Happy Pigs Apparantly Make for Happy Pork Sandwiches

 Thought this radio listening/article was entertaining to share. I ran across this on National Public Radio's website. Included is a recipe for a pork loin sandwich with a chimichurri sauce. Click on the link below to be brought directly to the article.

This Pork Loin Sandwich Starts With Happy Pigs  

by NPR's Catherine Welch

 

Recipe: Matt Jennings' Pork Loin Sandwich With Chimichurri

This is an easy recipe, and a great way to use up that pork loin from the barbeque the night before, or a bunch of ignored herbs in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
If you brine and roast the meat ahead of time, this pork loin and chimichurri slaw sandwich can be made and placed inside your picnic basket in about 20 minutes.

You can make the chimichurri the night before if necessary, or even just a couple hours before you serve the sandwich, to make things easier.
For The Five-Herb Chimichurri
1 cup flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup tarragon, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup lemon thyme, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup mint, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1/2 teaspoon fennel seed, whole
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, fresh
1 teaspoon lemon juice, fresh squeezed
1/3 cup beer vinegar, although red wine or cider vinegar will do fine
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil, salt and pepper into a mortar and pestle. Begin grinding by hand, until the fennel seeds are cracked and the mixture has gone from coarsely chopped consistency to more of a minced consistency. This will take about five or six minutes of hand grinding.
Add a dash of kosher salt and a few turns of a pepper mill. Incorporate well into the mixture by hand grinding a few more times. Add the extra-virgin olive oil and mix to combine.
Blend all ingredients together in the mortar and pestle and set aside to marinate about an hour or two before serving. Stored in a tightly sealed jar, the chimichurri should be usable for almost two weeks.
For The Slaw
Shred one-half of a cored head of cabbage with a sharp knife. Make the cabbage ribbons as fine as you can manually, attempting to achieve a chiffonade.
Next, combine the shaved cabbage with the chimichurri. Incorporate well. Season to taste. Set aside.
For The Sandwich
Thinly slice some chilled, roasted pork loin or tenderloin, so that you have shaved, stackable meat. On a fresh, soft roll (we use a potato brioche), slather a layer of mayonnaise on the bottom half of the roll. On this bottom half, stack the sliced meat — each sandwich should have about a 1/4 pound, or about eight slices of pork.
Next, scoop on a heaping of the chimichurri-marinated cabbage, some spicy greens to top it off — like tat-soi or mustard greens — and serve. Best alongside fresh corn salad and some watermelon shrub to drink.