With warmer weather here, it’s nice to have a few recipes that don’t take a lot time to make and don’t heat up the kitchen. These recipes for Stir-Fried Pork with Mandarin Oranges and Grandma’s Strawberry Shortcake Cups are two such dishes.
The pork dish is an easy-to-make and tasty springtime meal. If you’d like to follow it up with a quick dessert, this strawberry shortcake recipe is also delicious, just like the kind my mother used to make when I was a kid. They’re both great!
STIR-FRIED PORK WITH MANDARIN ORANGES
1 pound fresh pork loin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable or olive)
1 clove minced garlic
2 cups frozen French-cut green beans, thawed
1 tablespoon honey
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin orange sections, drained
Cut pork loin into bite size chunks. In a small bowl, blend soy sauce into cornstarch and then stir in ginger, orange peel and orange juice. Set aside.
Preheat a wok or a large, heavy skillet over high heat and add cooking oil. Add pork loin pieces and stir fry for several minutes until browned.
Add minced garlic and green beans and stir fry 3 to 5 minutes on low heat, stirring so vegetables don’t stick. Stir soy sauce mixture and slowly stir it into pork and green beans, and cook and stir till thickened and bubbly.
Add honey and stir until thoroughly mixed. Cover and cook a minute or two more.
Remove from heat; stir in drained orange sections and serve at once. Makes 4 servings.
Note: I used a golden rotisserie-flavored pork loin.
GRANDMA’S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE CUPS
1 quart fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
4 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus an extra tablespoon for mixing with 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon for topping
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter or margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Whipped cream or whipped topping
Place washed and sliced strawberries in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons sugar, and set it aside. In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar; cut in butter until crumbly.
In a small mixing bowl, beat egg and milk and add vanilla. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened.
Fill eight greased muffin cups two-thirds full with batter. Combine the extra tablespoon sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle mixture on top of each muffin. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 minutes or until golden.
Remove from the pan to cool on wire rack. and when ready to serve, split shortcakes in half horizontally. Spoon berries and whipped cream or other topping between layers and over top Serves 8.
Brotherton offers website readers one stellar recipe a week in the “My Leader Yummy” feature. Looking for a recipe you can’t find? Email me at kbrotherton42@gmail.com and I’ll see if I have it.
