‘Roast Pork’ Articles at Sweetnicks

Review: Tony Luke’s {Philadelphia, PA}

October 28, 2014 · Narrative

Heading to Philly? A stop at Tony Luke’s for a cheese steak and fries is just the thing you need.

Who goes to Philadelphia, the “cheese steak capital of the world,” and orders a cheese steak with roast pork and broccoli rabe, instead of the steak, yellow cheese, and caramelized onions legit version that everyone covets?

… meekly raising my hand ….

That would be me.

Partly because I was trying to be virtuous. And a friend raved about it. And the kids aren’t fans of broccoli rabe, so when it’s presented as an option, I’m all …. GIMME.

Which is exactly how I found myself sitting in my car on East Oregon Avenue in Philadelphia, underneath an overpass, parked in front of Tony Luke’s, and delving into a little dashboard dining.

Delicious in the most ridiculous sense.

This was the kick-off to a Girls Weekend in Philadelphia back in August. In that, it was our first stop. Because we pretty much planned to eat our way from one end of the city to the other.

And I think we did.

The restaurant is a blink-and-you-miss-it type place.

In fact, it was so non-descript, it wasn’t until I was standing in front of a poster inside that I realized it was owned by Tony Luke, Jr., one of the guys on Frankenfood, a show on Spike TV. And then I quickly texted Nick to tell him where I was, because it’s a show we all watch together.

And then I, of course, bought him a t-shirt because I felt bad he wasn’t there to experience the moment with me.

#momguilt

Opened in 1992, the place is small, with a handful of tables inside and a long counter to order from. There is an adjacent parking lot, as well as on-street parking. They actually didn’t sell cheese steaks when they originally opened, but added them about six months in, based on customer demand. Now they have 22 locations, as far reaching as Bahrain, and even have a few of their menu items available to be shipped frozen straight to your door.

…

Roast Pork Torta

September 9, 2010 · Narrative

With the kids back in school this week, I worried momentarily about our new evening routine. They usually come to the gym with me a few days a week, but with homework, earlier bedtimes and alarm clocks buzzing way earlier than they should, I wanted to make an attempt to be organized from the get-go. This week, it meant a menu plan.

Truth be told, I’m usually good for only a few weeks with a menu plan before my good intentions quickly go by the wayside, as you may very well recall, so it remains to be seen how long it will really last. For now, though, having a plan for dinner every night makes it a bit easier to keep us (and my work-outs) on track.

I have a stack of new-to-try recipes that either fit the “clean eating” guidelines or can be easily tweaked to fit, so when I threw together this week’s menu plan over the weekend, I leafed through those first. It seems like I got a bit lucky that the pile had the roast pork from yesterday, and a recipe for Pork Tortas as well. Could I really be so organized as to use pork from yesterday’s dinner to create an entirely new meal tonight? Most of the time, no. But this time? You bet.

This Pork Torta recipe comes to us from the good folks at Cooking Light magazine. Although their recipe specifically calls for using pork chops, I knew roast pork leftover from last night’s dinner would be perfect, and make tonight a breeze. And it was, and it did. Because the pork was already cooked and ready to go, pulling this together was simply a matter of slicing up a few vegetables, toasting the bread and layering it all together. One bite and I was hooked. Between the butteriness of the avocado, the juiciness of the tomato (and WHY is it so hard to find ripe tomatoes in New Jersey in the summer, for pete’s sake?!) and the sharp bite of the onion … oh my, so.very.good.

If you make the pork from last night (and you really should), this is a great way to serve up the leftovers in disguised this-isn’t-really-last-night’s-dinner way. Full-on flavor for five minutes of time? Don’t need to ask me twice….

Summerfest 2010: Double Dose of Garlic

September 7, 2010 · Narrative

As I smelled the sweet smell of garlic permeating the house, today was one of those days where the planets perfectly aligned. Because it was the kids’ first day of school, I wanted to make a dinner that I knew they’d like. But first, a flashback to last week. I was making a dish and it called for a can of black beans. Nick saw me in the kitchen with them, and asked for a bite. I told him that they were from the can, and not what he thought they were. He shook his head, not caring and grabbed a spoon.

Minutes later … “yuck!” “I told you,” I said. “They’re not the same as the Cuban Black Beans you like.”

He was disappointed, I knew, so I made a mental note to make him the beans he liked for dinner on his first day of school. Although it was one of The Ex’s specialties, I have a tried-and-true recipe that is just as good as his. But what to serve with it? The Ex also makes a wonderful roast pork, something I haven’t attempted to make on my own since he moved out. I happened to find a simple recipe in a recent issue of Maxim magazine, of all places, and by noon, the house smelled insanely delicious, with both the roast pork and black beans doing their thing.

Both recipes called for garlic, so that was the overriding scent of the day, with a flash of my fingers reminding me of what was cooking in the oven and the slow cooker. And this week’s ingredient for Summerfest 2010? Garlic!

As soon as Nick walked in the front door this afternoon, he made a beeline for the kitchen, knowing exactly what smelled so good. It was all he could do to wait for dinner. And the roast pork? Wicked good. For just a few minutes of prep work, you are rewarded with insanely tender meat, full of flavor from the herbs, garlic and wine. Make it. Even if the recipe came from Maxim.

And now for more garlic goodness from my fellow Summerfesters…

Todd and Diane at White on Rice Couple: Garlic Knots

Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Spicy Pickled Garlic

Sara at Food2: Easiest Recipes Ever, Starring Garlic

Michelle on Cooking Channel: Roasted Garlic

Liz at Healthy Eats: 5 Reasons to Eat More Garlic

Kirsten at FN Dish: Garlic Chicken Greats

Margaret at A Way to Garden: Growing and Storing a Year of Garlic

Caroline at the Wright Recipes: Ajo Blanco Soup, and Confit Garlic

The Gilded Fork: Garlic Dossier and Recipes

Food Network UK: Glorious Garlic

Alana at Eating from the Group Up: Pickled Garlic

Caron at San Diego Foodstuff: Italian Marinated Eggplant and Sorrel and Garlic Sauce

Paige at The Sister Project: Spaghetti with Garlic and Zucchini

Project 365
September 7, 2010, Photos #157-162

Both kids switched schools this year, and now no more uniforms and an early start on the bus. I can’t believe they’re second and third graders already!

They barely turned to say good-bye to us. Sniff.

And Madeline joined the school crowd this morning too, starting her first official day of Pre-Pre-K. She really, really, really wanted to go on the bus with the big kids, even though I tried to explain to her that she has a few more years to go.

The Best Damn Pork Butt, Period
Recipe courtesy of Maxim magazine, August 2010

20 sage leaves
3 thyme sprigs, stems removed
3 rosemary sprigs, stems removed
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 T fennel seeds, lightly toasted
1-1/2 tsp medium-coarse sea salt
1-1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 lbs boneless pork shoulder, skin on
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry red or white wine

Heat oven to 250. Chop sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic together. Place in a bowl; add fennel, salt and pepper. Stir. Score pork skin in a cross-hatch pattern, making 1/2-1/4 inch deep cuts about an inch apart. Make 10 1/2-inch deep incisions and stuff them with half of herb mixture. Tie pork tightly with twine, brush olive oil over skin and rub with remaining herbs. Set skin side up and roast for two hours. Pour wine over pork and baste with juices. Continue roasting, basting every half hour until skin is well-bowned, 2-1/2-3 hours more. Let rest for 15 minutes. For crispy skin, slice off cap of skin and fat. Broil, skin side up, three to six minutes. Slice roast and skin and serve together on a platter or crusty roll.