Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Working on Line, Tomato Paste, Zinfatuation,

I have often thought of doing some work online, but why is it everything in which I am interested turns out to need advance payment. I thought the idea was to pay me. Imagine going for an interview somewhere and they said pay us and  you can have the job. Several of them expect you to cough up with your credit card number too. You must be joking. Mind you I do wonder how many people actually get caught with this.

Can't remember if I told you this; as you have heard me grouse, our local main street has been ripped up and it is not easy to get anywhere, including to one of my favourite stores, Vincenzo's. I needed some tomato paste in a tube. The small cans are fine for some things, but when you only want a tablespoon or even less, the tubes are much better. Our own grocery store has never heard of them although they have been around for years. So, I googled, and found Amazon.ca has it. I also found another store in the States, where it was cheaper until I found out they wanted to charge something like $25 for shipping. I don't suppose it's as cheap to buy it online, but better than trying to figure out how to get to Vincenzo's.

I haven't mention my latest disappointment. I have told you before about one of my favourite red
wines, Zinfatuation Zinfandel. I have now been told they are no longer making it. I wrote to the winery, in California, to ask why but haven't had a reply. So sad, it is one of the best Zinfadels I have ever tasted. I cannot imagine why they would stop producing this excellent wine.  There are, of course, other Zinfandels around, but this, to me, was definitely the best.

Having got a little tired of cold pork, I decided to turn it into something else. I found this recipe for 
Pork Stroganoff. It actually wasn't intended for cooked meat but I adapted it and it tastes delicious. It is now all ready for tonight. Not sure I have any gherkins, but I suspect it won't matter. No, not dills. Quite a different flavour. I had a load of whipped cream (unsweetened) left so I used it and lemon juice instead of sour cream.



Pork Stroganoff
GoodtoKnow

This delicious stroganoff recipe is really simple to make and forms a satisfying, creamy supper which all the family will love.
Ingredients
430g pack low fat half pork fillets
3tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
8 shallots, peeled and halved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 150g packs baby button mushrooms
200ml chicken stock
284ml pot soured cream
2tbsp coarse grain mustard
1tsp clear honey
Fresh thyme leaves
Fresh parsley, chopped
Gherkins, chopped, to garnish
Fresh tagliatelle, to serve


Method

Slice the pork fillets into thin rounds. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick frying pan and, working in batches, fry the pork for 1 to 2 mins on each side. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Add the onion and shallots and fry gently for 8 minutes. Add the pork, garlic, mushrooms and stock, then simmer over a medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the soured cream, coarse grain mustard and honey. Heat gently for 3 to 4 minutes until piping hot. Season well and scatter over thyme leaves, chopped parsley and gherkins. Serve with tagliatelle.

Have a great day

21 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - love pork stroganoff .. good luck with finding things - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Never tried it before Hilary, but we enjoyed it.

      Delete
  2. I have no trouble finding paste in a tube, but recently I cannot find the polenta I like in the stores. Went to Amazon after your comment here and there it was. Don't know why I didn't think of looking there since I order lots of food stuffs from them. It helps that I am a Prime member and don't pay shipping costs. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you found the Polenta Denise. Not something we eat a lot of but now and again. Amazon.com is an amazing place to buy from.

      Delete
  3. I love using herbs in tubes, so I'll have to look for the tomato paste.

    Our favorite wine was Balloon Blush (in honor of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta) but the entire winery is gone now. I guess the owner retired and his kids didn't want to run a winery, so they sold the land. Very sad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think I used to buy it at the coast Diane so you can probably find it. If not Amazon always has it. Pity when one loses a favourite wine.

      Delete
  4. I get so mad when I find a product that I absolutely love and the company discontinues it. :( Or changes the recipe/formula so it doesn't taste the same. Did the winery ever write back? Which winery was it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Infuriating isn't it JoJo? Unusual with wines too. Still haven't heard from the winery. It was Californian but can't remember the name right now. Will have to look it up again.

      Delete
  5. Sorry to hear about your favorite wine :-(

    ReplyDelete
  6. When my husband was between jobs, he looked into a lot of online work sites; none he figured were legitimate. There are jobs that one can do at home online, but they seem to be rare and far between. I did see a job a few months back for being a customer service agent for Enterprise Rental Cars, working at home. You though had to live within a 50 mile radius of where the training would be and have 5 weeks of training before you were able to work at home. Other jobs seem just a way to rip off people of money and I'm thinking desperate people think it will work, only to be disappointed.

    Too bad about the wine; I like Zinfandels, always good to find a good one, but sad when they stop producing them.

    betty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are so right Betty, I think maybe 99% of them are scams.

      I love Zinfandels, and am very sorry to have lost this one.

      Delete
  7. So sorry to hear about your favourite wine, Jo. :( Happy New Year to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it's a great pity Linda. Thanks and to you too.

      Delete
  8. I hate it when the LCBO stops a certain wine. There was a wine I love from Germany that they stopped getting plus there was a sherry that I loved called Kirschberry which was wonderful and I can no longer get it. I wonder if one can find it on line? I have never seen tomato paste in a tube. I have seen mustard in one but only when I was in Graz, Austria. Europe must be ahead of the times there because it makes sense to have things in a tube since one doesn't need much

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not just the LCBO Birgit, the winery has actually stopped producing it. I agree though, they do stop some items which I like. Deli stores seem to have the tubes of paste or Amazon.ca did have it too.

      Delete
  9. I despise it when something I love is discontinued. You are so right about everything costing money. Everyone is out for the buck. How inventive to put lemon juice in cream to make it sour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Pinky. Not my invention, had read it before somewhere.

      Delete
  10. Hey Jo. Here's an idea. There's I blogger I occasionally read who asks folks to send him money so he can continue blogging. And he already has a full-time job at a University. I think it takes a lot of nerve, but you could always try it, lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right Denise, you can start if you like LOL. What a cheek.

      Delete