THIRTY : CRUSTED PUMPKIN WEDGES W/ SOUR CREAM

PLENTY

JANUARY 17 2013

THIRTY : CRUSTED PUMPKIN WEDGES W/ SOUR CREAM

What does one do with leftover chicken liver paté? Make paté-stuffed pork chops, of course. I am a frickin' genius! I shall serve them with crusted pumpkin wedges, a nice green salad and a robust Pinot Noir for a very, very fine dinner, indeed.

While my handsome assistant packs as much paté as possible into the thick-cut chops, I tackle the pumpkin. It's just a little baby sugar pumpkin so it doesn't put up much of a fight. Each slice is crusted with an herbacous mix of breadcrumbs, Parmesan, garlic, parsley, thyme and lemon zest then baked for 30 minutes until browned and tender.

While they're baking I sear the pork chops on each side then slide them into the hot oven to cook through. Maye I can distract my hunger pangs from the amazing smells filling the house but chopping salad toppings and shaking up a quick dressing. It almost works... Okay! The pork chops are out of the oven and resting, so I make a simple pan sauce with lots of marsala wine and we're ready to eat!

Well, the pumpkin is just fine. Delicate and savory with a lovely tang from the dill-sour cream mixture. But the pork chops totally steal the spotlight. So much so that I barely remember the pumpkin at all. You must make paté stuffed pork chops. Think bahn mi + French bistro + down-home rustic cooking. SO FRICKIN' GOOD!!!

FIFTEEN & SIXTEEN : ROAST CHICKEN W/ CRISPY POTATOES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 17 2012

FIFTEEN : TRADITIONAL ROAST CHICKEN WITH CRANBERRY, SAGE AND BALSAMIC SAUCE
SIXTEEN : PERFECT ROAST POTATOES

It's clear that Delia is very, very concerned that my roasted chicken might come out dry and embarrass me in front of my husband, our guests and the entire world. Which is why I will be packing a pork-based stuffing under the skin and in the cavity, liberally rubbing the whole chicken with butter and THEN layering on slices of bacon. Finally, as if all that's not enough, I'm supposed to baste it three times with pan drippings while roasting. After all that, there is no way the white meat can be anything but juicy!

NINE : MEATBALLS IN GOULASH SAUCE

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 10 2012

NINE : MEATBALLS IN GOULASH SAUCE

You ready goulash meatballs? You think you can out-meatball the Frankies? You know you're facing some tough competition here. Those handball-sized hunks of beefy heaven are probably the best meatballs of my entire life. Yep, I said it. Best. Ever. So, show me what you got!

Ooh, very interesting. You're gonna add some ground pork to the mix. Now, I can definitely appreciate the flavor enhancement and fatty joy you get from the pork. In fact, I was always surprised the Frankies' meatballs were all beef. But, will it be enough?

Wait, now you're throwing in chopped peppers and onions? Cheater! Oh yeah... there aren't actually any meatball rules so you can do what you want. Do I really have to very finely chop them? I'm feelin' kinda lazy...

FIVE & SIX : CIDER VINEGAR BRAISED PORK W/ ROASTED SWEDES

Delia Smith's Winter Collection

FEBRUARY 01 2012

FIVE : PORK BRAISED IN CIDER VINEGAR SAUCE
SIX : ROASTED SWEDE WITH PARMESAN

You know, Delia, I understand that browning meat before braising or stewing gives the whole dish tons more flavor. But it's such a hassle! Are you really gonna make me do it for every slow-cooked dish (of which there are many)?? It can add a whole hour to the meal prep, which means we don't even eat until after 8pm sometimes. Like last night. When I had to brown the pork a cubes "a few at a time" (aaarrrgghh!) and then brown the shallots "on all sides to a nice glossy caramel colour". All this work did result in some lovely fond on the bottom of the pot. And, as we all know, fond = flavor! So fine, I forgive you.

hello, shallot... lookin' glossy!

fond = flavor!

EIGHTY-SEVEN - NINETY-FIVE : SUNDAY SAUCE!

JANUARY 5 2012

EIGHTY-SEVEN : OLIVES
EIGHTY-EIGHT : ANTIPASTO PLATE
EIGHTY-NINE : CANNELLINI, CAPER, LEMON & ANCHOVY CROSTINI
NINETY : MULLED WINE
NINETY-ONE : PORK BRACIOLA MARINARA

NINETY-TWO : POTATO GNOCCHI 
NINETY-THREE : GNOCCHI MARINARA  
NINETY-FOUR : PUNTARELLE WITH LEMON, CAPERS, ANCHOVY & PECORINO
NINETY-FIVE : TIRAMISU

 
And that's all folks. I am now done with the book! My grand adventure culminated tonight in a fabulous Sunday Sauce (on Thursday) party where I crammed all the remaining dishes onto the table and we ate until we just about burst. I think it will be easiest to talk about each section separately. So here goes...

SEVENTY-SIX : SAUSAGE & BROCCOLI RABE SANDWICH

DECEMBER 18 2011

Man I love sandwiches! Such a perfect food. I really, really love bread and stuffing it with delicious things makes it that much better. In fact, stuffing it with Italian sausage and sauteed broccoli rabe is almost magical!

sandwich fixings from heaven

SIXTY-TWO : SOPRESSATA WITH PROVOLONE SANDWICH

NOVEMBER 11 2011

FANTASTIC!!

Not much to say except... BEST. SANDWICH. EVER.

FIFTY-EIGHT & FIFTY-NINE : BRAISED PORK SHANK W/ GIGANTE BEANS

NOVEMBER 4 2011


FIFTY-EIGHT : BRAISED PORK SHANK WITH GIGANTE BEANS & ROSEMARY
FIFTY-NINE : GIGANTE BEANS

So far we have had such a lovely fall with crisp sunny days and very little rain (despite all the warnings that this is another La Nina year). It's making me feel a little better about summer being over and winter around the corner. Another thing helping me cope with the changing seasons is braised pork shanks! Talk about warm, comforting food. These babies are just what I need to survive the dark, dreary nights.

I will admit that not everything came together perfectly. I foolishly did not fully read the supporting Gigante Beans recipe so did not realize until there was about 2 hours to go that they were supposed to soak for 6 hours then simmer for 2 hours. Eep! Let's hope my trusty pressure cooker can save the day!

FIFTY-FIVE & FIFTY-SIX : ROAST PORK WITH SEMOLINA POLENTA

OCTOBER 23 2011

FIFTY-FIVE : ROAST CENTER-CUT PORK CHOPS
FIFTY-SIX : SEMOLINA POLENTA

Today marked my first foray into "BIG MEAT"!! This recipe features a 6-bone rack of pork, which is a lot of pork, but I didn't want to do less than that because I knew it would change the cooking time. So instead I enlisted some willing friends to come help us eat it :)

buying some BIG MEAT at Gartner's

But, before we could eat, I had a little work to do.