Nosh: EBBP2 - Part 2: Wrap Up

EBBP2 - Part 2: Wrap Up

EBBP2: Continued

Falling under the title of "Something Autumnal", I had the pleasure of receiving these home-baked goodies from Cook Sister in my EBBP2 parcel: Sweet Potato Muffins! Her letter said that they came out a bit "flat" -- but they were the perfect shape to slice open, toast, and enjoy with a little butter. Imagine a soft, spicy, and dense little cake with hints of crunchy nuttiness and chewy raisins. I say imagine because they disappeared before I could take photos. Jeanne, I am officially bugging you for the recipe so I can make them again!

One of the two remaining items in my parcel was Nando's mild Peri-Peri sauce. Jeanne says that "Nando's is a chain of grilled chicken Portuguese-style restaurants in South Africa" and "hugely popular". I'm really looking forward to trying it as an alternative to my usual green Tabasco. I love the color -- similar to butternut squash!

The final, and very clever, "ingredient" in my package was the mystery cupboard item -- and she chose capers! Now I have not met Jeanne, and yet my love for capers seems to have filtered through to her subconscious mind through osmosis. Go osmosis! (OK, what am I thinking now? how about now?)
I do love capers and use them in everything from salad dressings and purees to meat and chicken dishes. Jeanne was nice enough to include her favorite recipe with capers, Pork Medallions with a Mustard Caper Sauce (for 2), which I am typing here with my own little fingers:

1 x 8-10 oz pork fillet sliced into 1/2 thick rounds;
1 tbsp butter;
1/4 cup sliced shallots or onions;
1 cup chicken broth;
2 tbsp whipping cream;
1 1/2 tbsp drained capers;
1 tbsp coarse grained Dijon mustard

Flatten pork rounds slightly with a mallet, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and sautee until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a plate and keep warm. Add shallots to skillet and stir fry for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and cream. Boil until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon, stirring up browned bits, about 3-5 minutes. Mix in capers and mustard, return pork to sauce. Simmer until pork is heated through. Serve on mashed potatoes. Enjoy!!!

EBBP2 was a great experience; the excitement and anticipation, and of course, having a reason to spoil another foodie and buy loads of neat things. What you also don't realize until you participate are the bonds of friendships created across borders, and finding out the foodie norms of other countries.

So thanks Jeanne, for all the personally chosen items and the handwritten letter! And thanks also to Moira at Who Wants Seconds? for the lovely write-up about the package I sent to her. Finally, thanks to Andrew over at Spittoon for organizing this whole wonderful shabang.

Mia <--- happy girl