The tale of 2 pork chops: from a soupy destiny to braised... imperfection?

a pair of pork chops have been staring at me for the past week waiting for their time to be made into Pasta e Fagioli soup, but alas, midterm season has come and sit they did...UNTIL TODAY! :D

i had 45 mins before having to go to work and knowing that it wasn't worth it for me to start studying, i decided that pre-making dinner was a good idea. out comes Essentials and directly to "pork chops" i turn. i don't have any white wine sitting around but i did have some fresh sage, so i decided on Braised Pork Chops with Sage and Tomatoes, Modena Style with Sauteed Broccoli with Olive Oil and Garlic. i thought i'd leave the pork chops to braise on low heat while i was at work and the broccoli should only take a few minutes to sautee once i got back, so, why not?

notes to the wise:

- read through the ENTIRE recipe BEFORE starting it... definitely didn't do that and spent the first 5 mins running around the kitchen like a mad woman trying to coat the pork chop with flour that wasn't read, heat the butter and oil that looked already as if it were going too brown, de-flower and peel the broccoli, set a pot of water to boil and not burn down the building

- don't try to do a million things if you don't have the process down pat, but, who was i to know??? they seem to be fine doing it on the tv...

so, after 5 mins of mayhem in the kitchen, i decide to close the water and just deal with it later. the pork chops are read to go into the pan and the fats have been heated to med/high. in goes the chops... brown goes everything in the pan!! and out comes huge smoke!! ahhh!!! what went wrong!?!?! oh, did i mention that i forgot to throw in fresh sage at the same time? oops... fresh sage leaves were plucked and thrown in after the chops had already been in for 2 mins and they immediately shrivled up to burnt-looking things... uh oh... now what? on with the show?

"Cook the chops to a rich brown on both sides,..." ok, so i flip the chops and wait... oops maybe i took the "rich brown" a little too much to heart? i was standing there wondering if i had managed to ruin the dish. i hope not... 15 mins till i had to leave for work :S

i added the rest of the ingredients and can i just say, tomatoes can work magic... they made everything look so perfect. rustic and right. woohoo!! i turned the heat down to low and let them braise for another 5 mins before turning off the heat completely, plating it, taking a picture throwing it back in the pot and heading down to work.

i managed to try a bit right before leaving and it tasted really good actually. but, not very sage-y (i don't think that's a word). maybe i should have tried adding the sage in a second before adding the pork chops to infuse the fats a little before adding the pork. oh well, maybe next time?

p.s. for all the students, this dish is not only affordable (a grand total of maybe ~5$ for 2 porkchop meals) but it's super fast! it took me all of 15mins from beginning to end (and that was even with me prepping the broccoli as i went along). try it out. tell me what you think.

(well, without braising time? but, i didn't really do that and it turned out fine)

i'm going to say that if i tweaked my timing a little, this dish is just so... italy. simple with great ingredients and a warm feeling :) can't beat that on a cold night.

the adventures with broccoli are far less amusing, but not any less tasty. because i was going to let the broccoli sit out for a little while, i did take it out right before it was fork-tender to let the residual heat "cook" it while i was at work. result = perfectly green and crisp broccoli ready for a quick visit to the pan for it's final dressing. YUM! now THAT, is broccoli! :D

Braised Pork Chops with Sage and Tomatoes, Modena Style

IT HAS ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!

ESSENTIALS of ITALIAN COOKING HAS ARRIVED TO LONDON HALL!!!!!!!

up until now, i've been using a copy from the local library, but today, a lovely package was waiting for me in the mail when i went to check. my very own copy of the italian cooking bible has arrived. now, i don't have to worry about when i have to return it again! :D

otherwise, on the domain of cooking, RAVIOLI.

instead of a huge halloween party, my roommate and i are doing a ravioli party and will try to recreate her favourite dish from milestones (butternut squash ravioli with glazed pecans, sage butter and cumbled goat cheese) while basing our study on the principles set forth by marcella.

can't wait!

3 down, 515 to go!

Well, after procrastinating for about a week, I finally decided to get down to make my first recipes.

As a cook, I don't usually follow recipes well. I read them, understand the big picture, then go about making the dish my way. For the intents of this project, I am trying to stick to the recipes as written - which, for someone like me, if MIGHTY difficult.

Minestrina Tricolore: potato soup with carrots and celery

after visiting Loblaws to pick up some missing ingredients (and a new heavy bottom saute pan, cover and herb bush) I peeled my potatoes, put on the water and started the boil. Woohoo!! Step 1 done without a hitch. Now on to step 2...

Onions, carrots, celery and oil are all things I am very familiar with in the kitchen. I tend to over use the OCC and under use the oil, just because I'm like that. So, when the recipe called for the complete reversal of my norm, I definitely had problems. i mean, who uses ONLY 3tbsp of OCC?!? really, com'on now! and then, on top of that, they called for BUTTER?!?! the dreaded light yellow brick that seems so familiar to my brother-in-law and sister but is almost as dreaded as the plague in my house... moral dilemma. what to do? what to do?!? but, as it WAS called for in the recipe, i went ahead and used it... AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES!!! wow! i mean, brown butter definitely has that nutty taste that all the chefs rave about. definitely try it if you haven't.

proceeded to do the rest of the recipe without a hick-up and, before i knew it, i was done. standing in front of my very first marcella recipe. it was a strange, yet satisfying feeling. knowing that i'd conquered some of my "fears" and understood WHY it was only 3tbsp of each... it just makes the soup quite pretty.

All in all, definitely a recipe i would recommend for anyone to make, especially as the days get colder.

oh, one other thing. the recipe calls for a "food mill" but definitely don't have one (maybe at christmas? still not 100% convinced that i need one) so i used my hand blender that i stole from home, on the "ok" from my "italian mother" (she says that if one does not have a food mill or a passaverdura, one can use a food processor instead -- also something i don't have, but will hopefully be getting soon) while i have never conciously had a soup that was made specifically with a food mill, i'm going to say that it probablly turns out a little more creamy than mine did. when i looked at the soup, i was expecting velvety goodness, but i was a little dissapointed with the almost granular texture that was produced.
i think the next time i make this soup (which is definitely going to be sometime this season) i'll try passing it through a fine mesh strainer or, even better, a newly procured passaverdura.

Finocchio - 2 ways

i love fennel. i really do. usually i toss it up with a splash of fresh orange juice, white balsamic vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper. mmm... yum. but here, they called to braise it with either EVOO or butter/Parmesan.

not wanting to make a whole bunch of stuff i may or may not like, i took the time to make 1 slice of EVOO braised fennel and 1 slice of butter/Parmesan. it paid off because while both had this beautifully creamy texture at the end, i have to say that i liked the fresh stuff the most. of the two, EVOO was better, but maybe it's because i screwed up the butter one... i don't know, but i'll might try it out again later.

finocchio e la PastaQueen

confession: i've been living off of canned food for the past few days

new reality: FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD!!!!!!!! (check out the attached photo as a testament :P)

today marks the first of many days to come that i will actually be making dishes that are in the book as i have FINALLY gotten myself to a supermarket and can FINALLY start cooking like a real person! (only problem is, midterms hang in the near future...)

on the menu: braised finocchio and minestrina tricolore
(well, i'll have to get some potatoes, but whatever)

also, i have a new pasta machine!! it will be making it's debut performace shortly so definitely keep an eye out for it! but getting it, now that's another story...

The PastaQueen moves in...
this story starts a few days ago when i was searching on kijiji for some 2nd hand kitchen appliances that i needed to complete the book. i found a "made in italy" one for $15 and, while i have one at home, couldn't let this incredible opportunity pass. so, when my roommate asked if i wanted to go to the grocery store with her, i saw my chance and seized it!

as my roommate and i were going for this grocery run when i get an email from the seller of the pasta maker that i have today and tomorrow from 6-8pm to pick it up if i still want it. not wanting to miss out on a "made in italy" pasta maker, i ask if it's at all possible for us to get it on our way to the supermarket. as luck would have it, it was actually sorta on the way there and we were able to pass by. (if not, i was going to figure it out tomorrow)

as we're driving towards the place, my roommate starts telling me that this place is known for being the rough area in london and fair enough; it was in the middle of god-know's-where booneyville london!!!!!!!!! she tells me of how her boyfriend's cousin, who's a cop, would always have to come out there to check on something or do something in general... :S what was i thinking!! i was totally going to do this on my own... but uh... yay for bestest best roommates!!!
we're driving more and more into this place and the only thought that's going through my head (and her's too apparently) was "WHERE ARE WE AND HOW DO I GET OUT?!?!"

so, with google driving direction in hand, we find the illusive house and pull over.

twilight. dark shapes and shadows move about with nothing but the russling leaves around us. me, being me, thought i could do this on my own, but thankfully, my roommate asked to come along and so, we got out of the car and approached the door. up a narrow driveway, with dried plants encroaching on the pavement. knock knock. no answer. knock knock. noise inside. we wait.

the door is opened by this smiling non-ganster looking grandmother type person and i ask, "hi, are you debra?" yup, found the house and although arriving rather unexpectedly, she welcomes us in and we wait in her front foyer. a fat cat sits down the hallway and lazily stares at us while my roommate and i discuss in a rather falsely cheereful voice the pros and cons of some miscellaneous subject. finally, the person re-appears with the pasta maker in hand and all i can say is "pheeewww.... can we go now?"

and off we go, back to the car, and room away to the supermarket.

oh, the adventures this project is bringing me.

i can't wait to get my own copy of the book in the mail! i'm currently using a library book until mine arrives, but heheheheh :D so excited!!

check out some of marcella's recipes on your own :)

http://www.dolcevita.com/cuisine/recipes/recipes.htm

"variety meats" anyone???

just came back from thanksgiving weekend at home home and can't believe the number of recipes that need to be done!!

518 in total with a whopping 111 different pasta dishes... -- incredibile!!

definitely starting to have my doubts about this project... every heard of "variety meats"??? yup, that's a chapter in the book and includes such delicacies as calf brain, liver and kidney. uh... anybody know any good butchers in the north london area? because i'm going to say that those lovely cuts of meat aren't going to be able at my local Loblaws...

also, holy do they love pasta! i mean, i realized that it was important, but not until i counted up the recipes in this book, did i realize the extent! i've really got to get cracking on this!

ooo, on a fun note, went beserk at nofills over the weekend! bought fennel or finocchio and atichokes to start trying out the recipes, but alas, never got a chance to actually start... :( was so looking forward to it! however, do not fret!! it will begin!! (you know, once i get more than 1 egg and 3 apples in my fridge! hahaha!!!)

confession...

definitely up til 3am reading and putting together a friend's birthday dinner...

also, the food processor is gone!!!!!!!!!! :(

discovering what's available and a new addition!!!!!

as students, we are limited by both space, time and, let's face it... money.

after a day of preliminary Marcella readings, i've discovered that apparently i don't need a million different pieces of equipment to get good results; all you need is a few key pieces... -- definitely a good thing for a student with a cooking set meant for one...

here's what i've got:
- large chopping board (bought in 1st year)
- chef's knife (stolen from home)
- 2 white plates and bowls (thank you ikea!)
- set of 2 complete "silverware" (can you say dollarama?!?!)
- a million and one mugs (both ceramic and travelling)
- 1 large-ish pot, 1 medium pot, 1 small pot (all inherited from my older sister's time at uni)
- 1 large wok with wooden spoon (gifts from my sister before leaving for uni)
- 1 pan (that i share with my current roommate -- it's her's you see...)
- a mish-mash of other cooking utensils picked up along the years
- 1 microplane zester (daddy loves me! :D)
- 1 apron (direct from rome)

- 1 pizza pan/crisper combo (actually bought this year... impressive...)
- 2 8" cake pans (same with this!!! splurge!!)
- 1 small pan for my toaster over (care of mommy)
- 1 george forman 1-person grill (stolen from grandma)
- 1 crock-pot (gift from my mom who thought i needed to make more nutritious meals)

i'd say, bar the last 3 things, they are things almost everybody has in a kitchen. my soon-to-be addition???? A FOOD PROCESSOR!!!!!!!! ahhh!!!!!!! so excited!!!! will definitely inaugurate it with a very classic pesto... i think that's a good starting point, no?

can't wait to see the results!! :D

in the beginning...

so here i am. never thought that i'd enter this cyber world of blogging, but after watching "julie&julia" (a movie i really think any foodie would love) i thought it might be fun to try and recreate that, but tailor it to me :)

i am a self-prophesed "canadian by birth, but italian by heart". i've travelled there 3 times in the past 4 years and have fallen deeper and deeper in love with the people, the culture and the food with each trip. i'm also a full-time university student that doesn't know what her next step is going to be. so, with my final year in front of me and a blank canvas for a future, i figure i'll start with what i love: europe. and more specifically: ITALY.

with beginner's italian by my side, andrea bocelli in my ears and a good red wine in hand, i'm going to take "Essentials of Italian Cooking" (by Marcella Hazan, the italian equivalent of Julia Child) and cook it all before the end of the school year - and without breaking the bank! wish me luck!

ciao ciao!!