.creamy risotto.

Have you ever been stuck trying to figure out what kind of side dish to make? Tired of potatoes? You should try making risotto. This isn't a difficult dish to make. It takes care and time, but the results are well worth it. For those of you who were voting for the Valentine Dinner Cook-along, this was one of the items mentioned for menu #1.

Risotto is made using arborio rice, not regular long grain/white rice. Arborio is a short grain that has a lot of starch, giving it a very creamy texture when it's cooked. You can find it down the rice aisle of your grocery store, or if you have those bins where you can measure your own grains/goodies (think trail mix)... I know I can find it there too.

This dish takes about 30 minutes to make so give yourself enough time to prepare it, otherwise you'll have hard, uncooked rice. NOT what we're going for.


Begin by mincing 1-2 shallots. They give a much milder flavor than onion.











Chop up some flat leaf italian parsley.












Put 5-6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock) in a saucepan. Heat over medium and then turn to simmer. We want the liquid to stay warm.

I used one of the chicken stock boxes that you can find in the grocery store. It was the perfect amount.







Heat 4 Tbsp butter in a skillet over medium/medium high heat.











Add the shallots and saute for about a minute. Don't let them burn. If you want to make mushroom risotto, add your mushrooms at this time. You could even add a little minced garlic as well.









Just as the shallots are softening, add 1 cup arborio rice. Stir the rice around so that it gets coated with butter. This will heat up the kernel and get it ready to break open when the liquid is added.









After about 2 minutes, add a ladle of chicken stock into the pan. Now you don't want the heat too high. Too high will evaporate the stock too quickly and not cook the rice enough... so be sure at this point to lower your temp to medium heat.

Stir the rice around.






When the liquid reduces down to where the rice is almost dry, it's time to add more. You don't want to add too much stock at a time. It will ruin the desired texture we're going for.

Keep adding one ladle at a time and let reduce down. Your rice will begin to double and triple, and maybe even quadruple in quantity. Make sure you stir often so the rice can cook evenly.




When you get near to adding all the remaining broth, taste it to see how the rice is cooking. When it's done, the grains will be nice and puffy and the texture of your risotto will be creamy. It will almost resemble a rice pudding consistency.








When the rice is fully cooked and isn't hard, add a handful of good quality grated parmesan cheese and the parsley. Taste the rice again. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

There's no reason to be intimidated by this dish. It is simple to make and elegant to serve. Bon Appetit!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_133dp2kc6x8

.fettuccine alfredo.

Fettuccine alfredo is one of those great foods that bring me a lot of comfort. How many of you actually make your own alfredo sauce? Do you pick up a jar or one of those DiGiorno kind in the refrigerator section of your grocery store?

I admit I used to do that... but those things cost a lot more than it takes to make your own and it's a lot better tasting because it doesn't need any preservatives to keep it fresher longer.


Let's begin with our roux (pronounced roo). In a saucepan put 1/4 cup butter, 1 clove minced garlic, and a drizzle of olive oil. Allow the garlic to saute for about 30 seconds.









While whisking, add 1/3 cup flour. You need to whisk so the flour doesn't clump up on you. Turn your burner down to low heat and let your roux continue to cook for awhile. The longer you let this go, the darker it will turn, and the more flavorful it will be. I had mine on th eheat for about 30 minutes. Don't forget about it. You'll need to keep stirring!





While whisking again, add 1 cup cream. If you're not counting calories or fat grams, add another 2 cups of cream. If you're like me and trying to keep things on the healthier side, after you add the 1 cup milk, add 2 cups milk.

Kick up the heat (medium high) and keep stirring while this thickens up. You want a gravy consistency so not too thick, okay?




Season well with salt and pepper. Taste the sauce at this point to adjust seasoning.











Take a BIG handful of parmesan cheese. I use a good quality parm for this because we're not trying to skimp on flavor and parmesan isn't a high fat cheese.
















My little soux chef shows how thick this sauce is when it's done. It should coat the back of the spoon.. .or in our case, it is sticking nicely to the wires of my whisk.

At this stage, you can package up your sauce and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. We were having this with our pork chops the other night so I had a pot of fettuccine cooking while we made the sauce. After the pasta is cooked, drain well, and then mix with the sauce.

Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top of your fettuccine after it's been plated. Delicious! Enjoy!



Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_124g3dswxhj

.polenta with skirt steak and mushroom ragout.

When my husband, girls and I first made our trek north to New York to check out the area, we stayed in a hotel with a small kitchen. I was trying to avoid eating out for every meal because I'm sure if you've done it before, you know how old it gets, right?

One of the items I made was a creamy parmesan polenta with skirt steak and a wild mushroom ragout. It was so delicious that I knew I'd have to make it again.

You need to mentally break this meal into three separate tasks. 1)Polenta, 2)Steak, 3)Ragout. Each are very simple to make, but when you bring them all together, it makes for a very showy meal. Not only that, but you could easily have this on your table in 30 minutes! That's something I think we can all appreciate.

Let's start with the polenta. Polenta was considered a mexican peasant type food ... a lot like grits, cornmeal mush... that kind of thing. "Gruel". In recent years, however, polenta has come up in status and is now found in many upscale restaurants. This recipe is dressed up with a little parmesan and mascarpone cheese. If for any reason you can't find mascarpone, use cream cheese. It won't give you the exact flavor, but it will give you the creamy texture that makes this polenta so desireable.


In a saucepan, put 3 1/2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil.


While whisking, add 1/2 cup polenta to the stock. It will begin thickening after 3 minutes. Stir to make sure it doesn't burn or get too thick. If it's super super thick, add a little more stock. We don't want runny polenta but we don't want it too thick either. Season with a little salt and pepper. Don't add too much salt.


Add 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Mix well. Taste the polenta at this stage. The cheese adds more saltiness so if you've put in too much sal beforehand, it's going to be too salty. This is why I said to not overdo it. If it needs more salt at this point, go ahead and add it.

That is all this dish needs! See what I mean? EASY!! Set the saucepan aside.

Now for the steak. You want to use skirt steak for this meal. I couldn't find skirt steak so I went with a flank cut. They're pretty comparable. Both are very lean cuts of meat and have very little fat. They are also rather thin and cook quickly.


Begin by seasoning both sides well with fresh cracked black pepper and sea salt.


Heat a skillet on medium high heat. Pour a little olive oil into the pan and then put your steak in. Wait until the pan is hot before putting your oil and steak in. The instant heat will sear the steak, which locks in all the juices and flavor. That's key for a good steak.

Let this sear on one side for 3 1/2 minutes then flip over and sear the other side for another 3 1/2 minutes.

Now if this were a skirt steak, which is MUCH thinner than flank, you'd probably be ready to pull it off the pan at this point. However, this was a thicker piece of meat so I covered the pan, lowered the heat just a smidge and let it cook through for another 3-4 minutes.

I like my steak medium rare, so if you want it more done, let it cook a few more minutes.

Once the steak is done, pull from the pan and put on a cutting board. Let it sit and "rest" for about 5 minutes before slicing.


Slice diagonally against the grain tilting the knife at a 45 degree angle. This gives you nice striations and it's easier to get thinner slices. That's what we're going for!

Now let's do the final step: mushroom ragout.


Mince 1 clove garlic.









Peel 2 shallots and slice thinly.












Clean 1 - 1 1/2 cups mushrooms. I suggest using a mixture of wild mushrooms like crimini, white, and shiitake. I had crimini on hand in the fridge and used those. Trim off the stems and slice.








Roughly chop a little italian flat leaf parsley.












Heat 1 tsp olive oil and a little butter in a skillet. Don't let them get too hot otherwise it can distort the flavor.










Add the mushrooms and stir the pan to coat them with the butter/oil.











When the mushrooms start browning, add the garlic and shallots. Stir to mix and saute for a few minutes.










When the aroma is strong, season with salt, pepper, and a little thyme. If you're using fresh thyme, toss in a few sprigs.











After the shallots start getting soft, add 1/4 cup white wine, and 1/4 cup chicken stock. Keep cooking this over medium high heat until the liquid begins to evaporate and reduce by half.

Pull from the heat. It's time to plate up!







Begin by putting some polenta on a plate. See how thick this is? It will hold it's shape like pancake batter.










Take some of your steak slices and lay them in a fan-like fashion on top of the polenta.











Spoon some of the mushroom ragout on top and then sprinkle with a little parsley. Serve immediately.

Now that you've seen each step broken down, it's important to time this right. Each step doesn't take a lot of time to make. Start with the steak because that will probably be the one that takes the longest to sear, cook, and then rest before slicing. While it's in the pan, you can quickly whip up the polenta. That can sit over low low heat while you quickly saute up the ragout. By overlapping your cooking times, you will have this meal on your table within 30 minutes. Something quick, delicious, and elegant in the time it takes to order and have pizza delivered. You can do it! Enjoy!

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_1278489b9cq

.herbed gratin potatoes.

Potatoes are such a comfort to me that I am going to have a very difficult time easing up on them this year. It's part of my New Year's resolution.. the whole weight loss thing. I have mentally chosen (CHOSEN!) to reduce portions if I make something that might not be healthy for me, chosen to work out EVERY DAY (minus weekends), and chosen to eat healthier. My family will revolt if I change everything at once so I am taking baby steps.



I am not a fan of diet programs. I have more success when I do it my way.



So anyway.. throwing all of that out the window, I made herbed gratin potatoes to go with roast chicken. I love these so much. Traditionally gratin potatoes are made with gruyere and a nice browned crust on top. I mix it up by adding tarragon, thyme, and some parmesan cheese.





Start by peeling and thinly slicing 5 white or yukon gold potatoes.










Put the potatoes in a skillet and put on medium/medium high heat.














Pour some milk into the pan, halfway up the potatoes. Then take some cream and pour enough in to reach the top of the potatoes.














Season well with salt, pepper, tarragon, and thyme.















Bring the cream to almost a boil and then turn to low heat. Stir the potatoes around to ensure they are all cooked at the same time. Let sit on low heat for about 10 minutes.













While the potatoes are on the stove, grate your parmesan cheese a nd gruyere. I use about 1 cup of each.














Butter your baking dish well and then rub a crushed garlic clove all around the edges and bottom. I left the garlic in the bottom of the baker but you can remove it if you want.














Remove the potatoes from the stove. Using a spoon, place some in the bottom of the baker and then spoon on a little of the cream.





Add a layer of parmesan/gruyere cheese. Repeat the process over and over spooning cream whenever you put in some potatoes.















Make sure when you reach the top that you have saved enough cheese to sprinkle on the surface. Put in a 350* oven for 45 minutes.









When it's done, the top will be beautifully golden and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving or run the risk of burning your tongue with these nuclear hot potatoes. lol



Bon Appetit!


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_126dm2m8sfw