Wednesday, April 11, 2012

O Sole Mio (Really, Oh Solomillo)

Please do not take away my Gay Card on reading my confession: I am not an opera queen buff. I have never seen an opera performed live. And I don't have much interest in seeing a live performance (obviously, or I would have seen one by now). I've seen several Gilbert & Sullivan operettas and I really enjoyed them, but I'm pretty certain they don't count, especially among opera queens buffs.

SOLOMILLO AL WHISKEY CON PATATAS Y COLES DE BRUSELAS
(PORK TENDERLOIN IN A WHISKEY GARLIC SAUCE WITH POTATOES AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS)

So, although the title of this post might indicate that the subject matter is opera, it's not.  It's about food. One similarity for me between cooking and opera is that, although I will not actively participate, I do respect talent. Jerry can carry a tune — just not very far.

One of our favorite dishes since our arrival in Spain has been Solomillo al Whiskey (pronounced "solo mio"), which is pork (usually) tenderloin in a whiskey sauce. Sevilla is known for it and the dish has become one of our standbys in restaurants and tapas bars around town. Jerry (my personal chef) decided he had to learn how to make it. So, he tried it out on me last night. He was a brilliant success. Bravo Maestro.

24 comments:

  1. Sounds good. Encore! Encore!

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    1. Writer:
      San Geraldo has something amazing (another local specialty) on the stove right now!

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  2. It sounds delicioso!

    Sidenote: I am not an opera queen/buff either, though I do like the music of most operas.
    Carlos, on the other hand, loves oprah--that's how he pronounces it, o-p-r-a-h--and has taken me to several that i have enjoyed.

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    1. Bob:
      I told Jerry his solomillo al whiskey was the best I've had. He's got a one-pot feast cooking right now.

      I dated someone briefly (400 years ago) who loved opera (lived opera). He was very hot. So, I told him I loved opera, too. There was a live performance of something or other on TV that I then had to watch with him. Ugh.

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  3. Hello Mitch:
    We are a pair of Opera lovers and we are food lovers too. So, for us, an evening with San Geraldo's latest culinary masterpiece accompanied by arias sung by Pavarotti would be heaven on earth!!

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    1. J&L:
      I'm sure I would enjoy seeing a performance ... before I die.

      Sadly, all the writing of this post did for me was plant "I am the very model of a modern major general..." in my head!

      If you come to Sevilla, Jerry can cook for you and I'll do an aria (or two).

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  4. Love Gilbert and Sullivan, hate Brussels Sprouts, but the pork tenderloin potatoes looks wonderful! Do you think you might persuade St Geraldo to share the recipe?

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    1. Ms Sparrow:
      Jerry found the recipe on the web, so no problem. I'll post it soon.

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    2. Ms. Sparrow:
      Here's the link to the solomillo recipe Jerry used:

      http://eatsdrinksandsleeps.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/solomillo-al-whisky/

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  5. Mitch, you are so fortunate to have your own chef! 'Ron, guess what Mitch has?'......
    The 'dish' looks yummy! Opera? I think I would enjoy getting into a performance or two, live!

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    1. Jim:
      The Dowager Duchess has told me that if I went to see "good opera," I would feel differently (this from the woman who has the collected works of Mario Lanza).

      And my personal chef is very fortunate to have someone who likes to clean up after him. You should only see what he does to the kitchen!

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  6. Please try it out on me...pretty please!

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    1. Ron:
      You're supposed to say, "Jim, guess what Mitch has!"...

      When you guys come to Sevilla, I'm sure Jerry would be happy to make some for you!

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  7. HowDEEEE! I suppose the Grand Ole Opry doesn't count...

    I would prefer the solomillo over the Sole Mio any day.

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    1. Walt the Fourth:
      How-dee! I would sooner sit through Wagner's entire Rings cycle than the Opry!

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    2. Well, actually, so would I.

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  8. I'm no opera buff either, though I've seen a few live and was actually an 'extra' on stage once, though I don't even remember the name of it, maybe it was La Traviata or Barber of Seville (there's one for you). However, you should know that 'O Sole Mio' is a Neapolitan classic but it's not from an opera. The pork looks scrumptious.

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    1. Frank:
      Wow. I knew it was Neapolitan but didn't know it wasn't from an opera (just knew it sounded operatic). You learn something new every day. And, in my case, I've been learning several new things a day. And since I don't remember them for more than 24 hours, I'll learn the same new things tomorrow!

      The solomillo really was better than any I've had in restaurants.

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  9. You can keep your Gay Card, the nice thing about it is we're all different and we all like different things + men, who can be different too.

    Do I have to check 'The Spanish Table' for the recipe of Solomillo?

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    1. Peter:
      Thanks for letting me keep my card. I've had a couple of close calls.

      Jerry got the solomillo recipe off the web. I will post it in the next couple of days.

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  10. I checked out the link for the receipe.... now I guess I'll have to buy whiskey to try it out. I think I saw some at the mercado in town called "Something Special"... (handwritten sign said "Someting Special).... Now I just have to learn to convert to ounces.

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    1. The Odd Essay:
      I LOVE the idea of "Someting Special"! Hope it's not a home brew. Sorry about the measurements. That's been a really joy (not) for Jerry. I created a chart of Fahrenheit to Celcius conversions for him just so he knows how to set the oven.

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  11. I love the translation. I'll have to use that (in English) sometime. And I know quite a few gay folks who would lose their "card" for not liking opera or even being interested in it!

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    1. Jenners:
      I never knew the translation of O Sole Mio. I actually like the song now that I've looked it up.

      My favorite "opera story": I had a good friend from Sicily. She told me when she was a girl "Aida" was performed in Palermo. She said opera was not big in Sicily at the time (the early '50s). When the tenor sings out in Italian, "Aida, where are you?," someone in the audience called back in Sicilian (which is not quite Italian), "She's taking a crap!"

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