Eating on my own usually consists
of leftovers, quick eats, and if I’m going to be preparing something, it’s
often a dip, soup, or something that will last more than one meal, which of
course fuels the leftovers. However, cooking with friends provides an
opportunity to cook something a little more extravagant, make a special trip to
the grocery store, and enjoy a glass of wine over a sizzling sauté pan.
We were in the mood for pork,
namely, a pork loin. I remember a delicious sandwich from D’nicks in the
Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia. It was a roast pork sandwich (rather
than the Philadelphia staple of cheese steak) stuffed with broccoli rabe (or
broccoli raab, or rapini, depending on where you live) and a sharp provolone
cheese. Reminiscing, we purchased the pork loin and rubbed it with salt,
pepper, and zoug, a blend of green herbs and garlic often used in falafel stands
throughout the Middle East. The pork was seared in a pan then placed into a 400⁰ oven
until an internal temp of 150⁰, then let rest and come up to 160⁰. To continue
our rif from D’nicks, we sautéed the rapini with onions and garlic, then added
a splash of chicken broth to steam the rapini in the pan. In place of a bun, we
had a cheese plate (what a replacement) with horseradish cheddar, manchego, and
of course, sharp provolone.
Another night, another meal, another
inspiration. We wanted to make pasta. In Italy, pasta is one of many courses,
and that’s the way I like it. I love my carbs as much as the next person, but a
meal of nothing but is boring. So, we decided to make ravioli. Being the
intrepid cooks we are, we decided to get fancy and stuff them with caramelized onion
and sautéed mushrooms. But of course, we couldn’t use just any mushrooms, we
had to venture into the unknown and get oyster mushrooms, a variety neither of
us have experience with. Our foray into foreign food territory quickly went
downhill as the oyster mushrooms were firmer than expected, even after a sauté.
Not only that, but I think we mixed the dough wrong, or didn’t let it set, or
both, as it was thick, heavy, and firm. Our fervor unabated, we pressed on, literally,
pressing the edges of our cut dough closed around our ravioli and we sunk them
into a broth (rather than a sauce) of our own concoction (undoubtedly the best
part of the meal, chicken stock, roasted garlic, herbs du provence, shallot,
fresh cracked pepper). The ravioli didn’t soften as much as we would have
liked, but despite the texture, we got the flavor. Always eat your mistakes, it
makes you a better cook next time.
Saturday was the most Pie Day we
will see in our lifetimes (π = 3.1415926 = March 14, (20)15
9:26am/pm) In addition, it was a St. Patrick’s day weekend, so we felt inspired
to take on both. Rather than going for a dessert pie, we opted for the pot pie
(I suppose we could have gone for Shepard’s Pie…) The leftover rapini was sautéed
with onions, garlic, carrots, and celery in a large skillet. Once sweated, they
were pushed to the side and we built a roux with butter, flour, and chicken
stock. We cheated a bit and got a rotisserie chicken, picked apart the breasts
and folded them in. The top of the pie was lined with puff pastry and into the
oven it went until the pastry was golden brown and delicious. We noshed upon
Irish cheddar cheese and did a little whiskey tasting while we waited. Turned
out perfectly, and provided leftovers. 
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