BBQ Pork Loin with Green Pea Pesto Shells

The night before Raul sets a pork loin from the packed freezer out to thaw. Early the next morning Raul rubs the loin with Chinese Five Spice, garlic powder, paprika and pepper. It marinates all day. Come bbq time Raul is trying to decide on vegetable accompaniments and, as there is a massive amount of basil on the balcony, "What do you think of pesto?"

"Sounds delicious," says Drew.

"What kind of pasta? Penne? Shells?"

"Or fusilli," suggests Drew. "Something with lots of surfaces for the pesto to cling to."

"Linguine it is," announces Raul. "Damn. We don't seem to have any linguine."

"That's bizarre," says Drew smugly. "There is an entire cupboard full of pasta of every shape, size and variety known to man. There's even some coloured outer space pasta left from last Halloween. Let's compromise on shells." The vegetable question has yet to be addressed but Drew has a brilliant idea. "How about frozen peas and corn mixed into the pesto?"

"Corn?"

"Corn. Don't you like corn?"

"Yes but the colours will be off," explains Raul. "We do also eat with our eyes."

Peas alone it is.

Raul picks a huge handful - about a cup when packed - of basil. After washing thoroughly and patting dry he puts it into the mini-processor. He adds a half cup of cashews, a teaspoon of chopped garlic, a dribble of olive oil, two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and - in a stroke of brilliance to rival the original suggestion - a half cup of frozen peas. All is blended into a vividly green paste. He tosses the pasta shells with the pesto and spoons the results onto plates beside the bbq'ed pork. It is indeed a visual feast.

"Eat now," warns Raul. "The peas were cold so the pesto and pasta are already lukewarm. Next time I'll thaw them first. I still want them raw for all the nutrients."

Lukewarm maybe but bursting with flavour. "The last pork loin was sort of sweet," remarks Drew, "but this one has a simple spicy taste that enhances the meat and balances perfectly with the rich pesto. My eyes and taste buds are delighted!"

Fusilli with Pesto

After a day of leftovers - partly because of the heat but mainly because of the lethargy brought on by the heat - it is time for a real meal. But what to have? "There are still empanadas," says Drew.

Raul, who is sweaty and recovering from road rage after being in the un-airconditioned car for five hours, is not enthused. "Too heavy. I want something light."

Drew offers to put together a salad but yesterday's burgers were sided with a salad, and it would mean a trip to Food Basics for some basics. Inspiration strikes when, sitting on the balcony enjoying the slight breeze with the dog baking happily in a patch of sun, Drew remarks, "I can't believe how large the basil leaves are."

"Pesto!" exclaims Raul.

Into the mini-Cuisinart goes 10 of the largest basil leaves from the balcony garden. Raul adds garlic paste, a handful of cashews, ground Parmesan and black pepper. A push of a button and it is pureed. He adds olive oil until the mixture is the consistency he wants. "We don't have enough penne," he complains.

"Shall I run to Basics?" offers Drew.

"It's too hot," says Raul, wiping his brow. "Don't leave the air conditioning. And it's not on sale this week."

"What about fusilli?" asks Drew. "The pesto will stick to the curlicues."

"We only have whole wheat fusilli," complains Raul. "But the sauce will cling to it." Raul has a preference for traditional pasta but has been converted to enjoying brown rice beyond its purported health benefits. "And I'll put on lots of Parmigiano-Reggiano."

The pasta is stirred into the pesto and ladled into bowls. It is delicious but, "It doesn't taste very basil-ish," says Raul. "Maybe because it was picked mid-day. I'll have to research the best time to harvest."

"Or maybe it's just a mild basil," ponders Drew. "It is Genovese basil. Is that mild?"

"I will find out," says Raul. "As soon as I finish eating."

BBQ'ed Pork Filet on Thai noodles and broccoli slaw

After a lunch of homemade pesto linguine the grey day, and full stomach, drives Drew to a nap. When he awakens, the usual late Saturday afternoon dialogue begins. "What are you thinking for dinner?" says Raul casually.

Drew doesn't believe for a moment that Raul is being passive-aggressive, he is just trying to make Drew feel included in the culinary decisions. "I don't know, what do you have in mind?"

"I don't have anything in mind but there is pork marinating . . ."

The pork filet had been purchased on sale, Raul's Portuguese background is inexplicably more frugal than Drew's Scottish one, at No Frills because meat should never cost more than $1.99 a pound. Raul took the large cryovac packaged slab of meat and using a filet knife removed the silver skin - to avoid bitterness when cooking - and fat. He then cut the foot-long results in half to create portions for two which were then frozen.

After thawing the pork, Raul marinates it for four hours in a mixture of soya sauce, hoi sin, brown sugar, garlic and chili pepper. Sealing the filet in a airtight Ziploc bag means a small amount of marinade can infuse the meat completely.

In a mason jar Raul combines lime juice, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic paste, fish sauce and chili flakes. He adds the broccoli slaw (99 cents at Sobeys for a package he used a third of), shakes it vigorously and lets it sit while the pork is being bbq'ed for about 10 minutes. The pork is sliced against the grain in slivers and placed as the top layer over a bed of broad rice noodles (snapped into four inch segments before cooking to provide ease of eating) crowned with the now dressed broccoli slaw. The results are garnished with chopped coriander, mint, parsley and basil from the balcony garden, and cashews.