Kitchen Triumphs
1. A break from writing final papers led to the creation of this Asian-inspired roast pork belly soup with very thinly sliced carrots, mushrooms and scallions (by Christine Cornell), ginger, garlic, rice noodles and cilantro, accompanied by a viewing of Little Women, and the first snow flurries of the season!
2. Post-Channukah latkes- finally Deanna and I made those damn latkes, although our plan to make applesauce failed because the apples rotted. We only have a cheese grater that grates very finely (and is shaped like a mouse) so the potatoes sort of turned to mush. Miraculously they fried up very well when combined with flour, eggs and onions- crispy on the outside and mashed on the inside. We ate them with sour cream, paprika and smoked salmon.
3. Remember the sauce! Although Deanna was reluctant to make this vodka sauce, I convinced her it was a good idea, and it was. We made a base sauce of canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme and rosemary and then added vodka and herbed goat cheese in place of cream. Now whenever one of us feels wary about cooking, we think back on this moment.
