Feast for a king!

For some reason, I’ve started photographing some of the meals we create on the fly.  This “Quickie” was born from the purchase of some fresh Brussels sprouts and a raid on the larder for the rest.

I love fresh Brussels sprouts and have them whenever they are in season.  Adding to the feast are homegrown tomatoes with basil and olive oil.  (We still have some tomatoes picked from our garden before the first frost and ripening on the kitchen window sill.)  A cup of plain rice and a small piece of pork sirloin.

Start the rice first and use any style or method you like.  We have an electric rice cooker and just follow the directions that came with it.

Next, place the pork in a small bowl and add a bit of olive oil and seasoning to taste.  I usually sprinkle mine with “McCormick Grill Mate” Montreal  Steak seasoning.  Let this stand until you have the sprouts going well.

Love them sprouts!

We quarter the sprouts, shave a couple of slices of red onion so thin you can see through them and mince ONE medium clove of garlic.  WARNING:  All you garlic fiends out there (I count myself among you) use just ONE clove, we’re tasting the sprouts here and too much garlic will hide that.

Place a couple of tablespoons of real butter in a small skillet and place over medium-low heat until the butter melts.  Than add the garlic and swirl it around to infuse the butter with the garlic flavor.  Add the sprouts and stir to coat them with the butter/garlic mix.  Saute gently until nearly done (about 10 minutes, prepare the pork while stirring the sprouts occasionally) then stir in the onion, salt and pepper to taste then reduce heat to simmer until ready to serve.

Browning the pork

In another skillet, warm up a small amount of olive oil over medium heat and add the pork.  Brown on both sides (a couple of minutes per side) and then reduce heat to low and cook until done, about 5 minutes.

Serve immediately with the rice and tomato/basil add a glass of your favorite everyday wine (We use Crane Lake Petite Sirah at about 4 bucks a bottle), light up a couple of candles and if you have some fresh chives or cilantro place some on the rice to perk up the appearance a bit.

A feast for a nice intimate dinner at home.  About 30 minutes from start to finish.