Garganelli con Maiale in Guazetto

Our biannual dinner with Linda and David was a rousing success!

It's fun kinda going over the top now and again - and not easy cooking for a mere four people! My instincts are to make massive amounts of food for massive amounts of people. This turns into massive amounts of food for a mere four people.

We decided early on that we were going to do a strictly-Italian dinner because, well... we had to show off our fabulous hand-painted Italian dinnerware we had made for us on our recent trip to Italy. Yes. It is fun being insufferable now and again...

We also decided we would do a hand-made pasta because Victor has the pasta-making down to a science. He just flat-out makes fabulous pasta.

The sauce was to be a pheasant recipe from Lidia we made many times back in California when our next door neighbor would show up on our doorstep with pheasants he had just shot.

Damn, they were good.

Alas, it's not as easy to find pheasant here in suburbia. I actually ordered one from the local Wegmans and when I went to pick it up on Wednesday, it was really small and really expensive. I would have needed at least two of them for dinner and I just couldn't justify spending $30.00 each for them. They were very nice when I said "no thanks."

I came home empty-handed and Victor suggested pork. Brilliant, as we not only had cubed pork in the freezer, we also had a chunk of wild boar ventrèche. Ventrèche is marbled pork belly with a firm texture, similar to pancetta. It's rich, salty and very porky - the perfect addition to a dish that should have a bit of a gamy edge to it.  Crisis averted and a new dish was born.

I made the sauce yesterday because it is definitely the type of dish that improves with an overnight stay in the 'fridge.

Garganelli con Maiale in Guazetto

  • ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 1/2 lbs cubed pork
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ cup chicken liver, trimmed and finely chopped
  • 3 medium onions, chopped
  • 8 oz ventrèche, thick-sliced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste, plus 2 teaspoons
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, plus more for serving

Garganelli, made from basic egg pasta dough

Soak the porcini in 2 cups of warm water until softened, about 30 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid. Rinse the mushrooms and chop them coarsely, discarding any tough bits. Strain the soaking liquid through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Set the liquid and chopped mushrooms aside. Tie the cloves, bay leaves, and rosemary securely in a small square of cheesecloth.

In a large casserole heat the oil over high heat. Add the pork pieces and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove the pork pieces.

Add the onions to the casserole, season them lightly with salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken livers and cook them, turning as necessary, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped porcini and cook, stirring, until they are dry, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until nearly evaporated, about 4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste until the vegetables are coated. Add the reserved porcini liquid and about 1/2 cup of the beef broth and bring to a boil. Return the pork pieces to the pan and tuck the cheesecloth packet into the liquid. Cover the casserole partially and simmer gently until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 15 minutes. Continue simmering, adding beef broth 1/2 cup at a time and waiting until the liquid is reduced by half before adding more, until the pork is tender and the liquid is velvety, about 1 hour. Remove and discard the cheesecloth packet. Remove the meat and shred it coarsely. Return it to the sauce and reheat before serving.

And while I was at work, yesterday, Victor made the pasta.

12-30-12-garganelli

Every one of those little buggers was cut and rolled by hand. This is where Victor excels over me. I do not have nearly the patience necessary to make this.  The pasta is hand-made and rolled, then cut into squares, rolled around a little stick - Victor used a chop stick - and then rolled down a grooved board.

Each one.

Individually.

His pasta is excellent. Every time. I see no need to even try at this point.

Garganelli

  • 3 cups "00" Italian flour - or all-purpose flour
  • 4 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • warm water as needed

Place 3 cups of flour in a mound on a wooden surface, Make a well in the center of the mound. Beat the eggs, olive oil and salt together in a small bowl. Pour them into the well. With your finger, slowly incorporate the flour into the eggs until it is mixed.

Knead the remaining flour into the dough until a rough and slightly sticky dough is formed.

Knead the dough by gathering it into a compact ball, then pushing the ball away from you with the heels of your hands. Repeat the gathering and pushing motion several times, then press into the dough, first with the knuckles of one hand, then with the other, several times. Alternate between kneading and 'knuckling' the dough until it is smooth, silky and elastic-it pulls back into shape when you stretch it. The process will take about 10 minutes of constant kneading. Flour the work surface and your hands lightly any time the dough begins to stick while you're kneading.

Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least one hour at room temperature, or up to 1 day in the refrigerator before rolling and shaping the pasta. If the dough has been refrigerated, let it stand at room temperature for about an hour before rolling and shaping.

To shape garganelli:

Run pasta through a pasta roller to about the second-thinnest setting. Cut into squares about 1-1 1/2". moisten one corner with a bit of water or egg and, from the opposite corner, roll around a wooden spoon handle or chopstick. Roll pasta down a grooved gnocchi board, pressing to create ridges and seal each piece of pasta.

Cook in boiling salted water about 6 minutes.

We had to start off with a few appetizers, of course. My first thought was to have an all-Italian cheese plate with some breads and crackers. Then I decided to make some crackers. Ina Garten has a great recipe for a cheese and thyme cracker - so off I went.

12-30-12-cheese-thyme-crackers

 

Parmesan Thyme Crackers

adapted from Ina Garten

  • 1 cube unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Cream the butter in mixer fitted with paddle attachment for 1 minute. Slowly add the Parmesan, thyme, salt, and pepper and mix well. With the mixer still on low, add the flour and combine until the mixture is in large crumbles, about 1 minute. If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon water.

Dump the dough onto a floured board, press it into a ball, and roll into a 9-inch log. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or for up to 4 days.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°. Cut the log into 3/8-inch-thick rounds with a small, sharp knife and place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 22 minutes, until very lightly browned. Cool and serve at room temperature.

The crackers came out so good I decided adding cheese with them was overkill.

And then there was fig and onion on baguette with Italian truffle cheese, roasted red pepper cream cheese in filo cups, hot pepper shooters, prosciutto, salami, oil-cured olives, and a hot hors d'oeuvre made with thinly-rolled bread dough topped with salami, sauteed fennel, and gorgonzola cheese, and then topped with another thin sheet of dough and baked at 400° for about 15 minutes. Alas, I didn't get a picture of it.

Fresh-baked bread, of course. I made a batch of James Beard's Continental Bread.

James Beard French-Style Bread

  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups warm water (100° to 115°, approximately)
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 5 cups bread flour
  • 3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
  • 1 egg white, mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water
  • sesame seeds

Directions

Combine the yeast with sugar and warm water in a large bowl and allow to proof. Mix the salt with the flour and add to the yeast mixture, a cup at a time, until you have a stiff dough. Remove to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky, about 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Place in a buttered bowl and turn to coat the surface with butter. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1½ to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough. Turn out on a floured board and shape into long, French bread-style loaves. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprinkled with the cornmeal but not buttered. Slash the tops of the loaves diagonally in two or three places, and brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Place in a cold oven, set the temperature at 400°, and bake 35 minutes, or until well browned and hollow sounding when the top is rapped.

I actually just made one loaf and used the rest of the dough for the appetizer.

And then we had dessert...

Zuppa Inglese. It translates to "English Soup." We first had it at a great restaurant in Florence. I've now made it twice and this time was the best. I think I finally have it down.

Zuppa Inglese

Sponge cake:

  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 cup sifted cake flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pour the melted butter into a 1-quart bowl; reserve. Return the sifted flour to the sifter or sieve and add 1 tbsp of the sugar and the salt; sift onto a piece of waxed paper and set aside.

Put the eggs and the remaining sugar into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer (or work with a hand-held mixer). Holding the whisk attachment from the mixer in your hand, beat the mixture to blend the ingredients. With the bowl and whisk attachment in place, whip the mixture on medium speed until it is airy, pale, and tripled in volume, like softly whipped cream, 4 to 5 minutes. You’ll know that the eggs are properly whipped when you lift the whisk and the mixture falls back into the bowl in a ribbon that rests on the surface for about 10 seconds. If the ribbon immediately sinks into the mixture, continue whipping for a few more minutes. Pour in the vanilla extract during the last moments of whipping.

Detach the bowl from the mixer. Sprinkle about one third of the sifted flour mixture over the batter. Fold in the flour with a rubber spatula, stopping as soon as the flour is incorporated. Fold in the rest of the flour in 2 more additions.

Gently spoon about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the melted butter and fold the butter in with the rubber spatula. Fold this mixture into the batter in the mixer bowl. (This is the point at which the batter is at its most fragile, so fold gingerly.) The batter should be poured into a prepared pan and baked immediately.

Bake at 350° about 25-27 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched and just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan.

Cool in pan about 10 minutes then remove, cooling right-side up on cooling rack.

Sugar Syrup:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tbsp limoncello

Mix ingredients. Bring to boil in small saucepan and boil about 1 minute. Cool and set aside.

Pastry Cream

  • 2 cups whole milk
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • ⅓ cup sugar
  • ⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring the milk and lemon zest to just below the boiling point; remove from the heat. In a medium bowl, beat the egg, egg yolks, and sugar until creamy. Add the flour and vanilla as you beat with a whisk, then slowly beat in the hot milk, still whisking. Pour the mixture into the pot in which you heated the milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until thick, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate 2 hours.

Meringue

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Whip egg whites. Slowly add sugar and continue whipping until firm peaks are formed.

To assemble

Slice cake horizontally into three layers. Cut to snugly fit bottom of baking dish. Liberally douse with sugar syrup. Cover with half the pastry cream. Place second layer of cake on top, press down, again liberally douse with sugar syrup and the rest of the pastry cream. Top with final layer of cake.

Completely seal top of dish with meringue. Place in 450° oven about 5 minutes to brown meringue.

Serve at room temperature.

It's just spooned out onto the plate. It doesn't necessarily make the most fabulous presentation, but no one notices after the first bite!

A fun meal with fun friends. The perfect way to end the year.

 


Stuffed Pork Chops

I'm a little late in getting some of my posts done. I could always use the excuse that I've been busy with cookies and other things, but... being lazy is probably closer to the truth. And this is probably the ultimate in laziness because I didn't even cook it - Victor did!

Stuffed pork chops. Yum. He started off with a couple of thick-sliced chops, cut a deep pocket in them, and then stuffed them with dressing we had in the freezer from Thanksgiving. They then went into a 350° oven for about 40 minutes. They were thick chops. If you're not fortunate enough to have leftover dressing in your freezer, it's easy enough to whip up.

And speaking of whip up, Duchesse potatoes made with yellow sweets! How about that?!? Duchesse potatoes - pommes de terre duchesseare a classic potato dish of mashed potatoes, egg, a pinch of nutmeg, and cream. They are mounded onto a sheet pan - usually piped with a pastry bag - and then baked until golden brown. They can also be done by the spoonful and can be tiny golf ball or tennis ball-size. They become just slightly crispy on the outside and light and creamy on the inside. The yellow sweet potato really rocked!

And then we had oven-roasted glazed carrots. A bit of honey, butter, and thyme, salt, and pepper. Into the same 350° oven as the pork and potatoes.

It was an all-oven meal, perfect for warming up the kitchen on a cold night.


Butternut Squash and Cannellini Bean Soup

There are not many things better than coming home from work and having a steaming bowl of homemade soup and a warm loaf of homemade focaccia right from the oven. It really was just what I wanted and needed.

The weather turned cold again after the heatwave last week and soup was the perfect dinner.

Victor cooked the squash in chicken broth and garlic, added a bit of heavy cream, sour cream, and Guamanian boonie pepper - a spicy pepper we got from our nephew-in-law, Jay. Cayenne would work in a pinch.  He then added a can of cannellini beans and pureed it all with an immersion blender. I have said many time to go out and get one. It is indispensable in our house.

It was awesome!  Rich, creamy, and lots of flavor.I had two bowls and there was still enough left for Victor's lunch tomorrow.

And the foccacia was his old standby.  Perfect every time.

Foccacia

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1  pkg.  active dry yeast
  • 1/2  tsp.  salt
  • 1  cup  warm water
  • 2  Tbsp.  olive oil

Directions

In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Lightly grease a large bowl; place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel (make sure the towel does not touch the dough). Let dough rise in a warm place until double in size (30 minutes).

Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16×12-inch rectangle. Place in a greased 16x12x1-inch baking pan.  Let rise 20 minutes.

Top with toppings of choice and bake at 375° about 25 minutes.

And speaking of tomorrow... mid-40s and rain.  Whatever to make?!?


Sunday Pastry

 

This morning's breakfast is brought to you by Victor:

I love Ina Garten. She has a tag line she uses all the time. "How easy is that?"

I was watching her last week and she was making danish pastry. I happened to have some frozen puff pastry (doesn't everyone?) so for Sunday breakfast I decided to make Tim a treat. Cheese/Pear Danish. How easy is that?

  • Peel the pear
  • Core the pear
  • Dice the pear
  • Cook the pear
  • Cool the pear
  • Get the cream cheese
  • Get the ricotta cheese
  • Separate an egg
  • Mix the cheese with
  • Egg Yolk
  • Vanilla
  • Sugar
  • Thaw the puff pastry
  • Roll the puff pastry out to 10x10 inches
  • Cut the puff pastry into quarters
  • Fill the pasty with cheese
  • Top the cheese with cooked pear
  • Make an egg wash
  • Brush egg was around the edges of the 4 pastries
  • Fold one corner over the cheese
  • Fold the other corner over the top
  • Repeat with other 3 pastries
  • Place pastry on a parchment lined baking sheet
  • Egg wash the folded pastry
  • Sprinkle with sugar
  • Pre-heat the oven
  • Refridgerate the pastry for 15 minutes
  • Bake for 20 minutes
  • Clean kitchen
  • Make more coffee
  • Cool Danish
  • Serve warm

The next time Ina says "How easy was that?" I'm going to put my foot through the TV.

 


Butternut Squash Risotto

About 3 this afternoon, Victor asked me if I had any plans for the butternut squash that was in the 'fridge. Now, papa didn't raise no fool. It matters not if I had plans for it - if he's asking, that means he's thinking about cooking. I had no plans for it.

It was definitely the correct answer, because I got to sit down to a fabulous Butternut Squash Risotto!

We had a bit of roasted butternut squash left over from the other night - that Victor roasted with maple syrup - and that was mashed into the risotto while he roasted more - with maple syrup - that went into the risotto - with more for the top.

Yumlicious.

It was properly cheesy with the rice cooked to perfection.  The butternut squash was rich and flavorful and added a second layer of creamy goodness.

Did I mention that it rocked?!?

Butternut Squash Risotto

  • 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano)
  • 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
  • 5 cups hot chicken broth
  • salt and pepper

Coat cubed squash with maple syrup and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Place on sheet-pan in 425° oven for about 25 minutes.  Set aside.

Saute garlic in a bit of olive oil and butter in a risotto-style pan.  Add 1 cup rice and continue sauteing until rice is slightly translucent.

Add 1 cup broth and stir until most of broth is absorbed.  Continue stirring and adding broth until about 3/4 has been added.

Add roasted butternut squash, mashing some with spoon as you stir and holding some back for the top.

Continue adding broth until rice is tender.

Stir in parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.

Top with remaining squash and slivers of cheese.

Yumlicious.


Pasta Bake

I just love coming home from work and finding Victor in the kitchen!  Since I had to work late, Victor said he would take care of dinner - and after 17 years and 352 days, I still marvel at what a great cook he is. This was a throw-together, clean-out-the-'fridge dish that had me going back for more.

It was pasta and meat sauce with roasted butternut squash and fresh mozzarella.  And under all that were two boneless pork chops that were fall-apart tender.

It rocked.

No big recipe secret.  It was like a standard baked ziti with chunks of fresh mozzarella and roasted squash added for fun.  I almost had it for dinner again, tonight, but decided it would make a couple of great lunches, instead.

We both pretty much work under the same premise - if you put things together that you like, it's bound to come out good.

And it did.


Chicken Soup & Cornbread

If there is any benefit to not feeling well, it's having Victor cook.  Chicken soup and a slightly-spicy cornbread were on the menu tonight - both with ingredients guaranteed to knock this cold out!  Chicken soup and capsaicin.  They both will cure what ails ya.

We had broth in the freezer and some bone-in chicken breasts, so it was a matter of chopping, dicing, and cooking while I was taking one of my numerous naps of the day.  But as good as the soup was - and it was really good - the cornbread stole the show.  It was stellar!  It was moist, it was light, it was flavorful.  Feed a cold and starve a fever?!?  I fed my cold!

There's more soup and more cornbread for lunch tomorrow.  I'm feeling better just thinking of it!

Chili Cheese Cornbread

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 longhorn peppers, minced

Preheat oven to 375°.  Butter an 8"x8" pan.

Melt butter and stir in sugar. Add eggs. Add buttermilk. Stir in cornmeal, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix in shredded cheese and peppers.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

And the soup?!?  Damn!  It was good!


Butternut Squash Soup

Another Saturday Treat awaiting me as I walked in the door, today!  Butternut Squash Soup!  A really really good butternut squash soup, I might add!

I was just going to make burgers, but Victor saw a half of squash left from yesterday and decided it needed to be used up.  So...  we ended up with burgers and soup!  A perfect combo meal!

The soup was really simple.  He sauteed one shallot and then added chicken broth and the cut up butternut squash.  He cooked it about 2o minutes and then hit it with the immersion blender until it was smooth.  He then added crème fraîche, salt, pepper, and a dash of freshly grated nutmeg.

Simple, fresh ingredients. It really was the perfect soup!

What a concept!


Cranberry Scones

It's Sunday Morning and the scent of fresh-baked scones is wafting through the house mingling with the scent of freshly-brewed coffee.

Truly, it doesn't get much better.

I was in the kitchen at 7:30am getting my starter ready for bread-baking when Victor came in and said he was making scones.  I took my cue and exited, stage left.

I was thinking a nice breakfast treat was in order, but hadn't reached the I'll make something stage.  And lo and behold, I didn't have to!

These are quick to make and can be on the table in 30 minutes from start to finish!

Cranberry Scones

  • 3 1/4 cup favorite Bisquick-type baking mix
  • 1/4 cup cold butter
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup dried cranberries
  • demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 400°.

Cut butter into baking mix until coarse crumbs are formed.  Add sugar and then milk.  Stir just until moistened.  Fold in cranberries.

On floured surface, form into a ball and then pat down to about an 8" round.  Cut into 8 sections and place on parchment-lined (or greased) baking sheet.

Sprinkle with demerara sugar and bake 12-15 minutes or until golden-brown.

They came out light and airy, moist and delicate, hearty and satisfying.  And downright good!

 


That's Italian!

I came home to stuffed shells and braciole.  My life is so good!  And so was dinner!

Saturday is often Victor's day to play in the kitchen while I'm at work, and it can either be something simple or something extraordinary.  Tonight was definitely the latter!

Braciole in its most base form is merely thin-sliced beef with a bread stuffing, rolled, pan-fried, and simmered in a tomato sauce.  It can be done as a large roast-sized item or small, individual pieces.  I like the small ones the best.

Ya just place the meat on the counter, pound flat, if necessary, and cover with the bread crumbs mixed with a bit of grated cheese, garlic, and a bit of S&P.  Roll it up jelly roll-style and secure with toothpicks.

Brown in a skillet and then place in a casserole with sauce and bake at 350° for about 30 minutes.

Stuffed shells are one of my absolute favorites!  The filling is ricotta cheese, a bit of shredded mozzarella, an egg, a bit of chopped parsley, and a pinch of S&P.  Simple ingredients that pack a wallop of flavor.  They also baked at 350° for 30 minutes.  Victor had extra bread crumbs left over so they went on top, as well.

Shells are actually pretty easy to fill.  Place the filling in a ziplock bag and cut off a corner.  Use it like a pastry bag.

A totally successful dinner!  And to show my appreciation, I'm making a phyllo-crust pumpkin pie for dessert.

Experiments are fun.


Rigatoni and Meatballs

There are not a lot of things better than coming home to dinner simmering on the stove - especially when said dinner is skeddies and meatballs.  Be still my smiling stomach and beating heart.

I had pulled some ground beef out of the freezer before work and was planning something fairly quick and easy when I got home.  Victor probably figured if he wanted something good, he needed to make it.  He was right.  And I'm really happy he did!

Victor's Spaghetti Sauce

  • 2 – 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
  • 1 – Sm can tomato paste
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic (or to taste if you like more) chopped fine
  • Olive oil
  • Dried Italian seasonings
  • Hot red pepper flakes (a tsp or more or less to taste)
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • Red wine (always cook with a decent wine, never “cooking” wine) about a cup or cup and a half
  • Meat – such as Italian sausage or some nice beef or pork ribs or pork chops

Ok…I ALWAYS make my sauce with meat, so start with a deep, heavy pot and add about 3-4 TBS of olive oil. On high heat, once the oil is hot, start frying the sausage or pork, Let the meat get good and caramelized although you don’t have to cook it all the way through because you’ll add it back to the sauce to finish. Once the meat is browned take it out of the pot, put it on a plate and set aside.

Lower the heat to medium and sauté the tomato paste for a couple of minutes until it begins to “melt”. Add the chopped garlic and sauté with the tomato paste for just a minute (no longer or it will burn). Then add about a cup of the red wine and deglaze the pan with it, scrapping up all the good bits that stuck to the bottom when cooking the meat.

When the wine reduces by about ½ start adding the canned tomatoes.  Add one can of hot water for every can of tomatoes you use.

Now start adding the dried Italian seasonings.  I eyeball it but I would guess a good 2 TBS is fine.  Add about another ½ cup of red wine, with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir everything into the sauce. It will be very thin at this point.

Add back the cooked meat. Now this is important….at the bottom of the plate you let the meat rest on will be some of the oil and juices that seeped out. Pour that back into the pot. It has a lot of flavor in it.

Bring the sauce back to a boil then turn the heat down low and let it simmer for at least 1 and a half hours, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes to keep it from burning. It should reduce by about a third or a little less and get thicker. The meat will absorb the sauce and get very tender.

When I make meatballs, I don’t fry them, I bake them on a sheet pan. When I do, I add them to the simmering sauce when they’re done so they also absorb the flavor.

I usually make the sauce early in the day and after it’s done, just let it sit on the stove until dinner then I re-heat it. This should make enough sauce for a couple of dinners or good sized lasagna.

And to top it off, we had more of the homemade bread I made the day before.

Yumlicious!

 

 


Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

I pulled a pork tenderloin out of the freezer this morning with a bit of a vague idea of what I was going to do for dinner.  A while later, I was in the office doing a bit of work whn Victor came in and asked if I wanted a stuffed pork tenderloin for dinner.  I immediately said "YES!"

One thing about meals is I'm always willing to cook - but I'm also willing to sit back and be cooked for!  Especially since Victor is such a good cook.

I love to eat and I love good food, but I'm also not a fussy eater.  You're cooking, I'm eating.  But it definitely is a plus when it's something pretty spectacular.

As was dinner, tonight.

Victor cooked off a filling of shallots, spinach, speck, sun-dried tomatoes, bread crumbs, mozzarella cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper.  He split the tenderloin, pounded it a bit to get an even thickness, and then stuffed it and tied it.  It went into a 350° oven for about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, he cut up a couple of potatoes, cut a head of cauliflower into florettes, drizzled it all with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic, and placed it itto the same oven.

The flavors blended perfectly!  Every bite put a smile on my face.

I really don't understand people who don't like to cook.  You just can't get a meal like this in a restaurant - or out of a box.

My stomach is smiling...