My first dining experience at Edmonton Fire Station 2 with Platoon 1 this summer was both tasty and entertaining; having dinner with a crew full of firemen also made me the envy of a few of my friends. I was not so secretly hoping for an invite back to the station, so when I ran into platoon 1 outside of Save-On Foods earlier this month I somewhat harassed the guys about it and even offered to cook for them; they told me to call the Captain… and so I did.

I was slightly nervous to call the hall, but Captain Gary Wiebe graciously accepted my offer to bring pork for dinner and so a date was set. On Monday night I rocked up with a trunk full of groceries and my friend Jessica to help me share a couple new pork recipes with the crew.

The phrase ‘many hands make light work’ certainly applies to the kitchen at a fire station. Originally I had hoped the platoon’s Rookie would be able to assist, but everybody was open to helping. With a kitchen full of men eager to help wash, cut, chop and stir – dinner prep was a breeze.

On the evening’s Alberta Pork menu: a Kale Caesar Salad with Irving Farms back bacon and a Bacon Wrapped Pork Meatloaf. Both dishes were well received and I learned that something like meatloaf (which doesn’t require a lot of fiddling) is an easy to manage dinner in case the guys get a call and have to leave the kitchen. The lean, dry-cured Irving Farms back bacon certainly made the meatloaf!

Thank you again to Captains Wiebe and Hudson for allowing me to invite myself back for dinner and to all the guys on shift who helped put together the meal. I look forward to sharing more Alberta Pork recipes with my neighbourhood fire station in the near future. Hopefully the Rookie will use this time improve how he makes mashed potatoes 🙂

Scroll down for detailed recipes and photos of us making meatloaf:

Kale Caeser Salad

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp anchovy paste
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoonDijonmustard
3/4 cup cold pressed canola oil or extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
8 cups of kale, center stalks removed, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, divided
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into bits
toasted bread crumbs – optional

 

1. Combine lemon juice, anchovy paste, garlic, mustard, and oil in medium bowl. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Toss kale and dressing in a large bowl, using your hands to massage the dressing into the kale for five minutes.
3. Top with cheese, bacon bits, and toasted bread crumbs. Enjoy

 

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Meatloaf

1 kg ground pork
2 egg
3 shallots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp Dijonmustard
2 seasoned sausages, casing removed (we used Italian)
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
½ tsp each salt and pepper
6 slices bacon (we used Irving Farms back bacon)

1. Heat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking pan with a few layers of aluminum foil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, add the eggs, shallots, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Add the ground pork, sausage meat and parsley. Mix until combined.
3. Transfer the meat to the prepared baking sheet and form it into a 9 by 5-inch loaf. Arrange the bacon across the top of the meatloaf and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes until the internal temperature of the meatloaf reaches 160ºF, on an instant-read meat thermometer.

4. Remove from the oven to a cutting board and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing and serving.