Love Project Edition 3: A Warm Meal for a Stranger in –9°C Montreal (Gluten-Free Oat Flake Coated Pork Chop with Baked Spiced Potatoes and Fresh Cucumber Salad)

This year marks the third edition of my Love Project. The concept is simple but deeply personal: I prepare a meal I create myself, then walk the streets of Montreal until I find a stranger who needs it.

Montreal in December is covered in a thick layer of white snow. Today, it was –9°C.

I carried the warm food container in my bag as I walked toward downtown, the steam from my breath vanishing into the freezing air.

My first encounter was at a bus stop. I noticed a man searching for something inside the shelter. He looked like he lived on the street, but the moment our eyes met, he hurried away. I missed the opportunity to speak to him.

I kept walking until I reached Sherbrooke Metro station. There, sitting on a thin sheet of cardboard against the cold stone floor, was a fifty-year-old Québécois man wearing a red puffer jacket. In the rush of the city, people like him often fade into the invisible background. But as I approached, he looked up, smiled a genuine, toothy smile, and said, “Joyeux Noël.” (Merry Christmas)

His kindness, offered from such a harsh place, warmed me instantly.

I asked if he would like a meal. He replied, “Yes. You are very kind.”

As I handed him the food, roasted pork chops, spiced potatoes harvested from Saint-Léon, and a fresh Canadian cucumber salad, along with the utensils, I wished him, “Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année.” (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year)

He received it with visible happiness and was eager to open it. I left before he could take the first bite, leaving him with his privacy and his meal.

Every time I give a meal and come this close to someone living in extreme fragility, I feel a mix of emotions, and my eyes often fill with tears.

I know it is not easy to solve social issues. I simply choose my own way and do what I can to support them, hoping to offer a small sense of dignity, even if only for a moment in their lives.

This is my quiet light as we move toward the end of 2025.

Servings: 6 Portions

Gluten-Free Oat Flake Coated Pork Chop

INGREDIENTS

Pork chops

• 1.394 kg pork loin rack, cut into 6 pieces (about 2 cm thick), or 6 pork chops

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• ¼ tsp white pepper
  

Oat flake coating

• 1¼ cups flaked oats

• ½ tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• ½ tsp mixed spice (see below)

Mixed spice blend (combine all, then use only ½ teaspoon):

• 1 tbsp curry powder

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• 1 tsp coriander powder
  

Breading

• ½ cup oat flour

• 2 eggs
  

INSTRUCTIONS

Marinate the pork chops
1. If using a pork loin rack, cut it into 6 pieces, each about 2 cm thick. You can also use 6 pork chops.
2. Tenderize the pork chops gently with a meat mallet.
3. Season both sides with salt, black pepper, and white pepper.
4. Place the pork chops in the refrigerator and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Prepare the coating
1. Prepare three plates or bowls:
One plate with oat flour
One bowl with the eggs, beaten
One plate with flaked oats mixed with salt, black pepper, and ½ teaspoon of the mixed spice

2. Coat each pork chop evenly in oat flour first.
3. Dip it into the beaten eggs.
4. Coat thoroughly with the flaked oat mixture.
5. Set the coated pork chop aside for 10 minutes.
6. Repeat until all 6 pieces are finished.

Bake
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
2 .Place the pork chops on a baking tray.
3. Bake for 30–35 minutes, turning them gently every 15 minutes to avoid breaking the oat coating.

Serve
Serve hot with baked spiced potatoes and fresh cucumber salad.

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Baked Spiced Potatoes

Ingredients

1.36 kg potatoes
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped

Instructions
1. Wash and peel the potatoes, then cut them into chunks.
2. Place the potatoes in a bowl. Add the salt, black pepper, Herbes de Provence, olive oil, and chopped garlic. Mix well until all the potatoes are evenly coated.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
4. Spread the potatoes in a single layer on a baking tray.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, turning them after 15 minutes, until golden and tender.

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Cucumber Salad

Ingredients
1 cucumber (about 500 g), diced
¼ red onion (about 50 g), finely chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tbsp olive oil
⅛ tsp black pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
½ tsp Italian seasoning

Instructions
1. Wash the cucumber, remove the soft center, and dice it into 2 cm cubes.
2. Place the cucumber and red onion in a bowl. Add the salt, black pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, and Italian seasoning.
3. Mix well until everything is evenly combined.