Tuesday, January 19, 2010

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.


25 comments:

  1. Orecchiette is my favorite pasta. It is so good at holding onto different ragus. I'm not surprised this a repeat in your kitchen. It looks great.

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  2. that's it! i'm making this tonight!!

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  3. Wow that looks yummie!

    Have a great day!
    Hugs Gunilla in Singapore

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  4. mmm, I love snausages and bitter greens... sounds like a wonderful week, I'm jealous!

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  5. I love this Italian classic and yours looks delicious!

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  6. Oh, the Cheese Board is my weakness. I always buy the English muffins and cheesy breads there. And yes, I often tote home a pizza to finish cooking in my oven at home. Their pizzas are always amazing, but then again, when they sell such a vast array of cheeses and make such incredible bread, it's not surprising.

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  7. I love pasta in any form, this looks so very satisfying. And it's your blog so you can do whatever you want - post as many times as needed. I frequently tweak recipes anyway so nothing is usually the same twice.

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  8. you're right--you posted this one before i made your acquaintance. i'm glad you brought it back, because there's SAUSAGE! great dish. :)

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  9. Ahhh the goto classics

    Keep reposting when they are this good, love sausage and pasta!

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  10. Apples and butter: it's a great shape, no? Shells will do in a pinch but orecchiette is better.

    DS: did you make it?! Email me.. :)

    A home far away: thanks, and thank you for visiting. Looking forward to checking out your blog.

    foodhoe: yeah, sausage and bitter greens is a perfect combo in my opinion..

    Chef Aimee: thank you!

    Food Gal: would you believe that was the first time I ever had anything from the CHeese Board? Shameful, I know, as a bay area native.

    shaz: true, my blog, my rules! :)

    grace: thanks! and I agree, sausage improves most dishes.

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  11. Hee hee, I have been thinking the same thing about "cheat-y" posts. I look back at some of my old posts that have great recipes but have dismal photos, and part of me is itching to re-publish them with better pictures. And I think the same thing - no one was reading the blog back then, so it's time to share again, right? :)

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  12. Hello agian and thanks for your comment on my blog. When you are being served a good lunch, we better enjoy it because it´s like you said it´s so often a dry pizza or a nasty sandwich:)

    Have a great day
    Hugs the Swedish woman in Sinapore:)

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  13. What a perfect meal! Looks so yummy!

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  14. Hot diggity, this looks delicious! I feel like I'm doing much of the same -- staying in quite a bit, as I'm the resident housekeeper and cook until I figure out what I'm doing next. But it's a nice opportunity to cook favorite cozy dishes. All these pasta dishes I'm seeing lately; I may have to break down and have a carby cheat day!

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  15. A Year on the Grill: I agree, not much beats sausage and pasta together, esp. with a cream sauce.

    Tiny Urban Kitchen: I fully support you reposting previous posts! I'm sure all of our blogs have improved over time--some of the earlier ones are definitely worthy of do-overs!

    A Home far Away: My pleasure, I am glad to have discovered your blog!

    figtree: Thanks! It's delicious.

    denise: Maybe your next venture should be something food-related--you are very talented!

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  16. Oh, that looks good. Heh, reposts are very important, especially for getting a picture you actually like put up. ;)

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  17. OK, I seriously LOLed, for real(by myself with only my dogs, cats and bird to look at me strangely), while reading this! Maybe I strongly identified with the whole diet to get pudgy angle. I didn't see your previous post on the recipe and am going to go to the back story now. We're having crazy rain here in the desert and I love it! I have to make this recipe, a perfect comfort dish!

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  18. Super recipe and yes, I missed it the first time around.
    We should all go back and glance through our first postings because we probably used some of our best recipes and nobody saw them!
    I did that recently with a chocolate cinnamon torte and not one person had seen it originally!

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  19. I love posts like this to see how much a bloggers photography skills improve. Looks so yummy!

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  20. You're a dedicated foodie to go out in the weather we've been having. As for your orechette, it looks amazing, and maybe you should promote it as a marathoner's meal since they're probably the ones who have that kind of diet of putting on weight. ;-)

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  21. Bob: yes, the pictures play an increasingly important role the more I blog...

    cookbookapprentice: I hope you try it! I think you will enjoy it during these cold winter days.

    Barbara: it's true, the first posts deserve to get another go around.

    Megan: thank you!

    Ben: so next time I make it should I tell people I'm carbo-loading for a big race?

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  22. HD, I love this combo! You hit on one of my favs again! Is my sister paying you to blog all my favorite dishes?
    I was rained on endlessly this week in your hoime town. Thanks Heavens thw Hilton stocks umbrellas.
    Sounds like you have been enjoying a lovely social life.
    Stay dry,
    Pam

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  23. HOw come even right after I have dinner, I still get hungry looking at all this delicious food???
    Have a wonderful weekend daaaaaahling!
    *kisses* HH

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  24. You live in a great place for eating out. I love SF. But if you're not out and about, this looks like the perfect dinner. GREAT photos!

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  25. Pam: It's hard to resist this combination--I think it's a lot of people's favorite! :) It's been raining cats and dogs here--today we finally have a reprieve.

    HH: I hope you have a wonderful weekend too!

    Kate: SF is great for dining out--even if I never cooked I could live/eat very happily here!

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