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Some wanted their ravioli with just pesto...
Others wanted mezzi rigatoni with meatsauce and just a bit of pesto... And the beauty of Sunday is they all get exactly what they want!
Lest you think we're only about the carbs... (and you wouldn't be far off!) The salad on the side was shaved fennel with pink grapefruit and red onion in a red wine vinaigrette. Balance is beautiful.
I love that readers of my food blog feel close enough to send me an email and say: "Everything ok? You haven't posted in a while!" (Thank you Gracie!) The combination of a tempermental camera and a very busy work schedule hasn't kept me from cooking, but it sure takes a toll on the posting! So, ready? Here we go:
There's always pizza love going on over here - because there's always pancetta in the freezer, rosemary in the garden and sauce made.
Even without sauce, there are lots of options - like portabellos and gruyere.
Tried a Rachel Ray recipe for her Grandpa's Braised Beef... Tons of prep and high expectations, but needs some tweaking.
Also tried a recipe from a new favorite TV Chef of ours: Chuck Hughes from "Chuck's Day Off". Peanut and Spicy Orange Sauces were great for dipping some homemade crispy chicken chunks. In addition to the two from his show...
We made a nice Chinese Black Bean sauce as well. The kids were stumped as to which was their favorite!
A visit to the Homestead Farmer's Market set the tone for the Mother's Day meal:
We went full out and didn't take photos of it all (especially the queso fundido with chorizo) but here are some of the main course.
Pork in a chipotle adobo sauce... with a ton of tortillas.
Mexican rice... SO good.
And red beans with chorizo. Now I should have had a Negro Modelo, or a Corona or Tecate to wash it down with... but,
I am a creature of habit and proud of my roots!
Gotta give the Mamma of the house what she wants this weekend. And there's NOTHING she loves in the pizza department like our invention of a few years ago:
Her absolute favorite: roasted garlic, sea salt, gruyere and fresh rosemary... It's INSANE.
Her second favorite is a simple marinara with oil-cured black olives and fresh basil...
And then I went insane with a new one... Three cheeses: Emmentaler, Gruyere and Appenzeller with Granny Smith apples, golden raisins and smoked ham. It was suprisingly good and will be in the rotation.
I hear all the time about kids who won't eat vegetables... I didn't have that option growing up. And my kids don't have that option now. Plus, they find their way into so many of the dishes we cook:
Mezzi Rigatoni with butternut squash puree and Parmigiano. This stuff is crazy good as a side or a main dish.
Rigatoni with Italian Sausage, cherry tomatoes and asparragus - as a main dish.
Dinner tonight was stuffed pork loin. The stuffing was made of prosciutto picante, shallots, sage, panko and golden raisins soaked in marsala.
Here it is right out of the oven. And here it is, with a side of marinated cannelini beans, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.
Have a great week!
