Culinary Adventures with Camilla

I usually use holidays to push myself out of my culinary comfort zone and try something new. I have yet to make a porchetta, or roast suckling pig. But, alas!, Easter 2020 equals #EasterinPlace so I haven't been out grocery shopping except for essentials...and we can't have a meal with my parents as they are strictly sheltered in place at their own house. I realized, though, that I did have two pork tenderloins in my freezer. So, I thawed them out and attempted the flavors of porchetta on roasted tenderloin. Success!! Just bear in mind that you will need to start this dish a day ahead of when you want to serve it as the pork needs to marinade overnight. Otherwise, this dish is surprisingly simple and amazingly flavorful. One of these days, I'll get my hands on a suckling pig and actually make a porchetta. Till then, this will work. Ingredients serves 6 to 8 2 T fennel seeds 1 t fennel pollen 1 T coarse salt 2 t black peppercorns 1 t dried crushed red...

This past weekend, Jake and I headed to downtown Carmel for the 23rd annual Winemakers' Celebration, hosted by the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association. I will write about that experience, but I wanted to dedicate an entire post to the porchetta that La Balena served because there's something magical, something marvelous about a whole roasted pig, isn't there?! I remember wandering through the streets of Florence on a rainy December afternoon. I could smell something wonderful. And, peeking down a side street, I spotted a small line snaking from a doorway. There was no sign, but I asked what was inside. " Porchetta, Bella ," someone answered. So, I stood in line. There was no menu. There were no choices.  You simply had to tell them how many you wanted. When I reached the front of the line, the man behind the counter barked, " Quanti? " How many?  Uno, per favore.  "Vino?"  Wine?  Sì. I walked away with...