Greek Pasta with Pork

The Date: 11 October 2011

The Occasion: Wanted to try this dish again. I made it once, but I had some ideas I wanted to try on my second attempt.

The Recipe: From this book, but with modifications

How it Went:
I'm still not thrilled with this dish. I know that's not the best way to entice you to try it out, but I've gotta be honest about that. It's good, but certainly not a favorite.

The first change I made from the recipe was swapping pork for the chicken. I did a little bit of reading about Greek cooking, and they use mostly pork and lamb. So I thought I'd be authentic about that. Using the rotisserie chicken, as the recipe suggests, is great, though, because it's already cooked. Which I love. You just pull the meat off, shred it up, and toss it in. I had to cook the pork first, but that's a pretty quick process, so it wasn't a difficult adaptation.

The first time I made this, I left out the artichokes, but kept the sun-dried tomatoes. Neither Peter nor I liked the taste of the tomatoes and ended up picking around them, so this time I left those out and included the artichokes instead. It was definitely an improvement, but the artichokes seemed to lend an almost vinegary flavor that was a bit strong. Maybe next time I'd rinse them or something. I'd also chop them smaller. They come quartered, and I chopped the quarters up. But I'd even like them more fine. (Can you food-process artichokes?) Also, I didn't buy Greek olives, so I used regular black olives, but I think the Greek ones might be worth it. Regular black olives don't have that Mediterranean zing that everything else had.

In my browsing around online today, I found a recipe for Greek seasoning. I didn't take the time to make this mix, but I did use the flavor ideas and added a lot more spices than the recipe called for. It called for just some fresh minced parsley for garnish. I added parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, pepper, and just a dash of nutmeg to my dish. I was a little nervous, though, so I don't think I really added enough spices to make much difference. I think it would be worth making a batch of the Greek seasoning mix. It sounds like a good combination of flavors anyway.

The next time I try this, I will be more bold with my seasonings and possibly try the Greek olives instead of standard black. I served this tonight with fresh steamed green beans on the side, but I think it would be good with a vegetable in the dish itself. Potatoes? Zucchini? I don't think broccoli is really a Greek veggie, but it would probably be good in this. Another vegetable would also help cut the sour taste of the artichokes.

Your Turn:
To prepare, chop up

• 1 large onion 
• about a 1/2 cup of Greek (or regular black) olives 
• 1 jar of quartered artichoke hearts

and set aside.

Cook 2 cups of dry penne in boiling water.

While this is cooking, chop up about 1 pound of thinly sliced pork chops into cubes. In a large skillet, cook the pork in olive oil with pepper and any seasonings you like (parsley, oregano, garlic powder, thyme, nutmeg, paprika...) or the Greek seasoning mix mentioned above. If you'd prefer chicken, prepare about 3 cups of cubed or shredded rotisserie chicken.

When the pork is cooked through (and it shouldn't take too long), take it out and set aside. Leave the oil in the skillet. Add a bit more oil (or some butter) and the chopped onion. Season this a little bit as well.

When onions are tender, add 1/4 cup of flour and stir. Then pour in 1 can of chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then let simmer about 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in the pork, artichoke hearts, olives, and 2-4 oz of feta cheese. (The recipe calls for 4 oz, but I used what I had which was about 2. That works too.) (Optional: Add 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes.)

Drain your pasta (I hope you haven't forgotten about the pasta!) and add it to the skillet too. If your skillet is ovenproof, you're luckier than most. For the rest of us, transfer the whole thing to a medium sized casserole dish. Broil in the oven for 6-7 minutes, until the top is bubbling and golden brown.

Serve with a salad or steamed green beans or asparagus.