It seems that only when ones resources are diminished one finds out how creative one can be. I have not shopped for about one week, so this evening we were dependent on the less than fresh ingredients we had. When I was getting ready to go meditate at around Suzette started looking in the fridge and found a package of three smoked pork chops (Ranch Market $3.99 lb) that were still in good condition. I mentioned that we had cabbage, so we could eat pork and braised cabbage, which she agreed with, as I walked out the door to meditation. When I returned at around I found two skillets on the stove. One filled with what looked like rice simmering covered and the other skillet filled with the three pork chops that had yet to be heated.
I turned on the gas under the pork chops to medium high and said hello to Suzette, who was working at her computer. She said she had shredded some cabbage and Brussels Sprouts and turnips and sautéed them. I loved the look of the vegetables. They looked just like rice and when we ate them in a few minutes their texture resembled small chunks of toothy rice, like the broken rice in Vietnamese Cuisine, but they also retained their vegetable flavors.
As the chops were searing until almost blackened along their edges, I fetched a bottle of Josefina Syrah Dry Rosè, Paso Robles 2008 (Trader Joe’s $6-7.00).
After Suzette flipped the chops a few more times to heat them thoroughly, we each served ourselves a chop and a pile of the riced vegetables and Suzette put the brandied roasted fruits on the table to accompany the pork (like apple sauce but different). The syrupy plum flavor of the wine complemented the firm, fried flavors of the vegetables and salty meat and the fruits.
Since Suzette cooked, I cleaned up the dishes and loaded the dishwasher and noticed that she had shredded the vegetables by running them first through the attachment on the food processor with small holes that makes strings of vegetables. Then it seems she added dried cranraisins to the dish which cooked until they resembled kernels of rice. Interesting, very interesting.
I love creative dishes prepared with what is left over after ones conventional menu preparations are exhausted. Suzette is the Queen of leftovers or QPPI. Suzette looked in the corners of our larder and came up with a lovely meal with a new creative vegetable dish. The French following their conventional thinking would probably have mashed everything together with butter and potato until it was all creamy smooth. But, instead Suzette created a new dish with the same ingredients. I had brought in potatoes, but instead of using them, she pushed the Brussels Sprouts concept one step further and added cabbage and turnips, shredded them into rice shaped pieces utilizing the slicing blade and sauteed them until they were tender. And the dish took only a few minutes to prep. A new dish; hurrah!
What a pleasant surprise on a busy night when we are both working late with little time to cook. The QPPI has proven herself worthy of her title yet again.
Bon Appètit
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