June 11, 2013: Back in Van!

Look at what awaited me upon my return to Vancouver.  Yes, Joreos! Akemi woke up early yesterday morning to make them.  Apparently, it was a surprisingly long and involved process that saw her start at 7:00 a.m. and finally finish at 2:00 p.m.  Can’t wait for the instructional video for this particular recipe.

The dogs were equally thrilled to see me, especially Jelly who was unusually vocal today – and full of energy on her walk.

Jelly – all smiles.

Before leaving Montreal, I enjoyed one final home-cooked meal highlighted by mom’s lasagna and some home made cotechino.  What, pray tell, is cotechino?  Why, it’s an Italian pork sausage commonly served with lentils on New Year’s Eve.  My mother received some from a family friend and it fell on me to prepare them.  Following a little online research, I was all set…

First up, I soaked the fresh sausages in cold water, rinsed and then heated them on high.  Once the water started boiling, I brought the heat down to a low simmer and allowed the sausages to slow-cook or about an hour.

An hour later, I plucked them from the water and the sausages were nice and firm.  Since I had to take mom shopping, we popped them in the refrigerator for the afternoon.\

The few hours in the fridge helped them firm up even more and made cutting them easier.  I cooked them over medium heat in a frying pan with just a touch of olive oil.  I’d suggest covering the pan with a lid because once  those tiny pockets of fat start exploding, you DON’T want to get caught up in the fireworks!

And serve.  Crispy, sticky, slightly sweet, and salty.  Not for the diet-conscious.

While I was making fatty sausage, my sister was making these Cat in the Hat kebabs -

Finally, look at what I found on mom’s bookshelf.

Yes, it’s the first (and only) edition of Latin For the Novice by revered Latin scholar Joseph Mallozzi, memorably featured in Stargate: SG-1′s fourth season episode Window of Opportunity – and sitting in mom’s basement ever since, right between Lawrence Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet and old issues of Readers Digest.

Well, I may be back home, but there won’t be time for much relaxing. I have a lot to do, a lot to read, before I head off to L.A. next week!

Today’s entry is dedicated to the memory of Gumbo.  Condolences, Deni.

Tagged: cotechino