Day thirty-three: Pork
Posted on | March 30, 2009
Okay. You all know I struggle with pork.
Mightily.
And don’t tell any of the chef’s, but I have yet to taste it. Which is a tremendous sin in culinary school akin only to not using enough salt.
But I’m cookin’ it. Oh yes.
Pork. My nemesis.
We finished chicken week last Wednesday and last Thursday, we started pork week.
As usual, we started it with a demonstration. And, as usual with meat, the first demonstration was on breaking big pieces of meat into smaller pieces of meat (such as chicken breasts). This being the start of pork week, we were, of course, breaking down pork. And once the chef got the pork into manageable portions, he grabbed the tenderloin and showed us how to remove the silver skin.
Silver skin is that nasty bit of unpleasantly chewy, chewy, chewy, stuff along the top.
He did some. Then he asked for volunteers.
Now, when I started culinary school, I decided that I would do everything and eat everything. (A few weeks ago, I tried my first frogs legs and I am silly proud of myself for it.)
So I volunteered.
I touched my first pork. I removed my first silver skin.
I survived.
A bunch of the other students refused to do it (performance anxiety).
But I, I who am challenged by pork, was right in there.
I washed my hands instantly.
The day of reckoning
The next day, Friday, we broke into our groups to start cooking some pork.
The first thing that happened was a student from another group banged into me and dropped his pork butt so this naked, slick, and bloody hunk of raw pork smacked me in the shoulder and slid down my arm, past my hand, over my hip, and down my leg, landing ever so gently on my left shoe.
I gave myself a bit of a sponge bath in the kitchen sink. But I could still smell pig’s blood all day.
So with that in my nostrils, 98 Pound Girl and I got ready to cook.
She made the pork. I made the risotto.
I was told the pork came out perfectly. I don’t actually know. I never tasted it.
I was also told the risotto came out perfectly.
I also didn’t taste that. Not that I am challenged by risotto as I am by pork, just that I must have eaten risotto 15 times in the last 6 weeks as different students tried their hand at it and we were encouraged to taste it.
Right now, I can live the rest of my life most happily if I never see another risotto. Ditto pork.
So on the ride home (the last time, by the way, the husband can pick me up; he starts his new job on Monday) I tell the husband my secret shame. Namely, that I didn’t try anyone’s pork. Including my own group.
“You know you are supposed to try it.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Listen, sweetie, pork really doesn’t have much taste to it. It’s not so bad.”
“Yeah. I know. Still.”
“Okay. But just try, okay?”
“Yeah. I’m trying. You know?”
“Yeah. I know.”
The one thing you learn in culinary school
Taste. Taste everything. Taste it all the time. Taste it as you are cooking it. Taste it when it is done. Taste it after you add your seasonings. Taste it after you add your salt. Taste it before you serve it. And taste it when other people make it so you can learn.
Goal for today: Taste the damn pork already.
Our recipe today was for a stuffed pork chop. This monstrosity was 2″ – 4″ thick.
Can you imagine how gross that was to someone who is challenged by pork? No. Grosser than that.
We stuffed it with sauteed celery and onions and heaven knows what else. Then, for plating, the chef had us cut it in half so you could see all this oozing stuffing surrounded by these twin slabs of pork.
There are four groups in my class. Each group made one pork dish and one side starch. We are supposed to also make a vegetable, but only two groups did. And we are required to taste everything every group makes.
Here is what I tasted today:
- Fried polenta (we made this; let me know if you want the recipe)
- Basmati rice pilaf
- Deep fried gnocchi (Grinning Guy, who was in my very first group, made this and, you know, it was weird, but better than I expected)
- Pumpkin pie (the weekend baking class left it for us and it was fantastic)
- Currant scone (another class left this in the student lounge for us)
I see you have already noticed that there is no pork on the list.
I’m trying. I’m really trying. But I am struggling here, big time.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow I’ll try again.
Maybe if you clap for me, the way I used to clap for Tinkerbell, I’ll be able to do it.
I hope.
Comments
5 Responses to “Day thirty-three: Pork”
Leave a Reply
March 30th, 2009 @ 2:37 pm
I’m rooting for you! You can do it!
March 30th, 2009 @ 5:32 pm
I feel for you! I certainly used to eat pork…before I became a vegetarian…and it was fine. It’s actually quite mild in taste, just chewy as I remember. Hang in there – YOU CAN DO THIS!
March 30th, 2009 @ 8:25 pm
Sooo impressed with your willingness to overcome your “distaste” for pork. You volunteered to work with it, an enormous feet in its own right. I’m clapping for you!
March 31st, 2009 @ 11:05 am
Aren’t you vegetarian?
April 1st, 2009 @ 5:24 pm
clap clap clap clap clap (still clapping). Wish you could try my grandmothers pork chops they were the best…. good luck