Mediterranean-style Pork Belly w/peas & rice and Cotes-du-Provence

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
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Tonight’s dinner was braised and roasted pork belly done in a Mediterrarean style, braised for several hours with rich stock, onion, garlic, orange peel, fennel, & celery. Then the belly was taken from the stock, cur into pieces and roasted in a convection oven for a half hour to render more fat and crisp the lean. The braising stock was reduced, seasoned with Herbes de Provence, and thickened with Bual Madeira & Arrowroot; the peas were cooked the sauce for the last five minutes. All was enjoyed with simple, rustic 1998 Domaine Sorin Côtes-du-Provence, - fill less than a cm below the cork; bright medium ruby-garnet in color; pleasant rustic, simple dark fruit in nose and flavors; nice mid-palate with adequate acidity and rustic fruit; and a medium dark fruit finish. Accompanying music was orchestral versions of Beethoven’s String Quartet Op.131 and Verdi’s String Quartet, played nicely by the Vienna Philharmonic, conducted by André Previn. The meal was rich and filling enough we didn’t need dessert.

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[smileyvault-ban.gif] You gotta be making this up every day or your retirement goal was to create gastronomic sensations at the fifth level daily.

When I get home and nuke my Stouffers lasagna and drink a beautiful 2002 J. C. Cellars Syrah, I promise not to post, lest the underpriviledged suffer salivations and stomach cramps for such fine food and drink.

As always, thanks for the post on your epicurean exploits. [welldone.gif]

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I don’t make anything up and we were eating and drinking like this long before I started posting on wine boards and long before we retired.