December 9, 2007

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.

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

* * *

2006 whitehaven sauvignon blanc, marlborough

2005 frederic magnien grand cru chablis, "clos"

2001 white rock vineyards claret, napa


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.

2 comments:

  1. man, i wish i lived near you guys. i started a new blog. add me to your friends!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous11:52 AM

    Man, you guys suck! I miss you two.--Vijay

    ReplyDelete