Philly,Philly!! What a welcome!

So I drove into Philly with a group of friends late Friday evening, after what was probably the most beautiful day since I moved to New York! It was a pleasant trip- the air filled with the sounds of reggae as we cruised along 76 into the Greater Philadelphia area. It was a beautiful night and the trip seemed effortless.
Upon our arrival into the city cellphones started ringing non-stop, trying to coordinate our time of arrival with the beginning of the nights festivities. We got into Philly around 10:30p.m. and from the moment that we walked into the apartment, people started arriving... and they just kept coming!! It was nice to see some familiar faces from my college days, but I was more surprised by the new faces that I have now permanently etched into my memory.
The highlight of my night came in the form of a very unsuspecting gentleman by the name of Steve-O. Oh Steve-O! What can I say?!?! Now I was told that someone was bringing some eats over to balance out the beer and spirits that were swelling at a tremendous rate on the kitchen counter. But I had no idea that not only was it going to be made fresh in the kitchen but that it would be the most surprising treat that I would have had in a very long time!
Steve-O arrives with an unassuming array of grocery bags with pre-chopped, pre-portioned ingredients and a smile ready to jump into action. And they were quite simple:Green Peppers, Onions, Potatoes, Sausages (Broccoli Raab & Andouille), Garlic, Dried Chillies and Collard Greens. Ok, so now I'm really intrigued. I whipped out a camera and alerted him of my intentions to follow him through this process if it was okay with him and he beamed a very pleasant ..."Sure!" back at me.
As he unwrapped the brown butcher's paper and exposed the fresh sausage links ready to be parboiled for the meal, my mouth watered in excitement! I LOVE SAUSAGE! Of any kind, with any flavors and I'm quite fond of making it myself when I can! As the sausages simmered away slowly in a large cast- iron pot, just being brought to a boil to pre-cook to be sauteed later, he crushed and sliced his Garlic and peppers and readied them for the next step. I must take this moment to point out that his weapon of choice was a wooden handled Cleaver, which was efficient at everything from slicing sausages, to chopping Garlic and peppers.
After precooking the sausages, and removing them from the pot, he began to sweat first his peppers, and then the garlic in the pot. As the aroma of garlic and chillies filled the room we all washed back bottles of beer and cocktails to keep our palettes busy as we awaited what was in store. Next went in the potatoes, followed by the green peppers and onions as well as salt and pepper to taste. Once these had cooked to the desired tenderness, the now sliced sausage went back into the spicy, hearty hodgepodge of flavors and simmered allowing them to meld together.
Lastly, as if an after thought , the Collards were trimmed and added at the very end, adding a freshness, and vibrancy to the pot that was never more appealing!
The result ... a steaming, sultry, spicy and oh so delicious concoction that I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams! The reason that I was most surprised by the outcome of this dish is ... I DON'T DO HOT! Don't get me wrong I have an insatiable appreciation for spicy flavored foods, but gratuitous amounts of heat in food have never appealed to me. But this meal was different! The heat was apparent but with each bite of potato and greens a small amount of extinguishing occurred that allowed the flavor to build and build, luring me back for bite after mouthwatering bite! Even as my mouth burned and eyes watered the flavors just kept pulling me back for just one more bite!!I have officially been reintroduced to an old friend, HOT SPICE!!
Words can't explain the shear ecstasy that I experienced with each bite of this meal, creeping back to the pot for more- sneaking bites like a child does from a grandmother's pot when left foolishly unattended! Words indeed cant not explain hopefully these pics will help fill in some blanks! Ready ... Set...EAT!

















The End Product


Ridiculous... as in awesomely amazing!!


I'm telling you .. it was HOT, but SOOOOOOOO GOOD!


The Chef!!