I was very fortunate over the holiday to join the ranks of many a Parisian woman, and able cook, with the addition of a Le Creuset cast iron casserole to my kitchen. I think I have been coveting this pot for more than twenty years. Covet, no more. It is now mine in all of its warmly orange tinged, red splendour.
I have been pouring over cookbooks and looking into the pantry and wandering the grocery in hopes of finding inspiration for the first ever creation to come from this pot. After watching Julie and Julia and flipping through Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I thought that boeuf bourguignon would be the most appropriate first dish. Or maybe Coq au Vin. But what about my most favourite Tuscan dish of Pici al Cinghiale (a local Tuscan pasta with a wild boar ragu). There were so many directions that I could have gone...
But, after a guilty look at the contents of my refrigerator, I determined that what I would first make in that pot would be a reflection of the holiday and of family... turned into something new... something quite perfect to end 2009 and begin 2010.