The Perfect Risotto

Oh, risotto. I can't really think of a more awesome food! I love this stuff! Its creamy, flavorful, and offers a break from pasta while still filling my carb requirement. :) You can stir in whatever you'd like to this basic risotto, mushrooms, prosciutto, peas, shrimp, etc. Just cook the other ingredients separately and add them at the end.

But I like mine best just like this. The secret to a really good risotto is good babysitting... keep an eye on it and make sure the broth is hot when you add it, so you don't shock the rice. And don't add too much or too little... that way your risotto will be al dente, not mushy on the outside and hard on the inside.

Do enjoy this dish!! This will feed 4+people. For Sam and I, I split this recipe. And if its just me eating a bowl for supper, then I use a 1/4. :)

Ingredients
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a medium saucepan (or microwave) bring the broth to a simmer. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown.

Add the rice and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.

Remove from heat. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Chili's Salsa

First of all, sorry for my absence for so long! I've had this recipe since last week but I've been debating whether or not to keep it "my secret"... but then I decided since I didn't make it up, I couldn't really have it be my secret recipe. :) I took it to Emmalee's party and it was quite the hit!! I took home a completely empty bowl! You have to try it with sour cream. It is supposed to taste like Chili's famous salsa - and it does! Its very simple - it took less than 5 minutes!



Ingredients
4 teaspoons jalapenos (canned, diced, not pickled)
1/4 cup yellow onion (diced)
1 (14 oz) can tomatoes and green chilies
1 (14 oz) can whole canned tomatoes (plus the juice)
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions
In a food processor place jalapenos and onions. Process for just a few seconds.

Add both cans of tomatoes, salt, sugar and cumin. Process all ingredients but do not puree.

Place in a covered container and chill. (A couple of hours of chilling will help blend and enrich the flavor.) Serve with your favorite thin corn tortilla chips.

Brandied Tarragon Cream Chicken with Baked Orzo

This is such a fun recipe. I made it last weekend for Aunt Sue and my cousins, and this week for Nancy. Its fun because it looks so pretty, tastes like a fancy, complicated recipe (fresh herbs just do that, don't they?) and is very easy! Especially the chicken recipe - I had most of the stuff in my pantry already! It doesn't take that many ingredients when you have a good recipe.

But the best part? Its a good "performance" in the kitchen because you get to light it on fire! Oh yeah! But be careful! Our fire alarm went off, and while Nancy was here we had an intense flame that really reached the ceiling (I say it was cool now, but at the time it was actually kind of scary). So be careful, ok? (By the way, I was too anxious about watching the flame that I didn't have a chance to pick up my camera till it had died down quite a bit).

The chicken recipe is courtesy Rachel Ray, and the Orzo is from Everyday Italian. They both had mushrooms in the recipe, which I have removed. Ick. :) But if you want to add them, just saute with the shallots/onions respectively.

BRANDIED TARRAGON CREAM CHICKEN
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup applejack brandy
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves

Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dredge the chicken lightly in flour and shake off any excess.

Brown the chicken 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove chicken.

Reduce the heat a little and melt in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Saute the shallots 3 minutes until soft but not browned.



Remove the pan from heat, add the brandy and ignite with a long kitchen match until the flame subsides.



Return the pan to heat. Add wine and reduce 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the cream and tarragon and slide chicken back into pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer 8-10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.



Serve!



BAKED ORZO WITH FONTINA AND PEAS
Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth
1 pound orzo pasta
3 tablespoons butter
1 onion, chopped
1 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces shredded fontina cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9X12 inch baking dish.

Bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepan. Add the orzo and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Pour the orzo and the broth into a large bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the Marsala. Cook until the Marsala has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the mixture to the orzo. Add the cream, fontina, mozzarella, peas, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.



Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. In a small bowl combine the bread crumbs, parmesan, and dried thyme. Sprinkle the crumb mixture on top of the pasta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.


Enjoy the creamy, cheesy, delicious orzo!!

Just Meat & Potatoes

We had a good ole midwest meal tonight: steak and potatoes... amped up a bit of course!! First I rubbed my steaks with an amazing rosemary garlic rub. Then I topped them each with our favorite toppings, and served alongside buttermilk smashed potatoes... so good!! I love this meal - I am so excited to share it with you!!



ROSEMARY GARLIC RUB

Ingredients
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons Lawry's seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder with parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions
Combine the rosemary, seasoned salt, garlic pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl, mix well. Brush both sides of your steak with the olive oil. Sprinkle with the mixture, pressing onto steak. Grill or broil steak till desired doneness. (Don't forget to let it rest before diving in - makes a huge difference!!) I cook mine on the very rare side, so once I put them under the broiler with my toppings (see below) it doesn't overcook.



STEAK VERSION I: Parmesan & Caramelized Onions
This is my favorite way to eat steak... topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese and onions which have had 1/2 hour or so to sloowwly caramelize. After putting them on the steak, put it under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Its incredibly sweet and savory at the same time... as you can see, I smothered my steak!!



STEAK VERSION II: Blue Cheese & Breadcrumbs
Sam's preferred topping... I top his steak with blue cheese crumbles and Italian seasoned breadcrumbs. I also give this a chance to sit under the broiler until the cheese begins to melt and the breadcrumbs are slightly toasted.



BUTTERMILK RANCH SMASHED POTATOES
Yummy yummy yummy mashed potatoes. This is just something I made without measuring (mom, grandma, can you believe it?!) so add the amounts as you see fit. :)
Ingredients
Yukon gold potatoes (I do 2 a person - yeah, its that good)
Cream
Butter
Hidden Valley buttermilk ranch dressing

Directions
Peel the potatoes and cut into equally sized pieces. Put them in a large pot and cover the potatoes with water. Salt the water. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until soft enough for mashing. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash/smash them with a fork. Add to the potatoes cream and butter (heat them in a separate pot or in the microwave before adding to the warm potatoes). Add buttermilk ranch dressing, salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!!



I made some gravy to go with the potatoes, but they really don't even need it.... yum... now I'm full and I better wrap this up because I need a nap!

Chopped: The Challenge

My new favorite food network show is "Chopped." Here is the description on Food Network:

Passion and expertise rule the kitchen on the fast-paced new series, Chopped. Hosted by Ted Allen (Food Detectives), the series challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets "chopped" until the last man or woman left standing claims victory. Each week, a rotating panel of culinary elite judges including Alex Guarnaschelli, Aaron Sanchez, and Geoffrey Zakarian will decide whose dishes shine the brightest and award the winner $10,000.

So, each course the chefs get three to four ingredients they MUST use. And trust me, the combination is not easy. They have a pantry at their disposal but the ingredients are not unlimited, and sometime it is missing such basics as milk. AND, they only get 30 minutes per course.

I love watching these trained chefs come up with beautiful culinary creations under such stressful situations. I mean, they are pairing beautiful cuts of fish with string cheese, or scallops, figs and macaroni and generic macaroni and cheese packet of fake cheese. And they have to use it ALL to make a gourmet meal.

Hopefully I've explained the concept of the show well enough that you are excited too - cause I'm going to try it at home!! :) I am employing Sam to pick out my three unknown ingredients (although I think I'll just do one course - not three). And I'll be able to use whatever is in my pantry (aka kitchen). We are going to try this sometime in the next week or so, it should be fun. (In the meantime, I have a couple recipes to put up this week too).

We'll see... if this is fun for me to do, fun for you to read, and I come up with something semi-successful, I may make it a monthly challenge. And even more fun, if you do this... send me pics, a description of your meal, and I'll put it on the blog too!

Parmesan Polenta

I love sides. I LOVE them. Who even needs a main course? I could eat sides all day long... polenta, risotto, orzo, buttermilk mashed potatoes (those are my favorites!)... in fact when Sam's gone for supper usually I do just eat a side! I will be posting all of the above in the coming days/weeks...a series of sorts... whenever I am home and have groceries/time to whip them up!!



But today - basic parmesan polenta. This is a great dish for a meat main course, or even better as a base for stew, or a hearty sauce. Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentiis in her Everyday Italian cookbook with small tweaks from me. This is SO simple, so quick, and couldn't be cheaper!

Ingredients
6 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions
In a large, heavy saucepan, bring the water to a boil.

Add the salt, then gradually whisk in the cornmeal.

Reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the butter and parmesan.

Turkey Chipotle Chili and Pepperjack Cornbread

This is my new favorite chili recipe - it has such a delicious flavor! And a great part - its a Rachel Ray recipe - so it only takes 30 minutes!! I added some notes in italics where I deviated from the recipe, but I thought you might like to have the original. One more thing - I don't like beans, so I left those out of my chili - but if you want to put those in, add 1 can red kidney beans along with the stock and tomatoes. Try it with my spicy pepperjack cornbread... delicious!!

TURKEY CHIPOTLE CHILI
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 package ground turkey breast
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 rounded tablespoon chili powder
2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, or 1/2 cup hot chipotle salsa may be substituted (I used the chipotle salsa - about 2 tablespoons was plenty hot for me)
salt
1 cup mexican beer (I used white wine because I had it on hand)
2 cups chicken stock
1 can chopped stewed tomatoes (28 oz)

Directions
Heat pot over medium high heat. Add oil and turkey. Crumble meat as it cooks. Add the onions and garlic, chili powder and chipotle. Cook another couple minutes to soften onions and garlic. Add salt.



Add beer/wine and cook another minute, stirring to loosen any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and tomatoes, and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. (I sometimes let mine simmer up to 45 minutes while I make cornbread - but its also delicious after 10 minutes).




PEPPERJACK CORNBREAD
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
2 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil or melted butter
1 block of pepperjack cheese, shredded

Directions
In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to a 10 inch iron skillet. Place in a 400 degree oven until butter melts. Remove pan from oven, swirl butter to coat bottom and sides of pan.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine eggs, milk and oil/butter. (If using the melted butter, be sure its not hot and scrambles the eggs). Add the egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Add cheese.

Check out how much cheese I used - yummmm.



Pour batter into hot skillet or pan. Bake 15-20 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.