Risotto

With thanks to Marcella Hazan and my Mom

arborio rice 2 cups
sweet white onion 1/2 or 1/3
italian sausage - if in links, squeeze out of the links 1/2 lb
ground beef 1lb
beef broth 5-6 cups simmering
porcini mushroom 1 packet
mushrooms 1/2 lb
add white wine (1/2 cup towards end, when broth is done)
1/2 -3/4 cup parmesean/romano

soak porcini mushrooms (boiling broth (1/2-1 cup, then soak mushrooms, then remove mushrooms) wash off sand, cut into little pieces. saute onion, then add ground italian sausage. add rice (m-L temp), add broth, then mushrooms, slowly while it simmers, 1/2 cup at a time, stir (1/2 hr about)

add mushrooms & ground beef 2/3 of the way through cooking the rice.

meanwhile brown ground beef and mushrooms, add them at the end.

Banana Muffins

Leah and I made these so you know they are yum. Leah directed, and I assisted.

We basically used the following recipe, but used about 1/3 cup butter and added extra olive oil to make up the difference. about 4 tbs. we added cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice (about 1/2 tsp each) we added extra sugar (1 cup). also added oatmeal. we thought about adding choc chips but didn't (this might be good another time). we made muffins instead of bread and baked them for 20 min. yum!

if made again: add more oil, butter, sugar, bananas, honey, more oats and less flour

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Italian Fennel and Onion Risotto (with peas)

I haven't cooked this one before, (and have yet to make a successful risotto, except for the from the box ones, but I am going to try this one soon, fingers crossed!) Two versions of the recipe follow, from
http://www.newitalianrecipes.com/risotto.html

To make risotto, you must use a certain type of rice. Italian Arborio (a fat, starchy, medium grain rice) is by far the most common used in this country to make risottos, because it is available in most every grocery store. Other rices that work well are Roma, Vialone, Carnaroli, Nano and Maratelli.

A perfect Arborio dish is rich and creamy, so these starchy brands of rice are essential to the texture. If you use regular short or long grain generic rice, for example, you will likely wind up with sticky sushi rice.

Since every risotto we've ever made has taken a different amount of cooking stock, our suggestion to you is to have plenty at hand when your preparation is taking place. 5-8 cups is about our norm.

Why do stock amounts vary so? Because, for some you add wine in the early stages, others you add porcini mushroom broth (a byproduct of reconstituting dried porcinis. Dried is about the only way most of us can get them. We can buy fresh porcinis in the Denver metro area but they cost around $35 a pound). Porcinis grow under chestnut trees in Italy, and the stock from reconstituting the dried ones is earthy and deeply flavorful, "killer good", in fact.

So, have 8 cups of stock on hand to start. Homemade chicken, shrimp or beef stock, whichever goes best with your risotto of the day, will produce far superior results to packaged. Homemade stock is well worth the trouble, but if you have to use processed, you are still going to have a really good dish!

Here are the general cooking instructions for preparing a simple, vegetable risotto, to give you an example of what we have found to be the best means of making these dishes:

The formal version of this recipe, with the full ingredients list, is here: Fennel And Onion Risotto Heat 6 cups of chicken stock to just simmering. (have at least 2 more cups handy just in case) Add some chopped herbs such as Italian parsley, thyme or basil to the stock.

Coarsely chop one medium fennel bulb, one medium onion, 4 garlic cloves and 1 cup of pecorino Romano cheese (ewe's milk Romano), and have handy 1 cup of cooked green peas. Reserve for correct time to add.

Heat 2 T of olive oil or butter in a well-seasoned, cast iron skillet (or the heaviest, non-stick skillet you have.)

Add about 3-4 T of chopped shallots or onions to the oil and sauté for 2-3 minutes over medium heat.

Add your Arborio rice. For this example, we'll use 1 cup. This is enough to feed four to six as either a first course (the Italian tradition), or as a main course.

Stir the rice well with the onions and oil, because the purpose is to thoroughly "coat" the rice. This helps regulate absorption of the liquid.

Add 1/4 cup of dry flavorful white wine. Your choice. We've even used "Meade" which is quite a flavorful addition.

Add your vegetables, except for the peas.

When the wine is about 3/4's absorbed, reduce the heat to the lowest setting if you are cooking in an iron skillet, (low medium if in anything else), and ladle in enough stock to cover the smoothed out risotto.

When the added liquid level drops about 1/3, re-cover the risotto with more stock.

Continue this process for about 20 minutes.

When the stock absorption rate slows down considerably, add the cooked peas.

The end of the cooking is critical for the final texture of the dish, so when the rice is mostly tender, but with just a hint of texture to it, and the liquid you have added to this point is mostly absorbed, add the Romano and 2 T of butter.

At this point, stir the risotto profusely to blend in the cheese and butter and remove your finished risotto from the heat.

Let it stand for 3 or 4 minutes and then serve in pasta bowls, garnished with some freshly chopped Italian parsley.

An oaky Italian chardonnay goes well with this dish.

All right, you are a seasoned risotto chef now. Bada bing, bada boom!

Now that you are a "skilled" preparer, make some of the others you will find links to at the bottom of this page. We will be adding more risotto recipes as time goes on.

Buon appetito always!
Brought to you with love from
Aunt Aletha and Dear Old Dave

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New Italian Recipes Presents:
Italian Fennel And Onion Risotto (with peas)

Ingredients:
1 cup Italian Arborio rice
3 + 3 T e. v. olive oil
2 medium to large onions, coarsely chopped
1 medium to large fennel bulb, white part chopped coarsely, greens frozen and reserved for making chicken or shrimp stock.
1 1/2 cups peas
1/4 cups fresh Italian basil, finely chopped
A few little pieces of the fennel green leftovers
1/2 cup dry white wine, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio
6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1/2 cup pecorino Romano cheese
2 T butter or yogurt butter
1/4 cup Fresh, finely diced, Italian Parsley
!/4 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Preparation:
Set chicken stock to a slow simmer in a large sauce pan or soup pan, add in basil and fennel green scraps.

In a large cast iron skillet or large non-stick skillet, heat 3 T olive oil to medium low.

Add the onions and fennel, and cover. Let the vegetables soften and release their juices for at least ten minutes. Remove to a separate bowl.

Add the other 3 T of olive oil to the same pan for 30 seconds, then add the Italian Arborio rice.

Toss with rice a few times to coat it well with oil. This helps the rice to absorb the cooking juices slowly. It also helps create the silky texture that we so love in a really professionally done risotto.

Add the onions and fennel back in with all their incredibly flavorful juices.

Also, add the wine and let it reduce by about 3/4.

Now you add a ladle or two of the barely simmering stock, stir a little, make sure the developing fennel and onion risotto is completely covered with juices and simmer over low heat. let it just simmer for a few, until the liquid is absorbed and the liquid level is just below the top of the rice.

Add more stock. You don't have to stir this time but make sure the rice is completely covered again.

And just keep repeating this for about fifteen or so. You are just about done now, so add the peas.

Let the level of the liquid in your risotto reduce by about half.

It's now time to taste for tenderness of the rice. If the rice is tender enough for your personal taste (we like it really tender with just a tiny bit of crispness), add the cheese and butter, stir them in thoroughly and let the risotto continue to cook until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed, then remove from heat.

Please let the dish stand for about 5-7 minutes and the flavors will meld (marry) a bit more.

Serve in bowls (we've got these really cute Italian bowls we serve risotto and pasta in).

Top with grated Parmigiano-reggiano and freshly chopped Italian Parsley.

Baker's One Bowl Brownies

My Personal Favorite. Made these way too many times in middle school and high school, probably explains why I wasn't better at track ;) They are incredibly quick and easy, but very tasty. Best when not overcooked.

4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup coarsely chopped PLANTERS Pecans

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Grease foil.
MICROWAVE chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in sugar. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour and pecans; mix well. Spread into prepared pan.
BAKE 30 to 35 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out with fudgy crumbs. (Do not overbake.) Cool in pan on wire rack. Remove brownies from pan, using foil handles. Cut into 24 squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.


An easy way to make this even more yummy is Paula Dean's Caramelized Brownies, which I saw on her TV Show but haven't made yet. They looked really yummy and pretty. She tops them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Man that girl is crazy.


1 package chewy brownie mix (recommended: Duncan Hines)
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions. Pour batter into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the pecans and sugar and cook, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Drizzle the caramel mixture over brownie batter and bake until a toothpick can be inserted and withdrawn cleanly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Chicken in Sweet and Zesty Raisin Sauce

This is from the Sunmaid raisin website, Lance made this for me and it came out really well. He used fresh tomato instead of canned, which I think was a good substitution, and probably fresh ginger would taste good too. He served it with some kind of yellow rice (I was thinking it had saffron in it, but he said it was cumin I think, and a salad. It was a good meal.)

Chicken in Sweet and Zesty Raisin Sauce
Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (14.5-oz.) diced tomato
3/4 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger or 1/2 teaspoon dried ginger
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

HEAT oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
BROWN chicken breasts 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
TO SKILLET, add tomatoes, raisins, lemon juice, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon and pepper.

BRING to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 3-5 minutes or until slightly reduced.
ADD chicken breasts to pan. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Fried Rice

already cooked rice
some kind of cooked meat
scrambled egg
cooked veggies
frozen peas and/or carrots
soy sauce
fish sauce and/or oyster sauce
sugar
cinnamon and/or anise (if you like)
cayenne pepper

***lots of variations on this one. basically: mix the rice with all the pre-cooked ingredients (you can mix in the frozen peas/carrots as well, they will de-thaw in the mix). heat up a frying pan to high heat and put some oil in it. add the rice/meat/veggie/egg mixture to the pan, and pour the soy sauce and other sauces on top, adding spices and pepper to your taste. fry, being careful not to burn. This is a good way to use up leftover rice, and a tasty way to get your veggies.

:)

thanks to leah (who taught me this recipe), who fixed a very boring veggie mix that I made, using a brown rice/veggie mix, using a stir-fry method, but she added allspice and cumin. it came out great.

Seafood Pasta

5-6 Prawns
4 strips Bacon cut into squares
3/4 cup green beans
1 tbs fresh basil
4 sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup scallops
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
cayanne pepper to taste
"spike" seasoning to taste
dried basil
2 cups pasta. corkscrew
olive oil

*** always listen to music while you cook. I recommend KPIG or cuban/latino. cook the pasta, adding salt and some olive oil to the pot. defrost the prawns and scallops. cook the bacon in the pan, and once it's started to harden, add the green beans. cook the green beans, adding some olive oil if necessary. add the seafood, and the spices. cook at medium low heat until the prawns are pink. pour the pasta into the frying pan, and taste. if necessary, add more spices. add the fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes (cut the sun dried tomatoes into small pieces)

serve with a salad

Green Curry

I made a modified version of this last night. This version is courtesy of Thai Kitchen. (as you can probably tell) I think it's good with some bamboo shoots as well, maybe about a quarter cup, also bell pepper and peas. I think it would be good with tofu, as long as you don't simmer it so long that it disintegrates.

Green Curry with Basil

Smooth and rich with a delicate hint of basil.

1 (14 oz.) can Thai Kitchen Pure Coconut Milk (Regular or Lite)
1-4 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste
1/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
2-3 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1⁄4 cup chopped basil leaves
1 1⁄2 cups assorted vegetables, cut into 1” pieces (try red bell pepper, zucchini, peas, or your favorite combination)
12 oz. chicken breast, cut into 1” pieces
Thai Kitchen Jasmine Rice

Mix the coconut milk, green curry paste, stock, fish sauce, brown sugar and basil in a 2 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the vegetables and chicken and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve over cooked Thai Kitchen Jasmine Rice. Serves 4.