Pork Roast Soup
2002-03-10 @ 7:25 p.m.
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What a night. Better diary writers than I have already described the high points of the evening. A visit from Mechaieh and Weetabix and a coincidental drop in from Lucy and Ricky across the street made for the best gathering we've had in a while. Badsnake showed what a stud she is. Jake showed her tits. Ricky got totally trashed. Mechiah and Weetabix were delightful company and held their own very well in the fray. (They also brought presents! Good guests.)
I really do enjoy spontaneous gatherings of friends and neighbors, especially when I get to cook for them. The last time something like this happened was when Badsnake, Jake, Lucy, Ricky and Luke (from around the corner) went sledding beside the nearby hospital. They wound up at our house having cocktails (and their first tour of the attic). Then Lucy and Ricky stayed for dinner. I enjoy very much cooking for people I like.
This was even better because we were meeting new friends and introducing them to our old friends.
I had planned a soup for dinner that was made from the leftovers of a huge pork roast we had for family dinner on Sunday. When Lucy and Ricky landed in the back yard with everyone else, I added a few more vegetables and made plenty of pasta and dinner was on.
Pork Roast Soup
about 1lb to 1 1/2 lb cooked pork, chopped into soup size pieces
4 to 5 cups chicken stock
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 or 2 minced garlic cloves
one chopped onion
olive oil
chopped fresh oregano and parsley
crushed red pepper
1 salad bag of fresh spinach
1 15 oz can chickpeas
about 1/2 cup chopped mild green chilis (pablanos in this case)
salt and pepper
Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pot. Add the pork and stir to consolidate flavors. Then toss everything else in and simmer until you're ready to eat. The spinach will only take a few minutes to wilt, so you can add it just before you're ready to serve the soup if you want it to stay a little crisp.
Oh yeah, make a pot of pasta. I used farfalle. Any spoon size pasta will do. I like to cook the pasta separately so that it doesn't get mushy in the soup.
As you can see I wanted to make something easy but fabulous. I wanted to have some time to sit and socialize with everyone before dinner. One reason I like living in this area of the country is the amount of outdoor time we get. It was a beautiful day in early March, and it was nice enough to sit outside for cocktails before dinner. I love that!
With dinner we had a magnum of Basedow Old Vines Grenache1998. I served it mostly because I had the magnum, and I wanted the added festive nature of opening a big bottle. I have to admit that a sales rep gave me the bottle a year or so ago, and I've been looking for an excuse to open it. Fortunately the wine was very good and fruity enough to go with the slightly spicy soup. A Riesling or Gewurtztraminer would have also been good.
After dinner and a dessert of Pear Pudding Bake (an earlier recipe in Comfort Food) we moved into the living room and began to wind down. I felt very close to everyone there even though I'd only just met two of them. It was the most fun I've had in a very long time.
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