Pork Belly Ravioli

Would you believe I got lost in the grocery store for the past 5 months? Okay 50+ hours a week at the restaurant did not leave a lot of time for writing. But hey I do have a good stockpile of recipes now that I have tested.

Everywhere you turn these days I feel as though you see Pork Belly this and Pork belly that... If you don’t want to see another Pork Belly recipe, look away now.

The current Pork Belly hype is all for very good reason. It is a relatively easy cut of meat to cook, and you get some amazing results. I fully admit that this is not the dish to prepare if you are on a low fat diet, but I have never been accused of being on a low fat diet, so there.

This recipe started when I was watching TV the other night, and an idea for a dish to prepare for a client came into my head (we will cover that one on another day). I was thinking about the protein for the dish, and thought "wow, this would be nice with pork belly." This thought meandered to “wow, I would love some pork belly ravioli.” No one I know makes it, so I researched it and decided to just make a batch and see how it came out. The results were pretty damn good. The only down side was I knew this particular client would never approve the dish for their menu, but I ate well that night!

Basil and Panko Crusted Chicken with Angry Garlic and Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs...why on earth would I choose to use what is considered to be such a lesser cut of meat to a chicken breast? Well it could be that the thigh, being dark meat from a flightless bird that spends its life wandering the ground looking for food, has more flavor. Maybe it is for the low cost that you can get a boneless chicken thigh compared to a boneless chicken breast. It very well could be that due to the size of a chicken thigh, it would be easier to control the portions and therefore our food intake.

While all three could be very good reasons to use the thigh, none of them are the reason I chose to use it here. The absolute honest truth is that, as stated before, I hate to waste food. When I buy chicken, I prefer to buy a whole chicken and break it down myself. It really only takes a few minutes, and there is a significant cost savings. For example, if I were to buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts at my local store, I would pay around $3.00 per pound. When I buy a whole chicken, I spend around $1.00 - $1.25 a pound. So I save a little money, and I have enough chicken for a few meals.

This also has to be good for the environment as well in some way. What!?!   
I care about that kind of stuff. No, I really do. Stop looking at me like that.

Razza con Peperoni e Finocchi Arrosti

I was talking to someone earlier today and told them I was going shopping for dinner. When they asked what I was cooking, I responded with "I honestly don't know. I will just look around till I get inspired." When the response I got was, "I guess that is the hard part about creating recipes for a blog, you know, trying to get inspired." I hung up and was left thinking...was that a challenge?

I headed to the store not really knowing what I was going to cook. All I did know was I was in the mood for some real food after the week I had been through. I can honestly say it did not take long after entering the store to decide what I wanted to cook though. I was taking a glance at the seafood counter, and while trying to decide between Chilean Sea Bass, Shrimp or Salmon, I saw it.