It’s been a busy fall here in Northern California with a strenuous work schedule the likes of which I haven’t seen since I was in my twenties. I don’t mind the hard work – we all do it sometimes – but when you’re pulling long days something has to give, and for me it was my cooking. Sure, I still made something to eat, but when I pulled out the pot to boil water for rice pasta for the third time in a week, after justifying a dinner of cheese and salami just the night before, I realized I’d reached cooking rock bottom. So, over the past few weeks I’ve been attempting to reacquaint myself with the kitchen by cooking a few simple-to-prepare, gourmet-ish recipes. The results vary day by day, and I am patient with myself in the process, but every once in a while I come up with something so good I just have to share. What was this week’s specialty? Something I’m calling F’Au Gratin. Come and cook with us! Continue reading “F’Au Gratin”
Category: Dinner Winners
Dinner Winner 6: Cocoa-Rubbed Pork
It’s been a hectic week for Kathrin and me, with a myriad of school parent responsibilities, sick children, and workplace mini dramas all kicking into high gear at once. And while it’s merely a sign that Fall is finally here, it feels (as it does every year around this time) as though we will never stop. Suffice it to say, preparing creative, delicious meals has not been easy! So, we are back again with another “Dinner Winner” to add to your arsenal of good food, made easy. Save this one for a night when you want to impress your friends and family, but don’t want to be in the kitchen longer than 20 minutes. Come and cook with us!
This week’s winner is a big flavored, lean meal of pork tenderloin. I learned about it in a cooking class I took a few weeks back. I was surprised by how quick it was to prepare, given its strong flavor and impressive presentation. This meat would best be served paired with a simple arugula salad with oil, lemon, salt and pepper. If that’s just not enough food for you, add some boiled rice or quinoa dressed with a good olive oil, salt and pepper. And, if you want to go the extra step, you can also roast some sliced potatoes in the oven or mash up some boiled ones making them creamy with a little warm milk.
While the recipe is made with pork tenderloin, lamb tenderloin would work just as well. The only prep required is the cocoa rub, which can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container. Make enough to keep on hand for another night and you’ll cut your prep time in half in the future. I promise, it’s so easy you’ll have time to spare, and in this season that’s a terrific thing!
Try my new favorite Cocoa-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin
Dinner Winner 5: A Post on Roast
Whenever I am lucky enough to be back home in Italy, I visit my 97-year-old Grandmother and watch her cook. She still prepares three meals a day for her son and grandson, who live together in the same house minding the family hardware store. At each meal you will almost always find either meat or fish on the table, and her absolute favorite “Dinner Winner” recipe is a roast. Continue reading “Dinner Winner 5: A Post on Roast”
Dinner Winner 4: You Say Tomato
Tomatoes came in late this year. The Northern California tomato harvest usually begins in the mid to late summer and while the first fruits did arrive in August, it seemed as though we didn’t have our abundance of heirloom, early girl, roma and cherry tomatoes until early October. That simply means we are reaping the rewards of this late harvest right now, and our CSA boxes are filled to overflowing with these beautiful fruits weekly. I am, therefore, dedicating this week’s “Dinner Winner” to another dish I learned from Kathrin, one that showcases this abundant fall fruit, and takes only 15 minutes from prep to table. I call it Kathrin’s Quick Sugo.
Dinner Winner 3: A Pot of Rice
Over the past few weeks, in our very own version of “he said, she said”, Jessica and I have debated what constitutes a “Dinner Winner” . For me, a “Dinner Winner” is something that can be made and used across many meals such as a boiled chicken, a pot of rice, or a roast. For Jessica, a “Dinner Winner” is a good tasting, fresh dish that can be made (and served) in 15 minutes from pot to plate. And while each has it merits, it’s hard to say which is the true “Dinner Winner”. So, we’ll keep up this debate, send you a different “Dinner Winner” each week, and let you decide. This week it’s my turn to convince you that cooking across many meals is the winning way to go. To do this I am going to feature one of my favorite “Dinner Winners”: a versatile pot of rice. Continue reading “Dinner Winner 3: A Pot of Rice”
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