cooking and leftovers: cabbage-wrapped risotto

We had a ton of fun having dinner for some friends last night. The weather has been growing colder, so we were aiming for some rich flavors.

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marinated montrachet, delice de bourgogne, rosemary marcona almonds

soup of matsutake and crimini, creme fraiche

crispy pork belly, coffee cure & braise, fennel apple salad

chicken en demi deuil, wild mushroom risotto

blackberry financier, passionfruit sorbet

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2006 whitehaven sauvignon blanc, marlborough

2005 frederic magnien grand cru chablis, "clos"

2001 white rock vineyards claret, napa

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As often happens after a a large meal like that, I woke up this morning with a ravenous appetite. L made some splendid ricotta pancakes from scratch as we settled into our lazy Sunday, then went into full vacation-planning mode (Chile in April) as I pondered what to make for lunch. With the leftovers we had from yesterday (pork belly trimmings, chantrelle mushrooms, tomato soup, wild mushroom risotto), I thought I'd try making some risotto wrapped in cabbage.

Cabbage has a fantastic sweetness that presents itself when roasted in a hot pan or in a blistering oven... when you get that caramelization, the flavor dimensions of the cabbage expande exponentially. And here's the awesome thing about leftovers: we continued the decadence of last night's meal in a new context, using simple ideas to enjoy another flavorful meal with less than 15 minutes of work.