Pork Stroganoff

Ingredients:
Serves Four
1 onion,

3 cloves garlic,

1 tbsp coconut oil,

450g pork fillet, sliced in thin strips,

250g closed-cup mushrooms, sliced,

200ml double cream,

2 tbsp creme fraiche,

1 tbsp mustard,

1 tsp sundried tomato paste,

1 tbsp paprika,

1 tsp chilli powder (to taste),

1 tsp lemon juice (to taste),

salt and pepper

Method:

1. Dice the onion and chop the garlic, then fry in coconut oil over a medium heat until the onion is soft.

2. Add the pork and cook until brown, then add the mushrooms and cook until soft. Once all is cooked through, pour in cream and creme fraiche and mix until covered.
3. Add the mustard and tomato paste and combine well. Add the paprika and chilli powder (if you like it spicy) and season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

Advisory note - the pork has to be cooked until brown, before the mushrooms, cream and creme fraiche is added in.

Recipe suggestion from Karen Thomson's Book 'Sugar Free: 8 Weeks To Freedom From Sugar And Carb Addiction,'

Also see article and more details here

An introduction to garlic:

Highly valued throughout the ages as a culinary spice, garlic is one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world. It is a hardy perennial belonging to the liliaceae family. Other members of this family include leeks, chives, spring onions and shallots, all distinguished by their pungent aroma and flavour.

Its usage predates written history; Sanskrit records document the use of garlic remedies approximately 5000 years ago. Legend suggests that Egyptian pharaohs prized garlic very highly and slaves building the pyramids were given a daily ration to keep them fit and strong. Throughout history, garlic has been regarded as a well-trusted remedy: during epidemics such as cholera and tuberculosis and in World War 1 where it was used as an antiseptic applied to wounds to cleanse and heal and to treat dysentery caused by the poor sanitary conditions in the trenches.

The legend of the vampire:
Throughout time, superstition has credited garlic with the ability to avert disease and evil spirits. Stories, verse and folklore claim garlic has the ability to ward off vampires. If worn around the neck or placed at the window, the plant's pungent flowers are believed to provide protection and keep vampires from entering.

Nutritional highlights:
The garlic bulb is the most commonly used portion of the plant, composed of 8-20 individual, teardrop shaped cloves enclosed in a white parchment-like skin. It is an excellent source of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). It is also a very good source of manganese, selenium and vitamin C. In addition, garlic is a good source of other minerals, including phosphorous, calcium, potassium, iron and copper.

Many of the perceived therapeutic effects of garlic are thought to be due to its active ingredient allicin. This sulphur-containing compound gives garlic its distinctive pungent smell and taste. Luckily for us foodies, the action of chopping or crushing garlic supposedly stimulates the production of allicin, however it is thought that cooking garlic inhibits the formation of some of the perceived medicinal properties.

Tip:
If you love eating raw garlic but hate the lingering aftertaste, try chewing parsley as it works very well as a breath freshener.

How to select and store:
For the best flavour and maximum health benefits, buy fresh garlic. Do not buy garlic that is soft, shows evidence of decay or is beginning to sprout. Garlic in flake, powder or paste form is convenient, but it is not as good as fresh garlic. It is best stored at room temperature in an uncovered container in a cool, dark place away from exposure to heat and sunlight. Storing it in this manner will help prevent sprouting. Depending on its age and variety, a whole garlic bulb will keep fresh from 2 weeks to 2 months

Tip:
Once you break the head of garlic, it greatly reduces its shelf life to just a few days.

Read more about Garlic here

Hope you may enjoy a plateful of Pork Stroganoff soon, can also be nice with cauliflower rice

Bon Appetit

All the best Jan