Archive for 2009
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce
This week’s What’s Cooking Wednesday recipe is one of my all-time favorites from childhood, i.e., comfort food at its finest. It’s so comforting that I made my mom make it while she was here in June, and this *so* isn’t a warm weather dish.
In fact, Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce is a great stick-to-your-ribs-meat-and-potatoes meal that you could even throw in a crock pot if you’re a crock pot user.
And if you’re not into the meat thing, I have a feeling this would still be pretty tasty without the pork and with more veggies thrown in.
If you can’t get fresh beans, you can use canned green beans or string beans as well but they won’t need to be cooked nearly as long.
I don’t know of a snappier name than “Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce” but since it so accurately represents the dish, I’m sticking with it.
Pork, Italian Green Beans, and Potatoes in Tomato Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound of pork ribs (or other cut on the bone)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large can and 1 small can of tomatoes
- 4 small potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 pound green beans, washed with ends snapped off
- A few basil leaves
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1. Parboil beans by bringing water to a boil in a large pot and then adding the beans, letting them cook for about four minutes. Remove and set aside.
2. Heat oil in a saucepan and brown meat on all sides, remove from pan, and set aside. For great tips on browning meat (including why we do it), see Miss Vickie’s How to Brown Meat.
3. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent.
4. Add tomatoes.
5. Put meat back in the pan and add potatoes and green beans.
6. Add basil and salt.
7. Let simmer for an hour to an hour and a half until meat is cooked and tender.
8. Just a few minutes before you take the pan off the heat, add parmesan cheese and mix through.
9. Serve hot with fresh Italian bread.
Buon appetito!
Inauguration Day and Birthday Wishes
Just two quick notes today:
Be sure to go to My Bella Vita and wish Cherrye a happy, happy birthday!
And to everyone excited for a new administration in America:
It’s finally here! Wheeeeeeeee!
Are you going? Will you be watching?
New Zealand Nature Company: In Praise of Excellent Customer Service
We all like to spread the word when a company does us wrong, as well we should so we can warn others, but today, I’m sharing some good news about New Zealand Nature Company because they done good–real good–and they deserve huge props, especially one customer service representative named Bettina.
Back at the end of October, I decided to treat myself to a warm, snuggly pair of boots for the winter since I generally have to wear two to three pair of socks *while inside the house* from November to March or so. These old houses in southern Italy get *cooooold*!
The previous winter, when I was lamenting that I had freezing feetsies, a friend from New Zealand recommended the New Zealand Nature Company, and since I was still in love with these Supertread Sheepskin Boots a year later, I went for it.
I normally don’t spend even half this much on shoes, but I knew these would last for years, they were something I sorely needed, and they would also serve as my birthday and Christmas presents to myself.
The order went smoothly, other than my indecision regarding what color to get (I settled on chocolate), and I loved that I could even pay via PayPal as I don’t use credit cards.
But their delivery estimate of 10-14 days to Italy came and went. I was patient since I’ve been around the Poste Italiane block, but when the end of November came and went with no boots, I got in touch with the company.
Bettina was also convinced that the boots weren’t coming, so she immediately claimed insurance on the first pair and send off a new pair as soon as the ones I had chosen were back in stock.
How awesome is that?
A few weeks later, I got my new boots in the mail, and I swear to you, I’ve only taken them off to sleep ever since. They are *so* warm and comfy, and I don’t know how I survived a Calabrian winter without them.
New Zealand Nature Company, established in 1996, sells boots, clothes, beauty and personal care items, bedware, jewelry, stationery, and more, so if you want great products at great prices with *excellent* customer service, do give New Zealand Nature Company a try.
I’m not getting anything in return for this glowing recommendation–just the satisfaction of passing along the word about a fabulous company.
AND they are running a sale now until January 31–
20% off Supertread Sheepskin Boots
and
40% off Selected Silk and Other Clearance Items!
Prices include airmail insured shipping (choose your currency), and if you’re getting boots, do pay special attention to their charts as they use NZ sizes.
And in case you’re wondering, yes, I am kind of considering getting another pair of boots now that they’re on sale, but I will be sure to warn Bettina first.
Please share your positive online shopping experiences
in the comments or on your own blog!
Americans to Surpass Italians in Wine Purchases
When economic times are tough, apparently Americans turn to the bottle. The wine bottle, that is.
According to a report released by Vinexpo, which is based in Bordeaux, France and runs international wine exhibitions, the United States is poised to overtake Italy as the world’s number one non-sparkling wine consumer by 2012.
USA! USA!
Italy has held the title since 2007 when it surpassed France; that year the Bel Paese bought 299 million cases of wine. Vinexpo predicts US wine drinkers will buy 313 million cases in 2012.
So should Italy, the country of Barolo, Brunello, and Chianti, be ashamed at this showing?
Hardly.
Remember, we only have 58 million people over here while the United States has a population of about 300 million. That means we’re buying about five cases of wine for every man, woman, and child in Italia–and that doesn’t count all the homemade wine stashed away in cantine from Piemonte to Calabria.
Not too shabby, Italy. Not too shabby at all.
Forza Italia!
Salute and buon weekend!
What’s your favorite vino?
Love Thursday: Hearting Coffee
A reader sent me a link to Abstract City Blog, written by Christoph Niemann on the New York Times network, in which he illustrates his love for coffee, starting with this:
Under which he writes:
I like coffee so much that I have tea for breakfast: The first cup of the day in particular is so good that I’m afraid I won’t be able to properly appreciate it when I am half-asleep. Therefore, I celebrate it two hours later when I am fully conscious.
The post goes on to chronicle his love affair with my favorite caffeinated beverage through drawings made with coffee-stained napkins and truly delightful prose.
Do check it out here!
Happy Love Thursday everyone!
How much do *you* love coffee?
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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