Greek Heritage Cooking: Fast Food at Home

Pork with lemon juice

Greek fast food at home is the easiest thing. You don't need a recipe, and (aside from salt and pepper) you only have three ingredients. ONLY THREE INGREDIENTS! And it's a healthy, whole food treat.

Let's say you're out shopping for groceries and it's close to lunch or dinner time. Let's say you're getting incredibly hungry. You'll want to stop in at the closest drive-through of any fast food restaurant. Don't do it! Instead, go to the meat department at the grocery store, and pick up a package of any thinly sliced pork product (chops, sliced pork shoulder, some other kind of cut--they have creative names sometimes) and hurry home.

At home, before you begin unpacking and putting away the groceries, find a small non-stick pan, turn on the stovetop burner on high and put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil into the pan. Meanwhile, salt and pepper the pork. You can also sprinkle on a bit of dry oregano if you wish. Now, put the pork in the pan--no flouring or fussing with cornmeal or panko. Let the pork do its thing. Begin putting away the groceries. After a few minutes, stop and turn the pork onto the other side. Yes, it may spit and pop a bit, but that's okay--you can clean up later. Continue putting away the groceries. A few minutes later, check to be sure the pork is cooked through and squeeze half a juicy lemon directly into the pan. Shake the pan until the bubbling subsides and pour the whole thing onto a plate or platter.

If it's just you, stop, sit at the table and eat this deliciousness right away. Use a chunk or two of crusty bread to collect and transport the pan juices to your happy mouth. If you have time, chop up a quick side salad with your favorite dressing; if not, then slice a tomato to serve on the side.

All gone!

If you have another person to feed, they can be working on the salad while you put away the groceries and cook the pork. Fast. Cheap. Delicious. Easy. Now, why would you want to eat a fast food restaurant chicken sandwich that's nowhere near as delicious as this? Of course, you wouldn't!