RPI: Pistachio Crusted Schnitzel w/ Cherry Beet Chutney

The Lowdown:

I've come to really enjoy RPI. At first I always seemed to think of it as a contest -- shocking really -- everything seems to be a contest with me. I had the quirkiest desire to out do Kristy. Which, if you've read her posts you'll know it can be quite daunting. She is a lot more grounded when it comes to cooking. As in, she is much better at planning and executing her plan. Either way, I felt this competitive nature detracted from my over all experience of it. So, as of the last few RPI posts, I've tried to maintain a casual approach. By that I mean, leave it till the last minute. You know, let fear of not being on time kick in. It's a sort of primal instinct (?). Well, maybe not so primal. But whatever it is, it always inspires me to get my ass in gear.

I'm not sure where the inspiration came from for this dish. I had cherries that were over ripe. I had beets, as I always do. I love chutneys. I love pork. The RPI was pistachio. I love schnitzel. I love food that is easy and fast. Well, that solves that. That must have been the train of thought.

I love schnitzel. I love it for breakfast with eggs on it. I love it for lunch in a sandwich. I just love it any way really. But until now, I've never strayed away from the usual way of making it. RPI doesn't like the usual way though. In fact, the whole concept behind RPI was to get the back of your ears wet (is that really a saying?). Wow, if that is a saying it is really stupid. It's actually weirding me out. Furthermore, when did experience start to equal wet ears? Seriously. Way to think that one through creator of said saying.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention! I won RPI again! It seems ironic to gloat about winning when my first paragraph was about not making everything a competition. Bah! We've had a pretty well rounded set of ingredients thus far for our RPI missions. But one thing has been missing. A nut. Well, other than Kristy that is. So, it only seemed logical that one should be selected to play around with (that sounds so wrong when talking about nuts). I'm embarrassing myself now. I'm just going to stop writing.

The Playlist:

2 medium Beets, finely chopped

1 lb Cherries, pitted

5 cloves Garlic, minced

3/4 cup Champagne berry vinegar

3 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Olive oil

2 tsp Cloves, whole

2 tsp Coriander, whole

1 tbsp Pepper, whole

2 Cinnamon sticks, whole

2 oz Port

1 Pork tenderloin

1 cup Pistachios, crushed

3 Eggs

1 cup Brown rice flour

1 tsp Mustard seed, crushed

1/2 tsp Pepper, ground

The Skinny:

1. In a tea ball combine the coriander, pepper, and cloves.
2. In medium sauce pan: combine tea ball full of spices and the remaining first tier ingredients. Cover and simmer on medium until beets are cooked thoroughly. Remove tea ball and cinnamon and allow chutney to set.
3.  In separate bowls: beat eggs, combined flour and pepper, and combined mustard seeds and pistachios.
4. Using a meat tenderizer, pound the pork (or chicken) until it is as thin as possible before tearing.
5. Heat oil in a large skillet.
6. Dredge the tenderized pork in the flour, then the eggs, then the pistachios. Ensure that it is thoroughly, and evenly coated.
7. Place the schnitzel into the heated skillet and cook (usually about 1-2 minutes per side).
8. Serve with the chutney.

Stay Rad -h

Featured on: Chef in Training, Food Renegade, 33 Shades of Green, Premeditated Leftovers,

RPI: Bourbon with a side of bourbon...

While we may be very popular = no real time to make RPIs, it doesn't necessarily mean Haydn and I are being invited to "attend all of Victoria's most highly acclaimed art shows, movie premieres, and backyard barbecues".

Unlike Haydn, I have no quarrels with the art world so if we were attending acclaimed art shows, I'd actually be a pretty happy girl - hello, free alcohol. And movie premiers in Victoria? Yeah. Right. We live in hippie-ville Canada and I darn tootin' love it! Backyard BBQs though? Heck yeah - I've been on that train. Choo Choo! My point? Yes, we are busy. But not doing anything you'd find remotely interesting. Except the barbeques - those are pretty rad.

Also unlike Haydn, I got into the serving industry because I genuinely love it. Well, loved it. I get paid to socialize, meet new people, be around quality (or not) food and drink, and basically run my own business. And you know what? I'm damn good at it.

Fast forward 10 years later though: I hate people. No I don't.  But I do dislike working nights, I don't enjoy having to be "on" 30 or more hours a week, and I am awfully sick of seeing the worst of people - rudeness, crudeness, and general crankisorus-rexs. I'm over the serving industry - unless I can wiggle my way into management, I have no interest sucking up to enjoyable and non-enjoyable customers alike.

I have come into contact though with some pretty rad people, dishes and drinks. And while Haydn focuses on the history of the cocktail a little more than I do, I adore the art of the cocktail.

The love and care and creativity that goes into actually mixing and preparing drinks - be it wine, beer, spirits or a culmination of any of the above. It's still very new to me but the chemistry of making a good drink is very similar to that cooking - it's all about balancing flavours and making it pretty. Because as they say in food, you eat with your eyes first. Drinking is no different.

My current fixation? The Old fashioned. As I said @ Gastronomical Sovereignty yesterday, there's something just so rugged and burly about this drink...and me when I'm drinking it. Garnish it with some bourbon soaked cherries, and you've got a happy, happy girl... though that could be the bourbon talking.

The Old Fashioned
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
Serves One

2 Oz Good Quality Bourbon (i.e. Maker's Mark).
Three Swigs of Angostura Bitters.
Three Swigs of Orange Bitters.
1 Oz Organic Cane Sugar Simple Syrup.
1 Huge or 2 Large Ice Cubes.
1 Small Strip of Lemon Zest, pith free.
1 Slightly Larger Strip of Orange Zest, pith free.
3 Bourbon Soaked Cherries.

What to Do:

To make simple syrup: Place 2 C water and 2 C organic cane sugar in a heavy bottom pot. Heat over a medium-low burner, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves completely. Once dissolved, remove from the heat and if you like, add a Tsp of pure vanilla extract. Pour into a large glass mason jar and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep quite a while.

In a rocks glass, combine the bourbon, bitters and simple syrup. Add the ice and stir for a good 45 seconds to a minute - this allows some of the ice to break down in the drink making it much more palatable. 

Squeeze and twist the strip of lemon, drop it in the drink. Do the same with the orange strip but rub it cut side down along the rim of the glass before tossing it in. 

Skewer the cherries on a metal or wooden toothpick and drop in the drink. 

Let sit for a minute or two. Sip.

Enjoy.

 This post is linked up with Whole Foods Wednesday; Cast Party Wednesday;  Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways; Tastetastic Thursday; Full Plate Thursday; Showcase Your Talent Thursday; Foodie Friday; Fight Back Friday; Fresh Bites Friday.