5-6 2-cup servings depending on how much water was actually used and how big your veggies were… Unless you’re serving a large group you should expect leftovers!

I think perhaps next time I'd try it with a couple chicken breasts instead... Maybe add some jalapeños ... or bacon. Can never go wrong with bacon!

I've got a couple photography-related projects working out in my head so I may have more fun stuff to share next time! I am just barely able to function now, so gimme a little time :)