Can you tell that I’m running out of ideas for post titles? Well, I am.  It’s hard to be creative with these things, day after day. :-)  I may soon resort to Pork 5, Chicken 27, and Salad 34. Whatever, this is a pork recipe…

I used up the remaining rhubarb-strawberry compote. If you didn’t make the compote, you can still make this recipe, just substitute jam or preserves. I also had small portions of three different onions in my fridge; red onion, sweet onion, and a large shallot, so I combined those to make up the 1 1/2 cups needed for the sauce. Any type of onion will do. The recipe works equally well with pork loin or pork tenderloin, whichever you prefer or find on sale.

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The boletus edulis (botanical name) is beloved around the world for it’s firm texture and distinctive flavor. It is known as Cèp in France, Porcini in Italy, Penny Bun in Britain, Steinpilz in Germany, and King Bolete, or just King in the United States. In most stores and restaurants, you’ll find them called by their Italian name, porcini. At the market you will most often find them dried in little bags. In France and Italy, they are sold not only in bags but often in bulk at the outdoor markets.

If you see them fresh in the grocery store at a reasonable price, snatch them up, they are a wonderful treat.  You can grill them, make them into a delicious sauce, even into a mushroom stew. Or just call me and I’ll help you put them to good use!

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Although this risotto isn’t the prettiest dish ever posted here; don’t let that turn you off, it is delicious. And no, there is no duck in it… but that’s a thought…

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Last Monday morning, after Marissa had left for work and I returned back to her apartment from taking Dave to the airport, I sat down to eat lunch. It consisted of a boxed salad I’d picked up at Trader Joe’s the day before. My plan was to eat half of it and save the remaining half for lunch on Tuesday; that didn’t happen. I scarfed down the entire tasty thing.  Monday night, when Marissa came home from work, we jumped in her car and headed back to Trader Joe’s to do her “big” grocery run.  She would finally have stocked shelves, refrigerator, freezer, and wine rack and could stop eating like like a “third grader with a drinking problem.” Instead she is now a young woman with healthy choices and plenty of nice wine to accompany her adult meals. (Did you know that in California “Two Buck Chuck” is actually two bucks, well actually $1.99?  Not that the $2.99 we pay in AZ is a bad deal, but I always wondered why it was called “Two Buck” when it really cost three bucks… now I know.)

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A cassoulet, which originated in the south of France, is a hearty cold-weather meal filled with meats and baked in a thick stew of beans and vegetables.  So why am I making a cassoulet when it is 109 degrees outside?  Answer – because I’m crazy, that’s why! Actually along with the craziness there is a practical reason.  I had just less then a pound of leftover lamb cut from a shank that I used for THIS RECIPE.  And I know, without a doubt, that if I tucked it into the freezer and waited till fall to make the cassoulet, it would be lost forever in the depths of my freezer and eventually thrown away.

Cassoulets generally take between 6  – 8 hours to prepare… plus the overnight soaking of the beans.  I’ve pared this down to about 3 hours and with only 1 hour of bean soaking time.  For that reason I am calling this a quick cassoulet, although 3 + 1 hours isn’t exactly quick, I know!  Bookmark this for winter and you’ll enjoy having the kitchen all warm and aromatic for that length of time, I promise. This recipe can be easily doubled or even tripled to serve a crowd.

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Don’t you just love that song?  “It’s Raining Men! Hallelujah! – It’s Raining Men! Amen! I’m gonna go out to run and let myself get Absolutely soaking wet!…”  Good song! But unfortunately, it wasn’t raining men over here at my house, it was raining figs.  My tree produces at least twice a year and it’s impossible for me to use them all, so the local birds feast well at the Hopkins’ house.

Three disclaimers for this post: #1 – I didn’t use pork tenderloin. In its place – a pork rib roast I had in my freezer.  But I’ve written the recipe for tenderloin, so you use that, it’s quicker and easier than dealing with a rib roast.  #2 – I only made half of the onion and fig mixture, since there are only two of us.  #3 – Something is set wrong on my camera, so all the indoor pictures turned out with a nasty yellow hue. I tried to correct the problem in Photoshop, but the color isn’t quite right, sorry about that. You’ll just have to imagine better color.

The good news is that the birds and I ate well and enjoyed our figs.  If you live nearby, give me a shout, and you can have all the kadota figs you want… before the birds eat them all.

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Flavored vodkas are easily found in every liquor store and are even easier to make at home.  All you need are fruits, herbs, and/or vegetables of your choice – plus some high quality vodka… oh, and about 7 to 10 days (with the exception of the jalapeno vodka, that will be ready in 3 to 5 days).  I’ll be making four different flavors today and will follow up at the end of the month with a cocktail for each flavor.  So if you want to join me, run out and buy the ingredients today and we’ll toast each other in about a week!

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Just in case you missed Valley Dish and the seriously awesome dish we made, here is the LINK… and the recipe for the dish will be posted in the next couple of days… it’s so good!!!

If I’ve ever lead you to believe that mistakes aren’t made here at Les Petites Gourmettes Cooking School, please forgive me. Although not necessarily everyday, certainly at least every other day!  Eggs are cracked, not into the bowl as intended, but rather onto the floor. Flour has been thought to be powdered sugar when making frosting… easy to fix, just start over. Things burn, they are undercooked or overcooked, you get the idea.  Most are minor and easily repaired or corrected… while others… not so much.

Let’s see, there was the time a couple years ago when a pair of young boys added 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper to a pot of chili, instead of 1/4 teaspoon.  That went directly into the trash.  That’s actually rare, when something ends up in the garbage, although I was certain it was going to happen again last week…

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If you’re feeling that it’s too hot to turn on the stove or even worse, the oven, then it’s time for summer rolls; also known as Vietnamese salad rolls or spring rolls.

Now, due to my lack of time to explain it myself,  (I have the teen class graduation lunch today, hosting not only the students themselves but additionally two guests for each student) I turn to trusty Wikipedia to define spring or summer rolls.

“Vietnamese spring roll  – ingredients include slivers of boiled or fried pork, shrimp, chicken, beef, fresh herbs, lettuce, sometimes fresh garlic chives, rice vermicelli or bean threads, all wrapped in moistened rice paper, served cold with dipping sauce. The salad roll is easily distinguished from a “minced pork roll” by the fact that it is not fried, the ingredients used are different. Spring roll refer to the freshness of the spring season with all the fresh ingredients, therefore frying would take away that feeling.”

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There is no better time to make fresh tomato soup than right now, the height of tomato season.

So even if you’re not growing tomatoes in your own garden, get out to your local farmer’s market and pick up some ripe locally grown tomatoes and throw together this soup, enjoy hot, cold, or at room temperature.

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