A Life, Lived

Cavatelli with Pork Ragu

A few weeks ago we found some fresh cavatelli in a Toronto Italian market. Cavatelli are a type of pasta. The term cavatelli has two meanings: the most common meaning is small pasta shells that look like miniature hot dog buns. The name is less frequently used for a type of dumpling made with ricotta.

Once I got home I found this recipe on the Bon Appetit website. The pork ragu simmers simmers with onions, garlic and aromatics to yield a mouth-watering ragu which pairs wonderful with the cavatelli.

This comforting pasta dish will quickly enter your weeknight rotation - particularly if you make your ragu in advance and freeze it.

Cavatelli with Pork Ragu

1 1½-lb. boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), cut into 1½” pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup olive oil, plus more
½ medium onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 sprig rosemary
1 sprig oregano
1 bay leaf
1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes
½ cup dry red wine
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
1 pound cavatelli or other small shell pasta
⅓ cup dried currants soaked in ½ cup hot water (optional)
1 bunch Tuscan kale, ribs and stems removed, torn into 2” pieces
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat ¼ cup oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook meat, turning occasionally, until browned, 10–15 minutes; transfer to a large plate.

Drain all but 2 Tbsp. fat from pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Tie rosemary, oregano, and bay leaf into a bundle with kitchen twine; add to pot along with pork, tomatoes, wine, peppercorns, nutmeg, and cloves. Add water just to cover meat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until meat is very tender, 1–1½ hours.

Discard herb bundle. Using 2 forks, shred meat in pot; cook, uncovered, over medium heat until sauce is thickened, 8–10 minutes.

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.

Add currants, if using, and kale to ragù; cook until kale is soft, about 4 minutes. Add pasta; cook, adding reserved pasta cooking liquid as needed, until sauce coats pasta. Mix in butter and ½ cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Serve pasta drizzled with oil and topped with more Parmesan.

Do Ahead: Pork can be cooked (do not shred) 2 days ahead. Let cool in braising liquid; cover and chill.

Happy Anniversary

I confess to being a bit shocked to discover that Monday was our 17th Anniversary . . . where the heck have those years gone? I guess that fact that it only seems like months rather than decades is a good thing.

Monday was a holiday here in Ontario so it was nice to have a day off to relax. We went for a HUGE walk during the day, relaxed in the afternoon, and had a feast for dinner.

Oh course we started off with a martini. This concoction was made from St Germain liqueur, pear vodka, lemon juice, and some pear bitters.

We tried grilling some cheese -a Greek Halloumi and a local Guernsey Girl. Both were wonderful but the Guernsey Girl was the more challenging of the two - perhaps I had sliced the pieces too thinly. We also had some burratta with this course.

Later we had one of my favourite spring salads of all time - asparagus, sautéed King Oyster mushrooms, crispy prosciutto served with a citrus tarragon vinaigrette.

Then we moved on to the main course (did I mention I had a piece of fruit for lunch so I could fit this feast in?) Paul wanted grilled London broil steaks which we served with some fresh fiddleheads, and double stuffed baked potato.

And finally dessert. . . we had bought squares of 'slab' pie from one of our favourite bakeries in St Jacobs. Paul had strawberry and rhubarb and I had a German apple piece.

After eating this feast it was all we could do to clean up and roll off to sleep . . .

 

Travel Tuesday - Naples

A friend of mine is heading to Naples (the real Naples in Italy not the Florida version) and I was giving her suggestions of places to go. Of course that got me looking at my pics . . .

Baked Sole with Asparagus

Work has been CRAZY lately. I think that the only thing that has kept me going is that Paul is out of work - as odd as it is to say; he is likely the only one holding the house together right now.

He has assumed responsibility for selecting the menu and more often than not, when I want in the door at 8:00 after a flight home for Ottawa, dinner is waiting on the table.

A few weeks ago we picked up some fresh, local asparagus at the market and he paired it with lemony baked sole for a delicious meal.

Look for relatively thick, large flatfish fillets for this dish. Purchase 2 of them totaling 1 1/2 lb., and then cut them in half lengthwise to make 4 servings. Or, buy 8 small fillets totaling the same weight, and overlap pairs of fillets to make single thicker portions.

Baked Sole with Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus, medium-size stalks, tough ends removed
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 large or 8 small sole or flounder fillets, 1 1/2 lb. total
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Butter a shallow 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Arrange the asparagus spears in a single layer in the prepared dish and season lightly with salt. Season the fish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper and place them on top of the asparagus. Bake until the fillets are beginning to flake at the tail ends and the asparagus is tender-crisp, about 7 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, melt the butter with the lemon zest. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until the mixture just begins to color, about 3 minutes. Add the broth and lemon juice and whisk vigorously to break up any lumps. Cook the sauce, whisking occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Divide the fish fillets and asparagus among individual plates, spoon the sauce over the fillets and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Southeast Asian Chicken Wings

It’s never too early to break out your grill even though summer is not officially here. With warm and gorgeous days like this, I just couldn’t wait and had to fire up my grill and made these Southeast Asian chicken wings.

This Southeast Asian chicken wing is the epitome of the colorful and exotic cooking common to that region. Creamy coconut milk, fragrant lemongrass, aromatics such as ginger, garlic, cilantro, and the extra zing of lime juice and Thai chilies make these wings bursting with the flavors of the street food fare in countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. They are absolutely pleasing to the palate, and the flavor is deep and complex.

The look may be unusual, but using a skewer to stretch out your chicken  wings increases the amount of exposed skin that can crisp up during  cooking, as well as absorb the marinade and smoky flavors from the  grill. What’s more, wings on a stick are fun to eat.

 

Southeast Asian Chicken Wings

3 pounds whole chicken wings (12-14)

1/2 cup (125ml) coconut milk
2 stalks fresh lemongrass, white part only, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 scallions, white part only, coarsely chopped
2 Thai chilies with seeds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

12-14 long bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes Oiled paper towel or cloth
1/2 cup Thai sweet chili sauce (Mae Ploy)
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced for garnishing

Use paper towels to pat the chicken wings dry. Transfer the chicken wings into a 1-gallon storage/freezer bag.

In a blender or food processor, puree the Marinade until smooth.

Pour the Marinade over the chicken wings in the storage bag. Close the bag tightly and coat the chicken wings evenly with the marinade. Chill for at least 2-4 hours or overnight.

Remove any excess marinade on the chicken wings. Thread each chicken wing on a bamboo skewer, from the drumette to the wingtip to stretch out the wing.

Prepare the gas/charcoal grill for grilling. Wipe the grate with an oiled paper towel or cloth.

Grill the chicken wings with skin side down until golden brown, about 8-12 minutes, depending on the heat. Turn over and grill the other side, another 8-12 minutes or until desired tenderness.

Brush both sides of the chicken wings with the Thai sweet chili sauce and grill until the glaze sizzles, 1-2 minutes each side.

Photo Hunt - Mystical

This week's Photo Hunt theme is 'mystical'.

I found many things about Pompeii to be mystical . . .

 

 

YEAH

Harper's Support of Canada's Troops

The Conservatives like to wrap themselves in the Canadian flag yet the reality is a bit different . . .

School Sign Fail

Travel Tuesday - Vancouver Public Art

One of the things we enjoyed about Vancouver were the wonderful public art installations. I've gone back for a second look on travel Tuesday . . .