Sweet and sour

Today I received a complaint. What about all these cats? I do have a dog in the family too. Let me introduce Sasha, my aunt´s and uncle´s Tibetanian spaniel. Sasha saw my latest post with yet another cat and got a little upset, so he sent me this photo for you to admire. And isn´t he a beautiful doggy? When I visit he sometimes sit down on my feet which is very nice on a cold day. Random facts about him: when he was a puppy he liked to chew on visitors´shoes, he spends lots of time by the sea and he has a brother with the intriguing name Body Rocks Lou Bega. So there. I hope you are more content now Sasha, and I also wonder which pet in the family will demand some blogging space next. Maybe my sister´s horse? I have no pets myself apart from the odd dust rat.

I stick to the Asian connection but change the subject to food. This Saturday I found a pork loin in the freezer I wanted to get rid of in a tasty way. For most Swedes Chinese food equals something in a sweet and sour sauce, but I have understood that this has very little to do with real Chinese cuisine. Nevertheless, it is yummy sometimes. The recipe is from one of my cookbooks, in translation The season´s food, Årstidernas mat, by Caisa Stenmark. I like it because you use quite ordinary staples at least I usually have at home. You also use what you want instead of pork, (chicken would be nice) and you use the veggies you have on hand. Next time I think I will play around with some more root vegetables, for example...

Pork loin in sweet and sour sauce
Serves 5-6 people

600 grams pork or chicken, cut in bite-size pieces
1 yellow onion in wedges
1 large carrot in toothpicks
1 red pepper
1 tin of crushed pineapple (mine was about 200 grams with juice)
about 20-30 ml plain flour
salt and pepper

The sauce
200 ml juice from the pineapple, and water if necessary
50 ml caster sugar
50 ml dark soy sauce
50 ml vinegar, I always use apple cider vinegar
50 ml tomato purée

Prepare the veggies and the meat. Put the meat in a plastic bag with the flour and shake it well. Mix the sauce in a bowl.
Use a frying pan and brown the meat in butter or oil. Salt and pepper. Transfer it to another pot and keep warm. Sautée the veggies until a little soft and put in the pot with the meat. Pour over the sauce and stir in the pineapple, bring to a boil and let simmer just for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a little. Check that the meat is ready, spice to taste and serve at once with plain rice and a good beer.