Pork......too Assertive????

 No....No......No.........

I'm thinking..........NO

I keep quite a few kinds of stock in our pantry.  Whenever we go to a store, specialty store, butcher, ethnic grocery market, and even farmers market I look for pork stock.  I have found powdered or concentrate but never just plain pork stock.  It has become just a fact that I have to make it myself.  Believe me, I am not complaining, I would just like to have a container or two, just in case.  I posted how I make the broth on Monday.

I have been reading that here in the states people don't really want it.  They would prefer to use the others like chicken, veggie, beef or fish.   I also read that they feel pork has too much of an assertive flavor.  Isn't that what you want, a pronounced flavor, I'm thinking that is what I want.  So I guess it will be up to me to always have stock in the freezer, just in case I need it.  We all really enjoy pork chops, cutlets, pork roasts and there is nothing that beats gravy.  Pork, we love pork.  Life is good with pork.  I cannot say it enough.  I will say they have breed the fat out of the pig.  Pork is so very lean, but it is still fab.  My favorite meal has always been pork chops.  I love bacon.  Christmas time has always been pork.  Both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day has been full of pork.  I love bacon.  Everything is better with bacon.

Yesterday, I made pork gravy to go along with the pork cutlets we were going to have for dinner.  I also made Mrs. Gallo's Potatoes, I did not eat any on Christmas, and I have been jonesing for them ever since.   They are not hard to make, not even time consuming, but the end result is pretty amazing. 

I started the gravy using the usual suspects:  butter and flour.   After the flour cooks for a few minutes, I then start to add the broth.  As is cooks, I add more broth.  I keep adding the broth, cooking til I know it is ready.  It has to have the correct consistency and color.  You know when it is ready.
 

Staub 12" Sapphire Blue 

It all starts with the butter

 I thought I had the bacon in the meat drawer in the fridge, I remembered I put it in the freezer.  I need the bacon for the potatoes, so I had to use the "Broad Sword" to chop the frozen bacon into small slices.  It is really heavy and so it was breeze.  It is just a shame that I did not take any pictures of it.  Oh, well next time.  The shallots and garlic were diced into small pieces and put into my largest prep bowl.  I used three different kinds of potatoes; small baby reds, dutch babies, and small yukons.   They were a good mix. 

Andrew said to me last night that the 15" lodge cast iron skillet was one of the best things we ever purchased.  I had asked him like five times, how many cutlets there were, he did not know, I breaded them, and put them on the racks to dry, then stacked them on the wax paper.  Andrew then cooked them in the skillet to absolute perfection.  I still don't know how many there were, I forgot to count them.  The marinade permeated the meat and added to the overall flavor.  They were worth the wait.

We had to feed Kathy, two plates, she was hungry.....Mike nibbled....he said he was watching, doctors suggestion....hehehehe (he had 3 helpings of potatoes, and 3 helpings of cutlets).  But did not have any corn cause he was counting calories.....

I think we all enjoyed the food, I think that it all turned out pretty delicious.

Lucky Andrew and Mike, they got to have a sandwich for lunch, a double decker.