rosé isn’t red, rosé isn’t blue, rosé sauce with philly, served on penne for two.

(originally from march 25th 2011.)

the answer to yesterday’s post is…

chicken penne in a philly-rosé sauce. 
(sam woods was the closest with her guess of cannelloni) 

so on wednesday, i found myself sitting in starbucks with one elizabeth “biz” sanford. since the majority of our previous bonding has been beverage-related, she was surprised to hear that i had started a blog centered around solid food. after hearing about the roommate review concept, biz eagerly volunteered to be a stand-in roommate for the next entry. of course, i accepted. she then requested that i make something with cream cheese like the angels on the philadelphia commercial. not being the first time i have been compared to an angel, i knew i could make it work. 

so the thought process began: what can i make with philly for dinner? in fulfillment of every italian stereotype, my first thought was pasta. not being a big fan of alfredo (both the sauce and the character from the godfather), i knew that using just philly as a sauce would not go over well, so i decided to mix it with tomato sauce. the result? a philly rosé sauce. 

**fun fact: philadelphia cream cheese was actually invented in new york. my whole life has been a lie. 

so yesterday evening, biz ventured over to my lair after class and the culinary adventure began. here’s how it went:

step 1: cube some chicken. i believe the correct mathematical procedure is chicken x chicken x chicken. if you have the great misfortune of being mathematically challenged like me, cube your chicken with a knife. 

step 2: put some pam in a pan (don’t get those confused) at medium heat and fry the chicken up a bit. not to kfc proportions, but just so that it changes from pink to white on the outside. 

step 3: add the star ingredient: philly. i don’t believe in measurements due, once again, to my loathing for all things mathematical, so just eyeball it.

eyeball: (v) to assess visually and act accordingly.
not to be confused with the optical orbs inside your head. please keep them away from the flaming hot pan. in my meanderings, i have found they give meals an unpleasant flavour. 

step 4: add a can of crushed tomatoes (or pre-prepared tomato sauce for all you lazy susans out there) and stir until it looks like this:

step 5: spice it up. i added garlic, basil, oregano and a little S&P. not S&M. chains and whips, while exciting, have no place in this recipe. 

step 6: turn down the heat on the sauce and boil some penne. 

step 7: strain the pasta and add the sauce, coat the noodles and serve. with garlic bread! 

i make my own garlic butter. well garlic margarine. with my friend margery. not really. but yes - homemade garlic margarine, very simple. garlic, margarine, basil and oregano flakes. mix. spread on bread. what an excellent rhyme. 

so this is was the result:

roommate review: last night’s celebrity guest roommate was biz sanford: former quidditch sensation and oc transpo expert.

“Excuse my alliteration, but this delightfully delicious dish just made my taste buds jump for joy. This meal had it all - some would say it was the complete pasta package! I thoroughly enjoyed every moment I spent eating it… it’s just a shame that the rate I consume food mildly resembles the rate a Hoover sucks up dirt. I’ll give it a solid 10/10 chef!”

thanks hoover, you da bestest.

so it seems she enjoyed it, though i’m still not entirely sure she tasted it given her extreme haste. she even had seconds - one of the greatest compliments you can give a chef. as if that weren’t enough, she also brought cookies! she truly knows the way to my heart. take note future stand-in roommates. 

well, that’s what was cooking in rez last night!

thanks for reading :)