Pork, cilantro, wheat

Yummy pork and cilantro and wheat thing.

I put some of the fat into the pan and heated it up. Then the chunks of pork when in. When they started to brown on one side, I added a half of a chopped onion. When everything was browned and the onion caramelized, I poured in some water. I added both torn up fresh cilantro, and ground coriander (cilantro seed).

My advice would be this: after about an hour (when the pork is done), take the pork OUT. At this point I had a yummy pork/cilantro broth, and chunks of lovely pork meat. Add some wheat berries to the pot, and cook until they are done (maybe two hours?).

What I did (NOT recommended). I cooked the whole mess for hours. The pork fell apart, the cilantro flavor got weird, and the wheat never got cooked enough (I added it way too late). The result is...interesting. It is not BAD, just weird. It is like you mixed pilaf and pulled pork, and added a strange aftertaste of something like coriander. Weird. Oddly, better cold than hot. It needs...something. What, I have no idea. The stuff before was AMAZING, really flavorful pork chunks in a broth of pork and cilantro. But once overcooked, it gets really muddled. HMPH. This is what I get for getting distracted by trying to put stain on a backpack basket while cooking. HMPH.

Since I overcooked the last thing I tried, and it was weird ..what to DO with it? I've also been mulling over some other food related subjects (posts to follow). Between this and that, I decided to try to make...rolls.

I took the pork and emmer mixture, and wrapped it in collard leaves, and baked it in broth for an hour. I wanted kale, but the only kale at the store here was very young and VERY curly on the edges. The collards are closely related, so I went with it. The broth was a little bullion, onion, and ground cumin and coriander.

The result? Interesting. We'll see how it is cold tomorrow. That emmer wheat is some sturdy stuff, I've now boiled it for hours, and it still takes concentrated effort to chew it enough. I think the CONCEPT is good, but my over-cooked variety is not so hot (hmph). I think that perhaps if I soaked the emmer for a long time prior to cooking it, then used the yummy pork broth to cook the rolls, that it would be much better. As is, it is certainly edible, and I would not object to a dinner or two of it, but I'd rather not eat it all the time.

I have since "fixed" this recipe. I used barley (fermented), with cooked ground pork, wrapped in cabbage leaves. The recipe/description is over here: Samples/Demo foods

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This time, I cooked wheat berries until actual soft, just boiled in water.  

I cooked chicken thighs (though it would work fine with pork), I pushed cilantro under the skin of the chicken and grilled them. I shredded some of the the chicken, and mixed it with the wheat and cheese.  I did that step while the wheat was hot, so the cheese got nice and melty.  I seasoned it with salt and a little vinegar, and then added fresh peas. Some chopped fresh cilantro is also excellent. 

The photo below is the hash on the bottom, with one of the chicken thighs on top.