Sweet and Sour Pork Picnic

14. January 2008 Pork 0

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to eat at least one fruit a day, everyday. It’s been difficult with the small selection of fresh fruits this winter, so the sale of canned pineapple chunks at my local grocery store caught my eye. I rarely buy anything canned, but three cans of pineapple for $2 seemed like a good deal to me. I thought of making a sweet and sour sauce with the pork picnic, or lower part of the shoulder, I picked up from Chinatown. Slivers of pork belly would be a good substitute, but I opted for the meatier part of the pig here. A melee of colorful vegetables made this the perfect Sunday lunch with family.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of pork picnic, trimmed of fat and excess skin, chopped
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, julienned
a handful of string beans
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 red onion, thinly slice
2 cloves of garlic, minced
a small bunch of chives, chopped
a dash of sesame seeds, toasted
salt, oil

For the sweet and sour sauce:
1 can of pineapple chunks, drained
3 tbsps sugar
a jigger of red wine vinegar
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, minced

1. In a small pot, combine all the sweet and sour ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes while occasionally stirring to avoid sticking.
2. In a large wok, heat some oil and cook pork pieces until evenly browned.
3. Add green beans and stir-fry for 8 minutes or until tender. Add the rest of the vegetables and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
4. Pour in the sweet and sour sauce and toss. Season with salt to taste. Sprinkle with chives and sesame seeds before serving.