*SILENCE*

It really pains me to say this, but I have to be honest. I'm not going to go into a lot of detail because I'm still holding out hope that our love will be re-united.... but I got really sick from El Chilito last night. I think they might be El Finito for us, for a while at least. Y'know... for a couple weeks the elephant in the room has been the fact that they cant wrap their burritos properly. Big mistake in a town where PRO burrito wrassling and wrapping can be had quite readily. Am I being picky? No, I am not. There is a LOT of juice and fillings that fall out of those lil puppies. The concept should be: food contained WITHIN the tortilla, no? Then there was the issue of sometimes your burrito was giant, sometimes it was tiny. We darn near had that happen in the same order one time! Then, last night, they gave me the wrong thing, in the wrong tortilla, with the wrong toppings... I ate it anyway because I'm not a pain in the ass. There lay my mistake. Adios amigo...

WHY FRO NO HOBOS?

We've been busy moving! And guess what- our new kitchen is like a COUNTRY kitchen! Do you think we will start baking biscuits and grits? Maybe. We have lots and lots and lots of love to give you... and lots and lots of twisted dinner table writing to lay on your noggins'. Start your cubicle day with a shot of good old fashioned spicy leftovers. And.... make them Hobo leftovers. (I have no idea what I'm talking about). (Actual authors not exactly as shown in picture. We wear a lot more denim.)

BACK FROM THE DEAD

KJJ: How can something so insanely delish look so redonkulously shiteous? That is a mystery for Merlin to solve. I cant declare with any certainty what the answer to that nightmarish question is. I really want to share this recipe with you, the world, and not make this post snotty and all about, like, ME. I'll try. No promises, but I'll try. Those slimy things in the pic are portobello mother effin mushrooms in orecchiette pasta. I believe the translation is loosely "little ears", as the pasta shape resembles.... uhhh... a little ear. Ask Merlin about that too, to be extra careful. If you've got some pine nuts, rosemary and some mustard, you are ready to THROW DOWN on this recipe. We had previously never tasted anything quite like this. JRW said it was one of the best we've ever made. The photo really doesnt do it justice. 1/4 cup pine nuts (1 1/4 oz.) 2 1/2 cups small dried pasta shapes, such as orecchiette or gnocchi (9 oz.) 2 1/2 Tbs. olive oil 8 oz. portobello mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced (4 cups) 1 1/2 tsp. salt 6 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 1 1/2 Tbs. minced fresh rosemary 1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes 1/4 cup vegetable broth 1/2 cup mirin or dry white wine 1/2 cup Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. In dry wok, cook pine nuts over low heat, stirring often, until lightly toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to plate and set aside.

2. In same wok, bring 2 1/2 quarts lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta; stir to prevent sticking. Cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well and set aside. Dry wok.

3. Set wok over high heat and add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil. Add mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt and stir-fry until tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.

4. Return wok to high heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add garlic and onion and stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, rosemary and pepper flakes and stir-fry 1 1/2 minutes. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes, scraping up brown bits from bottom of wok. Add to bowl with mushrooms.

5. Return wok to high heat. Add mirin and mustard and stir with wire whisk to blend. Bring to a simmer then add reserved pasta and mushroom mixture and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Toss in toasted pine nuts and serve.