Leftovers: Party of One

Every so often, you throw together a dish with the bits and pieces pulled from your fridge and you create something dinner-party worthy.

Last night was one of those nights. And, go figure, I was all alone.  

I peered in the fridge, with no plan or preconceived notions, and pulled out all the leftovers: a bit of leftover farfalle, some prosciutto, a small chunk of seared filet mignon and mixed wild mushrooms with shallot and garlic. Not a bad start.

First, I thinly sliced another shallot and sauteed it in olive oil a large skillet with a clove of minced garlic until lightly browned. Next, I added the cold pasta and cooked it for a few minutes. Tossed in a slice of chopped prosciutto, then the wild mushroom and shallot mixture and cooked for a few minutes. Finally, I cubed the filet, tossed it in and heated it until barely warm. Then, I deglazed with a bit of chicken stock (or wine if you like) to bring up all of the lovely browned bits, and serve. Fifteen minutes later, I sat to a satisfying, savory meal.

The salty prosciutto mingles with the succulent beef morsels, the woodsy, earthy mushrooms and the sweet shallot to create a luscious, comforting fall dish. Yet, it's fleeting... a meal I could attempt to recreate over and over, yet never duplicate. Such is the paradox of leftovers - much maligned, yet full of flavor waiting to be unleashed.

The Union Woodshop

It was a long day, and I dragged myself home exhausted and ready for some serious R&R.

As I pulled up, Wes met me at the car to carry my bags in (I love when he does this), and said, "Wanna go to the new Union?"

Well, of course I do! I perked up immediately, and we hopped in the car for our semi-annual trek to Clarkston, about 45 minutes from home, knowing I'd be in for a fun night.

The Union, as I've written previously in this space, is a little jewel of a place. And the new Union, officially called The Union Woodshop, a few doors down from the original, promises to add a whole new dimension to Clarkston's tiny downtown.

Owned by friends Curt and Ann Catallo, the interior, designed by Ann, can best be described as "urban rustic" - a modern interpretation of the old fashioned lodge. Customers sit at handmade plank tables and fabulous reclaimed wooden chairs. They drink water and beer in vintage Mason jars. Thin planks of blondwood line the walls, along with cheerful art pieces and artifacts.

Billed as a "handcrafted, woodfired joint," The Woodshop is all about creative BBQ. We started with house smoked mildly spiced chicken wings with bleu cheese dip and woodsticks (aka breadsticks). At each table is a flight of regional BBQ sauces, from Memphis, Texas, Alabama and Chinatown NYC. We tried them all, and deemed the Chinatown the best.

For our entree, we had pizza with arugula, San Marzano tomato sauce, prosciutto and a blend of cheeses, paired with a Santa Martina Super Tuscan. We also had meltingly tender pulled pork with the legendary Union mac and cheese (penne rigate, Vermont sharp cheddar Pinconning, bechamel, parmesan and a crunchy crust), a heavenly creamy sweet potato mash with spicy charred jalapeno and Michigan maple syrup and corn bread, with Kid Rock's Badass beer. Delicious.

For dessert, Curt presented us with an amazing salted butterscotch pudding with fresh cream (this alone is worth the trip) and a deep fried Twinkie with chocolate sauce. Yes, this place has a sense of humor, too.

We ran into some friends, shared a lot of laughs and enjoyed a down-home dinner. Did I say I was tired? 

Chicken stuffed with prosciutto and cheese

People who know me well know how much I love prosciutto. Like, a lot. Funny, I'm not really into ham, but a good imported Prosciutto di Parma will send me into a tailspin every time.

So, I use it a lot. Antipasti, with melon, in salads, pastas, soups, even stews. And these stuffed chicken breasts are one of my favorite ways to use prosciutto. My husband Wes, who is becoming an excellent cook, made these tonight and they were fabulous.

First, butterfly two trimmed boneless, skinless chicken breasts, or ask your butcher to butterfly them for you. Open them up and lay down a slice or two of good prosciutto. Add your favorite cheese --provolone, mozzarella or fontina melt well, or even a boursin-style cheese. This time we used Laughing Cow light wedges. Super processed, I know, but it doesn't drip all over your cookie sheet and is creamy, tasty and low calorie. Wes also added fresh basil leaves.

Close the chicken breasts like a book, tuck in the filling, secure with toothpicks if you feel like it and season with salt and pepper. Wes drizzled a bit of extra virgin olive oil over the top and sprinkled with whole wheat bread crumbs. Bake at 400-degrees for 20 minutes.

We served the chicken with sauteed green beans and cherry tomatoes from our garden, leftover farmstand corn kernels and more fresh basil.

Do you use prosciutto in your cooking? I welcome you to comment and share your ideas.

Chicken Tortellini

Work+kids+house+gym+yardwork+social life=not a lot of time for cooking these days. Sound familiar to you?

When this happens to me, I often to turn to pasta. It always delivers. Plus, I'm Italian, and pasta is close to my heart (as in, I could eat it at every meal).

I've mostly switched to whole wheat or brown rice pasta, but still enjoy a nice bowl of tortellini now and again. This time, I chose fresh chicken tortellini and paired it with shallots, garlic, prosciutto, baby spinach and white wine.

My secret: instead of boiling the pasta, I put the uncooked tortellini in a bowl of steaming hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil, salt and pepper until soft, drain the tortellini and add it to the hot pan. Cook, stirring often, until the tortellini is lightly browned and hot. Then, add chopped prosciutto, the baby spinach and a big splash of decent white wine. Let it all simmer together until the wine reduces, serve and add freshly grated parmesan. The pasta will taste al dente-ish, and you'll save a few minutes and some extra clean-up.

Chicken tortellini with prosciutto and spinach is a complete meal in a bowl, in minutes, and you can feel good about serving it to just about anyone.

Barding Pork

I've never had the best luck cooking pork. I've tried roasts, chops, tenderloins, the works. The results are usually a bit dry, a bit bland, and not really what I want for dinner.

That's why a technique like barding can be so useful in the kitchen. Essentially, you wrap a piece of lean meat with a piece of fattier meat before cooking to add flavor and moisture. Meats like bacon and pancetta work really well and can enliven any lean cut.

I tried this with a pork loin, inspired by a Martha recipe from her latest cookbook, "Cooking School: Lessons and Recipes for the Home Cook" as inspiration.

First, allow a two-pound boneless pork loin to come to room temperature for about an hour. Pat dry with paper towels, season lightly with kosher salt and more liberally with freshly ground black pepper. Heat a large, heavy ovenproof skillet over medium high and add enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan. Sear the roast on all sides, turning with tongs, about 6-8 minutes. Remove and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Take six pieces of butcher's twine, laying three or four pieces vertically and two horizontally on a large, clean cutting board, Take 12 ounces of thinly sliced pancetta and place about half of them on the twine in a rectangle shape, overlapping a bit, so the end result is about an inch larger than the roast on all sides. Then, rub the pork loin all over with minced fresh rosemary, place it on top of the pancetta and use the remaining slices to cover the top of the roast completely, overlapping again. Next, place a whole sprig of rosemary on top of the roast, tuck edges together and tie the twine around the whole package, first from end to end and then around.

Put the roast back into the skillet and place in 450 degree preheated oven. Roast for 40-50 minutes, or until the thickest part registers 138 degrees with an instant thermometer. Remove from oven, let the meat rest for about 10 minutes and cut into thickish slices to serve.

I subbed prosciutto in this recipe (my pancetta was frozen solid) and drizzled some extra virgin olive oil on top of the pork loin before and after wrapping to add some moisture. I served it with roasted parsnips and cipollini onions and a crisp green salad. This makes a great weekend meal for a family or small dinner party. Give it a try.