Building a recipe repertoire.

If you're a longtime reader, you may remember my goal last year to develop a repertoire of 50 recipes.  Here's my original post on the topic:

A few months ago, I posted about Christopher Kimball's notion of every cook needing to master just 50 recipes.  I love the concept of a Recipe Repertoire. 

That said, we are a family of picky palates.  One of us has a restricted diet.  Two of us don't eat (much) meat.  Two of us have a faster metabolism than the other two and like to eat a lot.  One likes his food deconstructed.  (He'll eat all the elements of a big salad, as long as they are separated on his plate.)  One of us thinks she is a supertaster (as discussed in Lynne Rosetto Kasper's How to Eat Supper) and likes her food on the bland side.  We try to avoid processed foods, support our local economy, and be healthy.  And that's just our little family...what about yours?

The good news is every one of us is willing to try something new.  And every one of us says thank you before our evening meal.  Thank you for all the choices we have, thank you for this warm home, thank you for this family.  With all that we have going on, we try to keep the evening meal as a ritual to return to each day.

Meal planning is so much easier for me when I have a structure to work with.  It started with Friday night pizza night.  Then we added Sunday snupper (snacks + supper).  With parameters, I am a happy girl.

Fast forward to summer 2010, and I'm still working on that list.  I've taken a few things off, and added a few things on.  I enjoy trying new recipes, the seasons change, our tastes change.  But a go-to list of 50 is a great place to start when I sit down to plan the meals for a week.

Here's our latest favorite:

Sloppy Porchetta (& it really is sloppy)

1/4 lb. slab of pancetta, diced

1-1/2 lb. ground pork

2-3 rosemary sprigs, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. chicken broth

2 T. balsamic or white wine vinegar

8-10 crusty ciabatta rolls, toasted

2 c. coleslaw

In a large skillet, saute the pancetta cubes until crisp, about 2 minutes.  Add the pork and brown, stirring to break up the meat, about 8 minutes.  Stir in the rosemary, garlic, salt, and lots of pepper; then stir in the broth and vinegar.  Lower the heat and simmer for a couple of minutes to blend all the flavors.  To serve, pile the meat onto the rolls and top with a scoop of coleslaw.