Moonlighting with Pork, Tarheels, and the Greatest Player of All Time
Some people are die hard college basketball fans. Me? I discovered the Tarheels through – what else? – food! One tenet of Zomppa is the notion that food connects everything. Well, my foray into Carolina basketball is an example that food also leads you to the most fascinating experiences and down unexpected paths.
It the 100th anniversary of the Tarheel basketball – the 2009 NCAA National Champion Carolina. This event invited all sorts of past and present Tarheels – and boy, what a line up it was! Check out the Charlotte Observer’s coverage about the event – the “Dean Dome” was so loud with cheering, ecstatic, loyal fans, I couldn’t myself breathe as I was awash in Carolina blue.
How did I end up here? Well, this past week, I started moonlighting.
Source: Link Observatory
No, nothing sordid. I love food, but I’m no professional cook and only adequate – not brilliant – in the kitchen. There is a lot I want to learn. So I started as a Chef’s Assistant in the evenings with the famous Triangle-area caterer “Chef Z”, Zacki Murphy, a former restaurateur, food stylist for Martha Stewart, and Ford model. (Stay tuned with Zomppa for a sub-series of this adventure and to learn Z-Tips of the Day! First tip is below.)
On Friday, Chef Z was commissioned to cater the family gathering of legendary Coach Dean Smith before the big game. Admittedly, I don’t much about college basketball, and so I was a blissfully unaware of the Carolina royalty that surrounded me. Clueless me didn’t even realize that we had another legend, Coach Bill Guthridge, hold our basket to relieve us of our arms overloaded with food (he was such a super sweet person!). As caterers, we got to walk in the back where hundreds of Tarheel fans were trying to get a glimpse of the famous players entering the building. Clueless me didn’t really know who was who. All I knew was that Coach Smith and his family were some of the nicest people I had ever met, including one auntie who studied UNDER JULIA CHILD for a year at the Le Cordon Bleu!
And I also knew that food was bringing all these lovely people together, and everyone seemed to enjoy the meal – roasted corn/tomato salad, butterbean/bacon salad, pork tenderloin with ginger jam and mango chutney, chicken salad, pimento cheese, blueberry cobbler – all designed by Chef Z’s sophisticated palate and stylish eye. I just tried to not mess her up too much!
I will continue to share my adventures, but for a first taste of Zomppin’ with Zacki (no pun intended):
Tip #1: always pan sear pork and beef before going into the oven to keep the meat juicy and moist.
Pan-Seared Pork Tenderloin with Apricot Jam
Pork tenderloin
Olive oil
Apricot jam or pepper jelly
Salt
Pepper
1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Put a couple tablespoons of olive oil into skillet
3. Pan sear pork by browning all sides
4. Transfer to sheet lined with aluminum foil
5. Season with salt and pepper
6. Spread jam or jelly over pork and massage on all sides
7. Place in oven and cook (time according to thickness); internal temperature should be at least 160 degrees
After we cleaned up the meal, we had another huge surprise: we got to stay for the game. So there I was in the third row, center stadium watching the unveiling of the Tarheel’s 2009 champion banner. Now I grew up watching the Celtics and the Big Three (Bird, McHale, Parish). But I too always couldn’t help liking that player on the Chicago Bulls. You know. The Tarheel. Michael Jordan. And guess what? There he was, sitting three rows in front of me.
Ah, yes, food is amazing.
Category: Main Dish - Land and Sea, Recipe Vault, Travel & Culture, US & Canada
The food and Michael Jordan look delicious!