I’ve been really consistent with posts this year,  right? Since everything slowed down a few months ago,  it almost felt like the early days when I had an endless backlog of ideas, and time to make them! I missed last week, so now I’m trying to catch up.

This one is simple,  but it’ll surprise you with a few complex flavors. Back to my usual cooking off the cuff instead of sticking to a particular cuisine. 5-spice on the pork for the base, a really cool cherry and lemongrass sauce because…why not? Roasted sweet potatoes, and some baked kale for flavor and texture.

A coulis is a pureed fruit sauce that can work in both savory- and sweet dishes. Here,  I decided to use lemongrass to pull back some of the sweetness, and didn’t add extra sugar.  I let everything boil and reduce for about 20 minutes,  then went ham with the immersion blender. A little butter at the end guarantees the sauce comes out shiny.

By now, you’re hungry…right? Let’s finish up. Peel and roast the sweet potatoes, chop it into somewhat-consistent sizes (my potatoes were all oddly shaped…not symmetrical at all). Season to taste. Once they softened a little, I stir-fried them in the wok to get a little extra crispiness on the outside. Oh, and while the oven is on, try this: bake your kale. Remember all the times I’ve told you to grill or char your greens? Kale is great for this, and I think it makes it taste nuttier– and a little texture never hurts. Wash, chop, and dry the leaves, oil and salt lightly, then bake until crispy.

Let’s cook.

You’ll need:

2-3 Pork Loin Chops

3 Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 Cups Kale, chopped

4 Cloves of Garlic, minced

2 Cups Dried Cherries, minced

2 Green Onions, minced

2 Tbs Butter

1 Tbs Lemongrass, minced

1 Tbs 5-Spice Powder

2 Tbs Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Season the pork chops with salt, pepper, and 5-spice powder. Preheat the oven to 415 degrees. Roast for 15-20 minutes or until fully cooked.
2. Drizzle oil over the sweet potato cubes, season to taste, then roast until soft. Transfer to a wok or large pan on medium heat, and stir-fry with garlic for texture.
3. Use remaining oil to coat the chopped kale, season lightly with salt, and roast until crispy.
4. Combine cherries, lemongrass, and butter in a sauce pot. season lightly to taste, then top with water and hold at a boil until reduced by half. Puree until a smooth sauce forms, then cool.
5. Plate and serve.

Done.