Back in 1987 I attended culinary school with someone who would later become a long term friend. We still see each other occasionally and I met my wife through him. In light of the fact that I had two PBJ sandwiches for dinner tonight, I figured I should blog his dinner instead of my own. Thankfully he just so happened to have a handy photo of his final preparation. He says it's butterflied pork loin.....I'll just have to take his word for it. Pork lion can be an excellent Italian dish. Seared in a hot pan and finished in the oven....stuff it with a wonderfully soft cheese, mushrooms, seasoned with fresh garlic/rosemary, and served over a bed of white beans...... The garlic rosemary combo is a real favorite of the Tuscan style. I love Tuscany and one of my great memories of living in Seattle was going to a little Italian Bistro called Bizarro, located in Wallingford. Their stuffed pork loin was great and always served with either white beans or risotto. Each time I would go it would be slightly different...either the stuffing or the accompaniment....I know I'm in my element when pasta is hard to find on the Italian menu. Think more Mediterranean and less meatballs. And if you've never seen the movie "Big Night" then watch it and you will understand the despair of a great authentic Italian chef as he watches his native food bastardized by a new Americana.

I'm looking at that pork picture again and thinking how disturbing raw food can look sometimes.

Have a great time.