How to Feed a Family: Ginger pork over pasta

Make this simple dinner dish your own by switching up the vegetables or trying it over rice.

We couldn’t be more pleased for our Sweet Potato Chronicles friends, Ceri and Laura, who just published their first cookbook, How to Feed a Family. It’s a gorgeous book, filled with easy and delicious recipes your whole family will love. To celebrate its release, we’re featuring recipes from each section of the book. Next up: Dinner!

This dish has a rich history. Passed from a mother to a son then through friends, it arrived in my kitchen as a far more kid-friendly dish thanks to tweaks made by my neighbor Anne. No longer featuring peanut oil and serious amounts of chilies, as it did in its earlier incarnations, the recipe still has a snap of flavor courtesy of the fresh ginger and garlic. Make it your own by switching up the vegetables or trying it over rice. ~Laura Keogh

Ginger pork over pasta

Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 35 minutes
Makes: 4 servings

  • 8 oz (225 g) rigatoni pasta
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) grapeseed oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped mushrooms
  • 1 lb (450 g) minced pork
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) freshly grated ginger
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) chicken stock, plus more as needed
  • 1 cup (250 ml) sugar snap peas
  • 2 Tbsp (30 ml) chopped green onion
  • 1 Tbsp (15 ml) chopped cilantro

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Heat the grapeseed oil in a wok or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened. Mix in the mushrooms and sauté for about 2 minutes until they start to soften.

Stir in the minced pork. Sauté the pork for about 5 minutes until it is cooked and then add the garlic and ginger, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well combined and simmer for a few minutes. Add the stock and sugar snap peas. There should be enough stock covering the meat and vegetables to make it a bit soupy. Sprinkle in the chopped green onion and stir until combined.

Ladle the pork mixture over a serving of pasta and garnish with cilantro. Serve immediately.

For more amazing recipes from Sweet Potato Chronicles, visit our special Cityline.ca section. And of course head on over to their site for tons of amazing recipes and ideas!

Photo credit Maya Visnyei 

http://www.mayavisnyei.com/