so i've been away for a little while! my sweetie and i went on a european holiday for three weeks, and the question of "how was your trip??" has been quite difficult to answer (as it often can be :) the truth is, for me at least, that being in countries where english is not the primary language, i often felt very vulnerable and a little scared. out of my comfort zone, i suppose! just because i didn't want to accidentally be rude or anything like that, but it was an amazing and humbling experience.
and one thing we definitely enjoyed was THE FOOD! :)
it's different over there....there is a relationship with food that is far less prevalent in the states. food is celebrated, enjoyed, eaten slowly.....people are proud of their food, and i dare say we didn't find a bad restaurant (or street vendor!). in many places it was a bit more costly, but it's FOOD! it's what we nourish and replenish our bodies with. it's worth it!
i may have some exquisite meal stories on the way.... but for now i've added a PHOTO GALLERY and stocked it full of some of our favorite (delicious!) european memories.
bon appetit :)
pork chop and fennel stir fry over quinoa
second rendition of leftovers for lunch today! :)
i admit i was excited and a little scared to get back in the kitchen after three weeks of not lifting a finger and having amazing meals made for us in europe, but it was really no trouble slipping back into it (except worrying just a bit that whatever i was making for will was not very good in comparison! :)
we recently signed up for a local organic produce delivery service, and got our first box a few days ago. i wanted one that DIDN’T give you a choice on what you got so i could be surprised and hopefully push my boundaries just a little!
i ALSO got a wonderful cookbook from my sweetie that is more along the lines of ingredients and ideas than about recipes. the ones included are a bit more loosely structured....with a kind of “here’s what you do with the base ingredient and then add whatever else you want” approach, which DOESN’T get me in a panic! :)
so in our first produce box we got a couple heads of fennel with everything still attached, and i was faced with something i have never, ever cooked with before. perfect! i looked it up in my handy dandy new book and found that, among other things, you can slice up the heads and saute them. again, perfect!
i put some quinoa on to cook (about 20 minutes, i’ve found, in a 1:2 water ratio) and put on some fresh spring onions (also from our produce box :) to start browning with some butter while i sliced up the fennel heads.
we also had some leftover pork chops from dinner with the folks (one of which i used on a pizza at my birthday party the night before ;) so i sliced one up and tossed it in with the onions and fennel.
i stirred occasionally ‘til the quinoa was done, putting in some fresh garlic towards the end. i mixed a little olive oil and salt in with the quinoa, which i put first on the plate and put the stir fry on top with a little fresh fennel “leaf” garnish.
pork chop and fennel stir fry over quinoa
approximate price: $5
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