Pork with melted goat’s cheese

This recipe started life as a way to use up leftovers from two different entertaining episodes, but it makes a brilliantly simple travelling recipe that can be made in a single pan (though two might be easier depending on what vegetables you choose).

I had a leftover pork loin chop (uncooked), just enough leftover uncooked asparagus for one (it mystifies me now how there can ever have been too much asparagus), and a small knob of goat’s cheese.

I used the asparagus, since it was there, but this recipe will work with many different vegetables, with the bonus that this produces a different dish each time.  Just choose anything that would welcome the sharp astringent taste of the goat’s cheese:  broad beans (frozen are fine); French beans;  mushrooms; even broccoli cut small.

Put a smidgen of olive oil in a pan that will be the right size to be able to take both the pork and the vegetables.  To start with just add the pork, frying it gently.   Meanwhile, cook the vegetables (simmering them in a separate pan or frying them alongside the pork if you are using say mushrooms or tomatoes) until they are not quite done to your taste .

When the pork is just cooked (click here for a tip for testing), add any separately cooked vegetables to the pan and sprinkle the roughly chopped up the goat’s cheese over both the meat and vegetables.  Give it a brief stir and put the lid on the pan on a very low heat, to let the goat’s cheese melt.  Stir again after a minute, and then again after another minute.

Test the mix for seasoning just before you serve, but the goat’s cheese has a tanginess which means you may get away with no salt at all, certainly with the strong flavour of pork, and all you need is a stylish flourish of freshly ground black pepper, if your travelling kitchen runs to this.

Happy quick and easy cooking and – bon appétit!

Anna

And for some variants

Pork is the most obvious meat to go with goat’s cheese, but chicken would work well too, in a different way.  I haven’t yet tried it with lamb but if you added any spice that had a hint of the Middle East (cumin, or coriander say) as you fried the lamb it would probably be brilliant.  I will be trying that variant soon, but let me know what you think if you get there before I do.

If no meal is complete for you without some carbohydrates, then you could serve it with couscous, or some rice, or you could sauté some potatoes in the pan with the pork. If you have walked far enough that day, or have been outdoors enough and are not feeling over-fussy, you could get away without bothering to parboil sauté potatoes, though they will take longer to cook.  Otherwise cut them small, and parboil them for about 5 minutes in the pan you will then use to cook the vegetables (no need to wash up in between – it’s all going to be mixed together in the end).  Anything that is ready too early will happily wait on a plate while the other bits and catch up, so timing is not very crucial.  If the plate can be kept warm, that’s good.  If it can’t, it doesn’t matter because the veg and potato can be added back into the pan  for however long they need to warm through again just before serving.