A meal that came about by accident - Boozy Pork Chops, Fried Plantain & Egg Cups

 

The story of this accidental' meal started with an inventory of my home store.

 

I have been taking inventory of my store which is really a converted room with shelving and different storage solutions that holds everything from supplies for the bakery, to household stuff to dry foods to make room for new stuff coming in. I found a box full of wines and spirits. See, we get bottles of liquor as gifts from people. I don't like to drink wine and hubby is more of a social drinker which means he doesn't drink at home. Every time we get a gift of alcohol, I put it in this box. So this box contained 57 bottles of wines and spirits. I kid you not. I was in shock.

 

The first thing I did was sort through the bottles. I got all the non-alcoholic stuff and set that aside to be given to the security guards. That still left me with 50 bottles to deal with. Fast. The holidays are in 3 months and of course we will get more bottles of assorted alcohol as gifts. So I have challenged myself to use up this mish mash or red and white wines, whiskey, cognac, champagne et al before then.

 

The white wine used in my previous post for the Wilson's Pink Lemonade Sangria took care of 1 bottle. 49 to go.

 

Enter my idea for a red wine marinade for the pork chops in my freezer. I make variations of wine marinades a lot but I figured it was time to create a new version. My plan was to make the boozy pork chops and serve with a sexy rice pilaf and honey glazed carrots. I made the marinade the night before and got the pork chops in there to take on all the flavor overnight.

 

The problems began when it rained over night and into the morning. That Lagos rain that makes every where dark and keeps you firmly under the covers. By the time I got myself together and came downstairs, it was 1pm. Lunch time and too tired to make my fancy planned meal. It had to be something quick and require no effort.

 

Fried plantain (dodo) and eggs are a favorite but I wanted to make the meal look special.

 

That's the back story to this meal and it was a huge hit.

 

To make a cup and a half of red wine marinade which can be used for pork, beef and goat meat, you will need:

• 1 cup good quality red wine
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1 tablespoon dry mixed herbs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• I stock cube
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Directions

• In a bowl, combine all the ingredients and whisk thoroughly.
• Add the meat and cover bowl and marinade in the fridge for at least 6 hours. Overnight is best
• Preheat oven to Gas mark 4
• Transfer the meat to an oven proof pan and bake till meat is done to your taste
• During the baking process, baste the meat with the left over marinade every 15 minutes turning over as you do so

Egg Cups:

• To make the egg cups, you will need to have a muffin/cupcake baking tray. Each cavity will hold approximately 1 egg.
• Chop into fine pieces, a selection of vegetables. I used red onions and tomatoes.
• Crack the eggs over the vegetables and whisk to combine. Add salt to taste
• Fill each cavity with the egg mix and bake in an oven at gas mark 4 for 10 minutes or until eggs are cooked through
• The eggs will puff up in the oven like a soufflé but will deflate to some degree once you take them out of the oven
• These egg cups can be made with any combination of ingredients. Try adding ham and cheese, or spring onions or even a dash of garam masala for a more interesting taste hit.

Sometimes, everyday foods just need a new twist to make them seem more interesting.

 

Enjoy!!!!