Cumin & paprika grilled pork with beet & cucumber salad & chili tomato sauce

It was a book on Indian cooking, this one to be exact, where I first read about this technique to flavour meat, usually for Indian curries. Basically, to add flavour to chicken or lamb before adding to a curry, fry in a few tbsp of oil to which some paprika, turmeric and salt has been added. The meat takes on a delicious savoury coating and a beautiful vivid orange which adds an extra note to the finished curry.

This meal idea comes from another great book, where the flavours are similar but the geography very different. Moroccan cuisine is bursting with the tastes I love, rich, earthy, spicy, cumin, paprika, saffron and turmeric. Chunks of meat marinated in this kind of mixture, singed and charred under the grill or on a barbecue until the edges are crispy, appeal to me more than any type of cooking. Add to that a zingy, earthy salad of beets, carrots and onions, scented with a little sweet - sour pomegranate molasses and lemon juice and a spicy sweet tomato and chili sauce and you have one of the best dinners I've made for quite a while. Neil even commented that he was looking forward to having the same again and didn't have one single criticism. This is high praise indeed.

This meal consists of 4 separate recipes: Pork in a Moroccan inspired marinade, a beet and carrot salad, a cucumber and cumin salad and a chili tomato sauce. All recipes at bottom of post

Recipe : Pork marinated in turmeric and paprika

Adapted from A month in Marrakesh by Andy Harris

This marinade was originally created for chicken, but I substituted pork as organic or free range chicken is getting too expensive to use for a weeknight meal

1 pork tenderloin, about 1lb in weight, trimmed of all fat and cut into chunks

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tbsp olive oil

a pinch of saffron

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, tasting before adding the salt and then using as much as you feel is necessary. Add the pork, mix well to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When you're ready to cook the meat, remove from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Thread the pork onto metal skewers (or wood, ensuring you soak them in water for 30 minutes first to prevent burning) and grill (broil) or barbecue for about 20 minutes until the meat is charring and crisping slightly and cooked through. Remove from the skewers.

Recipe : Beet and carrot salad

Adapted from the same book as above

Pomegranate molasses is a sweet and very sour sauce that lends an interesting tang to dishes, use sparingly at first and add more to your taste.

1 beet, peeled and shredded finely

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded finely

1/2 red onion, peeled and shredded finely

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together in a large bowl. (If using a red beet, add last as the colour will bleed onto everything, unless you want a cerise pink salad, which is actually really pretty).

Recipe : Cucumber salad with cumin and mint

Adapted from the same book as above

1/2 cucumber, peeled and finely shredded

1/4 red onion, peeled and shredded

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp chopped fresh mint

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

juice of half a lemon

Place the cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle the salt and cumin over the top. Mix well then add the red onion, mint, oil and lemon juice. Stir well.

Recipe : Tomato and chili sauce with smoked paprika

The smoked paprika (pimenton) gives this sauce a distinctly exotic vibe. Use hot or sweet paprika if you prefer.

4 tomatoes

3 chili peppers, seeded and chopped 

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1/2 tsp salt

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the tomatoes and chili peppers. Reduce heat to low - medium, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes have become soft and sauce like. Add the cumin, salt and paprika and continue cooking for a few more minutes. If the sauce is quite dry, add a little water to thin slightly and stir well. 

When the sauce is to your liking, remove from the heat and let cook slightly before blending to a smooth consistency in a blender or food processor.

To eat everything: Get yourself some pitta breads or tortillas, warmed for a few seconds in the microwave and pile on the sauce, meat and salads. Roll up and enjoy.

2 Leftover meals
The quantity of beet and carrot salad I made left me with a substantial amount leftover, enough to incorporate into lunch the next day. I also had some leftover cauliflower cheese, sitting in a tub from a previous meal, why not use these two ingredients together?

Cooking is a learning process and not every meal is a success, in fact some meals are bloody hideous. This is one such dish where I have provided an image as a warning: Never, ever be fool enough to recreate this monstrosity. Beet salad flavoured with pomegranate molasses does not pair well with cauliflower cheese and an egg on top. Don't try it, really.

It may look pretty enough but looks can be deceiving. Cauliflower itself has somewhat of a sour taste after a while and the beet salad only served to emphasize a taste that should be played down. Not one of my finest moments.

Used in a stir fry of bell pepper, chard and kale, however, the beet salad added a nice zing and pique to the earthy, briny kale and peppers. This one I would recommend.

Recipe : Bell pepper, chard and kale stir fry with leftover beet salad and apple juice

1 tbsp oil

2 or 3 different coloured bell peppers, seeded and finely sliced

a handful of chard leaves, stalks removed and finely sliced, leaves finely shredded

a handful of kale, finely shredded

about 1/4 cup of leftover beet salad

1/4 cup apple juice

salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and add the bell peppers and kale stalks. Stir fry together until wilted slightly and softened. 

Add the greens and apple juice and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low to medium and saute for about 10 minutes until the juice has reduced and the greens are wilted. Add the beet salad and allow to warm through, stir well and serve. We enjoyed this with some roast chicken.