Erinn and I, as many do, met over a chance encounter in a pub, off Kensington Gardens. Three hours, four meals, five bottles of wine and two confused dogs later we bonded. We’ve been friends ever since.
A lot’s changed since then; lovers and husbands come and ago, dogs grow old and sadly people move. I moved down the road, Erinn moved to Park Slope in Brooklyn where she single-handedly renovated a beautiful town house to keep its original features yet bring it bang up to date.
Interior design is just one of her talents; we often use the word ‘Renaissance’ with ‘Man’ which does a great disservice to all women. Erinn is a writer, a philosopher, a great lover of music (all kinds, no discrimination) and a great foodie. During my week with her in Brooklyn I ate and drank like a lord… and like the Renaissance Man I pretend to be, I topped off my self-indulgence by smoking like a chimney.
Erinn whipped up the below (a glorious sandwich) in a few hours, the memory of eating it will stay with me forever. The below could serve four, but in truth two.
Music to listen to while preparing this dish: I’ll Be Here In The Morning by Townes Van Zandt (another great revelation from Erinn)
Ingredients
- 1lb of pork tenderloin. Sliced thinly
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons real maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons low salt soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons mirin
- 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper.
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or onion
- 3 tablespoons sesame seed oil
- Smooth pork pâté
- Pickled carrot
- Pickled daikon (white radish)
- Fresh coriander
- A crusty roll
Method
- Add the garlic, fish source, maple syrup, soy sauce, mirin, black pepper, onion, and sesame oil in a big watertight bag and mix well.
- Add in the pork, mix round and leave to marinate for a few hours (no more than that).
- When you are ready to eat, prepare your rolls and your first job in their preparation is to butter them. Liberally.
- Spread a generous layer of pâté on one side. The key word here is generous.
- Now get your pan hot… you want the meat to caramelise. Once it’s hot, add the pro and get it nice and sticky.
- Once cooked divide the meat between the buns, and top with the fresh coriander and pickles to your preference.
Serve with a Brooklyn East IPA
Pug's Kitchen 