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| good housekeeping at gatorland |
old and new
went to 4Rivers last night with old friends in town from Denver. It was a breezy night, great for eating outdoors and people watching. The longest line I have seen at 4R and we were thrilled to be in line behind a couple of guys who were straight out of old St Cloud. Camos, Ripped off sleeves, Carhartt coveralls. They are the ones who turned us on to the Oreos.
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| cross section of Oreo |
Strangely, or maybe not strangely, Vicky didn’t order any brisket, no pulled pork but all southern sides. Corn, fried okra, collards, baked beans, cole slaw and sweet tea. They threw in a deep fried pickle for her and a taster of Krispy Kreme bread pudding studded with raisins. We usually eat lunch here and since it was dinnertime and we had guests pulled out all the stops and added in some deep fried Oreo’s – that’s right. Deep. Fried. Oreos. Three to an order. The Oreo doesn’t stay crisp but goes to limp chocolately ooze. It was fun to introduce old to new.
pulled pork
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| 7 hours in the crock pot and spicy slaw with a side of florida strawberries |
cauliflower ragu
we looked up ragu and usually it would have a base of carrots, celery, onion, crushed tomatoes and meat. This recipe from Molto Gusto by Mario Batali isn’t really any of this. No mise, no tomatoes, no meat. We tried it out for supper tonight. It was good. Not extraordinary, but good. It’s nice to find full flavored meatless meals. We had it with a little bit of salad.
I found the recipe pre-typed on food.com
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 2 lbs)
- 1/4 oil oil
- 1 medium white onion, cut into 1/4 inch dice
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- sea salt (Maldon or flaky sea salt)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons hot red pepper flakes
- 6 tablespoons unsaleted butter, cut into 6 pieces
- kosher salt
- 1 lb penne
- 3/4 cup fresh grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumb, sauteed until golden brown
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
Directions:
Prep Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs
1. Halve cauliflower. Remove leaves and cut out core and reserve. Cut cauliflower into small bite-size florets, reserving stalks. Chop core, leaves and stalks.
2. Combine oil, onion, garlic, and cauliflower core, leaves, and stalks in large pot, season with sea salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until leaves are just beginning to wilt, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until leaves are just tender, 18-20 minutes.
3. Add cauliflower florets, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup water and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to gently simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is almost falling apart, 22-25 minutes. Add butter, stirring gently until it melts; season well with sea salt. Remove from heat. While the sauce simmers, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow frying pan. Pour in 1/2 cup of panko breadrumbs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced rosemary. Toast and brown while the sauce finishes cooking.
4. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Drop pasta and cook until just al dente.
5. Drain pasta, reserrving about 2/3 cup pasta water. Add pasta and 1/3 cup reserved water to ragu. Toss over medium heat until pasta is well coated (add more pasta water to thin sauce). Stir in cheese.
6. Transfer pasta to serving bowl, sprinkle with bread crumbs and rosemary, and serve with additional grated cheese.
Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs
1. Halve cauliflower. Remove leaves and cut out core and reserve. Cut cauliflower into small bite-size florets, reserving stalks. Chop core, leaves and stalks.
2. Combine oil, onion, garlic, and cauliflower core, leaves, and stalks in large pot, season with sea salt, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until leaves are just beginning to wilt, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, until leaves are just tender, 18-20 minutes.
3. Add cauliflower florets, red pepper flakes, and 1 cup water and bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to gently simmer, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is almost falling apart, 22-25 minutes. Add butter, stirring gently until it melts; season well with sea salt. Remove from heat. While the sauce simmers, drizzle a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a shallow frying pan. Pour in 1/2 cup of panko breadrumbs and 1 1/2 teaspoons of minced rosemary. Toast and brown while the sauce finishes cooking.
4. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in large pot and add 3 tablespoons kosher salt. Drop pasta and cook until just al dente.
5. Drain pasta, reserrving about 2/3 cup pasta water. Add pasta and 1/3 cup reserved water to ragu. Toss over medium heat until pasta is well coated (add more pasta water to thin sauce). Stir in cheese.
6. Transfer pasta to serving bowl, sprinkle with bread crumbs and rosemary, and serve with additional grated cheese.
hype
if I remember correctly, my friend Linda never wanted to hear too much about how great restaurants were, in order not to build it up in her mind to unachievable mythic proportions. I am terribly guilty of browsing online menus and judging a book (or restaurant) by its cover (website/storefront) and dreaming in my foodie world about everything from amuse-bouche to decor to bathroom sinks (really.)
We go to a church in Orlando called Summit. It is quite a bit different than anything Z or I grew up with and sometimes leans a little on traditions of the high church in order to teach a lesson or draw us closer to Jesus. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, a tradition I am certain I have never previously participated in. There was a service about considering our mortality which concluded with the imposition of ashes, a mark on the forehead in ash with the sign of the cross. It is a way to begin the Lenten season moving toward Easter. Our small group meets on Wedsnesday evenings so we decided to meet for dinner and head to the service. The chosen dinner spot was Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria.
Where am I going? We had never been to Pom Pom’s and there was some hype – ‘my favorite’ and ‘great menu-lots of items.’ We snooped it out on the website. It looked alright but I had an off vibe. We made our way to the tiny stripmall housing it with it’s unlit metal sign. It is dimly lit with sort of pop-asian art for sale. A wall of $9 loaves and a few gourmet cupcakes in a case. A sign on the wall proclaiming best non-bar hangout. We ordered drinks – tea is a specialty, I had Passion – which is a black tea, good but nondescript. Z had Coke (usual) and sandwiches. Oddly they had no chips, only gourmet (read, not matchy to the food, but inventive- German potato salad with your Asian pressed sandwich anyone?) All I wanted was a few crunchy chips. Z ordered an Asian pulled pork and I had a Turkey with cranberry chutney, no sides. It was ok, if not a little overpriced. I kept thinking, well, I could make this with a minimum of work. So, there is is, hype. It didn’t live up. It was probably ok, a good lunch spot even, but not worth my dreams of grandeur.
My Urban Pantry 