Going out, staying in

What a busy week it's been! In spite of dreary weather, we've been getting out and about, being surprisingly social and eating all kinds of wonderful things. There was dinner at Serpentine for a good friend's birthday, where I renewed my love of osso buco; a perfect crispy pizza from The Cheese Board in Berkeley, eaten in a cozy kitchen with lots of red wine and a big kale salad; perfectly grilled flank steak with an addictive romesco sauce at our neighbors' house; and tapas with hibiscus margaritas at Ramblas with our friends Matt and Kirsten, visiting all too briefly from Madison, Wisconsin.

The flip side of these fun nights out (in addition to most likely putting on a few pounds and apologizing profusely to my liver) is that I haven't been cooking much, and therefore haven't had much to post about. But last night, we stayed in and I made one of our favorites, orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe.

This is a little cheat-y, considering I did post about this once before. But it was awhile ago and probably none of you read it. And I didn't end up with a good photo that time around. So I hope you'll forgive me for repeating myself. As much as I enjoy experimenting in the kitchen, I have a pretty solid repertoire of recipes that make weekly or monthly appearances Chez Hungry Dog--recipes I've already told you about. Sometimes I find myself flailing a bit, without something new to share.

Anyway, you can read how I came up with my version of this classic pasta, as well as my recipe, here. Suffice it to say, the dish is rich and not at all appropriate for anyone on a diet, unless the purpose of your diet is to get pudgy. On the other hand, it's very good for anyone in the mood for something comforting during these long days of winter. The pork sausage adds a salty bite against the creamy sauce and slightly bitter broccoli rabe. On a cold night at the end of a long weekend, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better.