Monday, October 1, 2012

The Weekend of the Pig

So it's been a while. A lot has happened in the past few months. Some great meals have been created, good wines have been drank and I got a new job. I now work for a larger distributor. It's a lot of work but I like it. I have a great boss, good route and a decent book. The big plus, it pays better so my wine budget has grown. I have been going back to old world wines that I love the most, Northern Rhones, white Rhones, reds from Loire Valley, Bordeauxs, there even was an amazing Beerenauslese. It has been a great few months.

Saturday night Noel and I went out to help our good friend Jen celebrate her third 29th birthday. She got 10 people together and we had a pig roast at Franklin Southie. It was so fucking awesome!!!!!! They bring out the pig, give you a quick talk and then go back and butcher it for you. It was so overwhelming. Where do you start? I started with the cheeks and never looked back. Ribs, legs, ears, nose, eyes and the brain. YES I ATE PIG BRAINS AND I LIKE IT!!!! The brains were as soft as Foie Gras. I spread it on some bread, a pinch of sea salt and a quick squirt of lemon and I was in fucking flavor heaven!! It's is the most shockingly good thing I have ever eaten. I will never again say no to any "gross" foods!!

Thursday night I had cooked a pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon with brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. It came out great but being for just Noel and I,we had a good amount left over. Sunday night when I was trying to figure out what to cook I thought about the leftovers from the pig roast and the tenderloin we had in our fridge. In the past I made chicken pot pie with left over chicken. So why not make pig pot pie?  I followed the basics of a chicken pot pie recipe I use from Pillsbury. I added to the onions, some celery and carrots. Instead of chicken stock I used a cup of veggie stock and 3/4 cup of cream of mushroom soup. I also replaced the steam veggies with left over veggies from both meals. It was so good!!! Both Jen and Noel agreed I had to blog about this meal!!! I usually hate leftovers, but if I could find more recipes like this I may have to chance my view on yesterday's meal.

The wine I picked was a no-brainer. I wanted something that would be full bodied, dirty barn yard, stinky ass wine. I had just bought a Northern Rhone from Brookline Liquor Mart. They have an awesome selection of wine. I especially love their French section and often drool over bottles. About a week ago I found a Saint Joseph at a good price and had to buy it. Last night I was glad I did. Cave Saint Desirat had great spice and fruit that really went well with the pot pie. I love, love, love a good Syrah and this bottle was a great Syrah!! It was another great pick for another great meal. I love when food and wine play well together.