Risotto al Limone

This is a somewhat revised version of a recipe for lemon risotto provided by Patricia Wells in her cookbook Trattoria. I served it (topped with slices of roasted chicken) for Sunday dinner to rave reviews. The photo does not do justice to the dish but I forgot to take a picture when the risotto was hot and steamily creamy. This photo was taken after the leftovers had been in the fridge for an hour or two. It's completely staged, and the once creamy texture of the rice was impossible to reproduce.

Ingredients:
- 5 cups of chicken stock
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 and 1/2 cups of Italian Arborio rice
- sea salt to taste
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
- zest of one lemon
- 2 shallots minced or 1 small white onion minced

Instructions:
In a large saucepan , heat the stock and keep it simmering as you prepare the risotto. In a large heavy-bottomed pan, combine the shallots/onion, 2 tablespoons of the butter, the oil and salt over a moderate heat and cook the shallots until they are translucent (about 3 minutes). Do not let the shallots (or onions) brown. Add the rice and sir until the rice is well-coated with the fat and glistening (1-2 minutes). Add a ladleful of the stock and stir until it is absorbed; continue this process until all of the stock has been added. During this process, the heat should be kept at a gentle simmer. After about 17 minutes the process should be complete and the risotto, creamy. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Parmesan, lemon juice, zest and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes to allow the flavours to blend. Serve immediately in warmed shallow soup bowls.

Editorial note: Apparently, there are 3 rules for making the perfect risotto: add the stock in small portions, do not add additional stock until the previous liquid has been absorbed, and stir, stir, stir. Oh, and also, you have to use the right rice for risotto, Arborio in this case. It's available at any grocery store.

A Buttercup Squash...for something orange.

The lovely buttercup

 




















I know that this little beauty looks green, but it has a beautiful meaty orange flesh. It's both delicious and good for you; if anything tastes of vitamins, it's this. Fall harvest squashes have a very different flavour and texture than the late summer squashes like zucchini….as in, they have a texture and flavour. Who can resist the names of these squashes……buttercup, butternut, hubbard and acorn? They're very easy to bake in the oven. I would not recommend peeling and cubing and cooking in water on the stove unless you are making squash soup, (which is also delicious by the way).

Ingredients for Baked Squash:

• 1 smallish squash
• 2-3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar or maple syrup
• salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to around 375º. Place your squash on a baking tin in the oven. It will likely take at least an hour to bake and perhaps longer depending on the size of the squash. You will know that it is done cooking when the end of a sharp knife can be placed easily into the thickest part of the squash. Remove squash from the oven and let cool slightly before cutting in half to remove the seeds with a large spoon. After the seeds and stringy bits have been spooned out of the cavity and discarded, start removing the cooked flesh from the skin of the squash and place in an oven proof serving bowl. Mash the squash as you would mash potatoes, and then add the butter, salt and pepper and brown sugar/ maple syrup to taste. This can be eaten immediately or refrigerated overnight, or covered in tinfoil, frozen and re-heated.

Very versatile is the squash.

Dinner Party Veggies-Part 3: Minted Sweet Peas

The Bite Me girls puree their peas but my sister-in-law J. suggests that using Loblaw's mini peas (les petits pois) without mashing or pureeing them works best in this recipe. This is a "great dish, even if you hate peas" apparently.

Ingredients:
- 4 cups of frozen peas
- 1/2 cup Kraft Philadelphia whipped cream cheese
- 1/4 cup of butter at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon of kosher salt

In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil over high heat. Add the frozen peas, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the peas well. This is where the Bite Me recipe calls for pureeing the peas in a food processor along with the cream cheese, butter, mint and salt. If you decide not to mush the peas up, but rather, serve them whole as J. did, I would mix the cream cheese, butter , mint and salt together until smooth prior to adding the mixture to the cooked, drained peas.

This recipe serves 6-8.

Dinner Party Veggies, Part 2: Sweet Balsamic Roasted Carrots

Bite into this vegetable recipe, that comes from those saucy sisters Julie Albert and Lisa Gnat. My sister-in-law J. said this one is definitely worth repeating.


Ingredients:

- 2 pounds of carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch sticks resembling French Fries
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. then line a baking sheet with aluminium foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat then add the vinegar and sugar and stir, just until the sugar melts. Remove this from the heat. In a medium bowl toss the carrots with the brown sugar glaze, salt and pepper. Spread the carrots in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the carrots start to brown on the bottom. Stir the carrots and return to the oven for 5-10 minutes until they are caramelized and cooked. Serves 6.

Martha Stewart's Recipe for Toasted Coconut Rice

In the January issue of Living, Marty suggested that this rice be served with the Shrimp Tikka Masala (recipe posted yesterday). She also suggested a side-dish of "honey-roasted eggplant with chiles", which I simply could not bring myself to make.

Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon of extra virgin oil
- 1/2 cup of shredded coconut
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 2 cups water
- 3/4 teaspoon of coarse salt
- 2 green onions (a.k.a. scallions) thinly sliced on the bias

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the coconut until brown , about 6 minutes. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the coconut, then stir the rice into the pot with the remaining coconut. Add water and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook covered until all of the water is absorbed (about 20 minutes). Garnish the rice with the reserved coconut and green onions.

This is pretty yummy rice, if you like coconut, and I like coconut. Of course, I like just about everything...except maybe honey-roasted eggplant with chiles.

Old-fashioned Mac and Cheese

Here's a dish that will warm you up on a cold winter's day. It is also a recipe that you can really play around with; change up the ingredients depending on the dairy products and pasta that you have available. When making pasta dishes, it is important to choose a pasta shape and sauce that complement each other. Thin, delicate pastas like angel hair or thin spaghetti, should be served with light, thin sauces. Thicker pasta shapes, like fettuccine, work well with heavier sauces. Pasta shapes with holes or ridges like mostaccioli or radiatore, are perfect for chunkier sauces. I happened to use cavatappi (“corkscrew” pasta); the tight spiral locks in flavor allowing the shape to pair with both simple and sophisticated sauces.

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 1 cup of 10% butterfat cream (table cream)
- 1 cup of milk
- 3 cups of shredded mixed cheese (for example, cheddar, Monterrey Jack, mozzarella)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup of crushed crackers, whatever you happen to have in your cupboard
- 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan
- about 8 ounces of cavatappi

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a large pot of salted water until boiling, then add the pasta and cook until al dente. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat and whisk in the flour. Add the cream and milk and stir constantly until the mixture has thickened. ( This is typically called a white sauce). Stir in the shredded cheeses until they are melted and add salt and pepper to taste. Usually, the salt and pepper would be added to the white sauce to flavour it, but in this case it is best to wait until after the addition of the cheese, given the saltiness of some cheeses. Drain the pasta and stir the cheese mixture into it until everything is well combined. Place the pasta in a buttered ovenproof dish. Mix together the crushed crackers and grated Parmesan and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta. Bake until the "mac and cheese" is nicely browned and bubbling hot, about 20-30 minutes.

Potatoes Part 4- Scalloped (with cream)

This recipe is a variation of a Martha Stewart recipe that I watched her prepare on TV several years ago. Traditional recipes for this dish often use flour and milk to create the creamy sauce; this recipe, well, it simply uses cream.

Ingredients:
- potatoes, (the more people you are serving, the more you need)
- 35% cream, (the more potatoes you are using, the more you need)
- 1 garlic clove, cut in half
- enough butter to grease the baking dish
- some fresh thyme sprigs
- salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 375º F. Choose a baking dish that will a) look good as a serving dish, and b) reasonably contain the volume of potatoes that you are planning on serving. It is best to not have the dish absolutely jammed to the top with potatoes to allow for some bubbling up of the cream during the baking process. Rub the bottom and sides of the dish with the ‘cut’ side of the garlic clove. Grease the inside of the baking dish with butter. Peel the potatoes and thinly slice. Place a layer of sliced potatoes on the bottom of the dish, season with salt and pepper and a few thyme leaves. Repeat this layering process until you have used up all of your potatoes. Pour the cream into the baking dish until it almost reaches the top layer of potatoes. Bake between 1 to 1.5 hours or until the potatoes are cooked (use your trusty knife test). As the potatoes near the end of the cooking process, you can spread a handful of grated Gruyere cheese on top to create a lovely brown crust.

Editorial Note: I know that everyone is trying to cut down on their salt intake but in my experience with this recipe, if you do not use sufficient salt, it will taste rather bland.

Potatoes Part 3- Garlic Mashed

I am sure that there are lots of ways to make garlic mashed potatoes; I make mine with roasted garlic.





To roast garlic:

Preheat oven to 375º F. Slice the top off of a head of garlic to expose the tops of the cloves within. Place garlic in the middle of a square of tinfoil and drizzle the top of the cloves with olive oil. Enclose the head of garlic in the tinfoil and place in an upright position in the oven for about 45 minutes. The cloves will both darken and soften as the garlic roasts. In the meantime, prepare the potatoes for mashing.

Mashed potatoes (instructions for the novice cook):

It is best to use a ‘waxy’ potato for boiling, although any type of potato will do; I particularly like Yukon Gold. Peel potatoes and cut in half or quarters depending on how large they are. Place in a large pot of salted water, cover the pot with its lid and boil the potatoes for 20-25 minutes or until a knife can be inserted easily into the flesh. The larger the pieces of potato, the longer the cooking will take. When cooked, drain the potatoes then add butter, milk, salt and pepper to taste.
Mash madly.

To make them garlicky, grab the base of the head of roasted garlic and squeeze the softened cloves into the mashed potatoes. Stir briefly to combine.

Editorial note: Some people prefer not to remove the skins from the potatoes for boiling and mashing. This is certainly an option particularly if they are thin (skins) and you do not mind either the texture or colour of the skins in the mash.

Potatoes Part 2- Baked and Double-stuffed

Baked potatoes traditionally accompany a steak dinner and it just so happens that my sister-in-law J. is famous for her steak dinners. The following is her recipe for double-stuffed potatoes; it's a recipe that elevates the tuber from its humble roots. Let's just say these are value-added potatoes.

Ingredients:

- 8 similarly-sized baking potatoes
- 1 onion, diced and sautéed in butter until brown
- 8 strips of crisply fried bacon, crumbled
- 1/2 cup of sour cream and more if you like
- 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Clean the potatoes under running water. Pierce the skin of each potato with the end of a sharp knife before baking, ( this will help you to avoid nasty explosions in your oven). Place the potatoes directly on the oven rack and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until done. The larger the potato, the longer it takes to bake; the end of a sharp knife will slide easily into the flesh of the potato when it is sufficiently cooked. Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, either split the potato with a knife from end to end to open it on one side, or remove the top 1/4 of the long side of the potato. Carefully remove the flesh of each potato with a spoon (keeping the skins intact) and place it in a mixing bowl along with the sour cream, onions, bacon, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix these ingredients together, then return the mixture in equal quantities to the hollowed potato skins. Place the stuffed potatoes on a baking sheet to put back in the oven for warming (for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees ) prior to serving. The ones that are shown in the above photo are ready to be popped back in the oven to re-heat.

Editorial Note: 'Baking potatoes' tend to be elongated and have a dark coarse skin. They're high in starch and become light and fluffy when cooked. Some of the names you’ll see in the grocery store referring to baking potatoes are Russet, Long White, and Idaho.