There was some major cheating involved in this meal as I purchased the pork fillet already snugly tucked up in it’s pancetta blanket and sage ribbons, but hey… it would be easy to replicate should you wish to. But why bother with all those ingredients purchases for two if it’s already been assembled I say, and some days just have to be like that.

I am really lucky to have an amazing butcher close by that puts together all sorts of lovely things for those times when you’re either too lazy or too busy to embark on some culinary feat. Not every day is gourmet right!

The rest was all about using up a bit of what was lying around (I hate waste). I still had some leftover wild Rocky River pumpkin courtesy of my friend up north, so I decided to roast it to bring out the rich sweetness, then turn it into a bed of mash for those snug little pork fillets. I get an attack of the guilts for not serving something green sometimes (hello Katia) so in went the zucchini all zinged up with a sprinkle of parmesan.

And that’s really it. No list of ingredients or cooking methods here, just winging it in the kitchen with some great produce, both local and from afar. Couldn’t be easier and sometimes that’s just the way we like it.

Tip. Roasting the pumpkin then adding a little butter and milk when mashing is a great way to get a deeply rich, sweet and creamy result. Try it sometime.