• The Recipe: Peter's Pugnacious Peppery Pork (or Poultry)
• The Song: Vola, Palumba, Vola

For me, cooking food is a lot like playing music. If you're playing with an orchestra you need to read those written notes, but if you are soloing you can create improvisations to your heart's delight. "Peters Pugnacious Peppery Pork (or Poultry)" is one of those kitchen Improvisations that just came to me as I was making it. Last winter it became one of my families favorites. It's a good hearty meal for those chilly Autumn days that are soon to come.

Pre-heat oven to 350
Mix the flour, garlic salt, black pepper, and paprika together in a plastic bag (I often use the plastic bag that the newspaper is delivered in, or the plastic bags they use for groceries).

Dredge the pork or chicken in the flour mixture to coat. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. Add 1/2 stick of butter. Watch so that the butter does not burn. As soon as the butter has melted, add meat to brown. You may need to do this in batches. Brown the meat evenly on both sides. Remove from pan and add more meat. When all the meat has been browned and removed from the skillet add the onions and saute for a few minutes. Add the rest of the butter and add the garlic. Saute for a few minutes more.

At this point, if you used a large deep skillet (6 to 8 inches deep) keep using this pan. If not, you will need to transfer what is in the skillet to a large baking dish. When this is done, add the browned meat, potatoes, sauerkraut, green beans, and tomatoes to the onion, garlic butter mixture. Mix together.

Add chicken stock, chicken bouillon, and white pepper to the mixture. Mix again. If your skillet or baking dish has a cover, use it. If not, cover with aluminum foil.

Put into oven and bake for one hour, or until potatoes can be easily pierced with a knife. Serve over Kluski style egg noodles or rice.

The tune this time around is from the upcoming CD on the Lifescapes label (exclusively sold at Target stores) entitled "Italian Countryside". I've been told that the CD will be available at your local Target store sometime in October. If you don't live near a Target store you can contact Lifescapes at their web site and order it directly from them. The title of the tune in Italian is "Vola, Palumba, Vola". Translated into English it's "Fly, Dove, Fly". On the recording I played the melody on Mandolin with Cello, and Guitar accompaniment. The tune would work very nicely on Violin or Clarinet also. This may be my favorite tune on the CD, so I hope you enjoy it also.

Comments, questions or other recipes for borscht or other fine treats? Write to me at PO Box 11952, Minneapolis MN 55411 or send an e-mail to Borscht@PeterOstroushko.com.