The first time I ever heard about risotto was on one of those FOOD channel cooking shows. It seemed like a much more interesting take on rice, so my next trip to the supermarket I came home with a 1-box special with the rice and seasoning.
Add water, boil for 20 minutes. How hard could it be?
It wasn't. It was easy... too easy. I can cook dammit! Lets do it myself!
INGREDIENTS: (yields enough for 1 glutton, OR 2-3 hungry people, OR 4-5 birds)
1c Italian Arborio rice
1c white wine or cognac
1c stock (optional) chicken, veg, or duck stock
2-3c water on the boil (varies a bit)
1 large portabello mushroom chopped
1 onion finely chopped
3-4 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp butter
3-4 tbsp Parmigiano-Reggiano
salt & pepper to taste
pinch of parsley to garnish
METHOD:
in a large skillet add the oil and onion. Using medium heat soften the onion until it's all gently cooked.
Turn it up to moderately high but not max) and toss in the rice and stir frequently until the rice gets a bit toasty. 2-3 minutes.
Start your timer for 20 minutes and Pour in the wine stir, wait for it to boil and then slowly add the stock so that you keep things boiling. If you're not using stock then add a pinch of salt.
Add boiling water every 2-4 minutes as the water gets absorbed. (don't overdo this... just do one cup at a time!)
After 10 minutes of boiling have passed, add the mushrooms. Stir well so they are full covered by liquid.
After 15 minutes of boiling, you probably don't need to add any more water, but you will have to start stirring more frequently. The consistency will start thickening up a bit and this is exactly what you want. (It's essentially rice porridge)
After 18 minutes add your butter and parm. STIR WELL at this point.
after it's well stirred, you can stop cooking any time after once it tightens up enough to your liking. It will continue to tighten up after you take it off the heat so it's ok if it's a tiny bit loose.
Once you remove from the heat, let it rest in the pan for 2-3 minutes and then plate.
Garnish with salt and pepper to taste. Add a sprinkle of parsley for colour.
EAT
Google yourself a picture. I can't photograph mine. It gets eaten too quickly. I will at some point try to document my steps and add photos as appropriate.
Stay hungry my friends!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
FOOD: pizza sauce
Once again, my traffic pentoooooples every time I do a food post. So here's my pizza sauce. It's somewhat similar to my spaghetti sauce, but different enough to warrant it's own post.
Due to food sensitivities at home I can not use onions. I can however use leeks. Thankfully they are interchangeable.
NB: Even though this sauce is very similar to my pasta sauce, it is too strong for noodles. When you're tasting it during the cooking process, it will be very strongly flavoured. But that's normal and to be expected!
Ingredients:
4-5 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your large skillet)
2-3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 small onions (or 1 whole leek)
3 small stalks of celery (finely chopped)
2 cans of Aurora chopped tomatoes. (398ml size)
2 anchovy fillets or the equivalent amt of anchovy paste.
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dried basil
5 tbsp dried oregano
1 pinch rosemary
1 pinch tyme
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
Method:
In a large skillet, add the oil, onion (leek) anchovies and garlic. medium ish heat until the onions soften. Do not burn the garlic! (It's easy to do)
Once the onions have sweat down a little, turn up the heat to medium. As the garlic starts to brown add ONLY ONE can of the tomatoes. There should be lots of steam and sizzling. Stir well. Add spices, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cover.
COVER and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes or so until the mixture reduces to about 1/2. The tomatoes will be starting to caramelize at this point and things might start to stick a little to your pot. (That's ok... try not to let things stick, but the little bit of sticking tells you you're doing it right)
Add the sugar and the next can of tomatoes and reduce heat to a low-medium. (Or is that medium low?)
Simmer COVERED for about 15-20 minutes. It should reduce a little.
Use an immersion blender to completely puree the sauce. You can use a regular blender, but watch out for burning, steaming, spatter... (Don't say I didn't warn you).
Depending on how saucy you like your pizza will determine the yield. I get about 5 pizzas about this recipe. Based on approximately 1 Cup per pizza. (227ml)
Finally, let the sauce rest in the fridge for 12-24 hours before using or freezing. Then freeze in individual serving containers.
Due to food sensitivities at home I can not use onions. I can however use leeks. Thankfully they are interchangeable.
NB: Even though this sauce is very similar to my pasta sauce, it is too strong for noodles. When you're tasting it during the cooking process, it will be very strongly flavoured. But that's normal and to be expected!
Ingredients:
4-5 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of your large skillet)
2-3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
2 small onions (or 1 whole leek)
3 small stalks of celery (finely chopped)
2 cans of Aurora chopped tomatoes. (398ml size)
2 anchovy fillets or the equivalent amt of anchovy paste.
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp dried basil
5 tbsp dried oregano
1 pinch rosemary
1 pinch tyme
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
Method:In a large skillet, add the oil, onion (leek) anchovies and garlic. medium ish heat until the onions soften. Do not burn the garlic! (It's easy to do)
Once the onions have sweat down a little, turn up the heat to medium. As the garlic starts to brown add ONLY ONE can of the tomatoes. There should be lots of steam and sizzling. Stir well. Add spices, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cover.
COVER and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes or so until the mixture reduces to about 1/2. The tomatoes will be starting to caramelize at this point and things might start to stick a little to your pot. (That's ok... try not to let things stick, but the little bit of sticking tells you you're doing it right)
Add the sugar and the next can of tomatoes and reduce heat to a low-medium. (Or is that medium low?)
Simmer COVERED for about 15-20 minutes. It should reduce a little.
Use an immersion blender to completely puree the sauce. You can use a regular blender, but watch out for burning, steaming, spatter... (Don't say I didn't warn you).
Depending on how saucy you like your pizza will determine the yield. I get about 5 pizzas about this recipe. Based on approximately 1 Cup per pizza. (227ml)
Finally, let the sauce rest in the fridge for 12-24 hours before using or freezing. Then freeze in individual serving containers.
Friday, January 11, 2013
FOOD: the best creamed spinach ever!
So... I guess my calling in life isn't to help you all turn your pennies into millions through stubborn persistence and brow-beatings. The graph clearly shows that my food blogging generates much higher levels of traffic and as you probably know, I'm too busy chasing a toddler to put in the time re-tweeting, commenting, and social-mediaing my way to a higher alexia rank, and blogger "fortune" and "glory.
Each spike coresponds to my previous two food posts. There was a money post between the spikes, and a money post afterwards. The results are clear...So here is my to-die-for creamed spinach recipie.
Ingredients:
300g package of spinach (frozen or fresh... it doesn't matter)
1 large dollip of butter (about 3-4 tbsp)
1/3 of a 250g package of cream cheese.
In a LARGE skillet, melt the butter on medium heat.
Toss in the spinach. It need not be thawed if yours is frozen. If you're using fresh then don't be alarmed when your huge bunch of spinach reduces into barely enough for 2 people.
Cover the skillet for a few minutes, then stir and flip the resulting wilty leaves.
Add the cream cheese. Slice it up into a few pieces so it melts quicker.
Cover and let it go for a few more minutes.
When the cheese has completely melted and everything is coated nicely, remove the lid and turn up the heat a bit.
Let it reduce (and stir infrequently) until a very small bit of the cheese starts turning golden brown and sticking to the pan.
NB: the transition time from ho-hum to perfect to ruined is disasterously small.
You will know things are just right when it starts smelling a bit like baking bananas and butter and the cheese will start sticking to your pan.
Regrettably I was unable to take a photo of my spinach... I will try to add one in an update to this post sometime in the future.
Each spike coresponds to my previous two food posts. There was a money post between the spikes, and a money post afterwards. The results are clear...So here is my to-die-for creamed spinach recipie.
Ingredients:
300g package of spinach (frozen or fresh... it doesn't matter)
1 large dollip of butter (about 3-4 tbsp)
1/3 of a 250g package of cream cheese.
In a LARGE skillet, melt the butter on medium heat.
Toss in the spinach. It need not be thawed if yours is frozen. If you're using fresh then don't be alarmed when your huge bunch of spinach reduces into barely enough for 2 people.
Cover the skillet for a few minutes, then stir and flip the resulting wilty leaves.
Add the cream cheese. Slice it up into a few pieces so it melts quicker.
Cover and let it go for a few more minutes.
When the cheese has completely melted and everything is coated nicely, remove the lid and turn up the heat a bit.
Let it reduce (and stir infrequently) until a very small bit of the cheese starts turning golden brown and sticking to the pan.
NB: the transition time from ho-hum to perfect to ruined is disasterously small.
You will know things are just right when it starts smelling a bit like baking bananas and butter and the cheese will start sticking to your pan.
Regrettably I was unable to take a photo of my spinach... I will try to add one in an update to this post sometime in the future.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
FOOD: saucy!
Seeing as my first food post received a 1000% spike in blog traffic, I suspect another dose might be in order.
So the recipie of the day? Pasta sauce!
Due to food issues at home, I can not rely on canned soups, sauces, stocks, bouillon cubes or anything that has any of the following: onion powder, garlic powder, onions, garlic, "spices" and more. Thankfully, locally grown, organic garlic is ok. But the supermarket stuff that is dirt cheap that comes from China causes ugly reactions that I do not care to share in a food post. Additionally, I can use leeks in place of onions and that doesn't cause anybody to have a GI disaster.
This sauce can be made with a panoply of ingredients, or just a few. There are a few tricks which are critical which I will try to make perfectly clear.
To start I don't really know what to call it as I typically do not add enough meat to make it a proper Bolognese, but I suppose it would be easy to just add more and bob's your uncle.
Ingredients:
3-4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 strips of bacon cut into lardons. (Optional... reduce oil if using bacon)
1-2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 small onion (or 1/2 of a leek)
2 small stalks of celery (finely chopped)
2 cans of Aurora chopped tomatoes. (398ml size)
2 anchovy fillets or the equivalent amt of anchovy paste. (optional but highly recommended)
150g of super finely graded Parmigiano Reggiano (or more... and LOTS more when plating)
15-25 coarsely chopped salty olives. It need not matter if they are green or black
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 pinch rosemary
1 pinch tyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup of red wine (and a glass for you to drink while you cook)
1/2 cup whipping cream (35% mf)
NB: the cream is optional. But you might want to use half the listed amount of anchovy if you do skip the cream.
Method:
In a large skillet, add the oil, bacon, onion (leek) anchovies and garlic. medium ish heat until the onions soften. Do not burn the garlic! (It's easy to do)
Once the onions have sweat down a little, turn up the heat to medium. As the garlic starts to brown add ONLY ONE can of the tomatoes. There should be lots of steam and sizzling. Stir well. Add spices, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cover.
COVER and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes or so until the mixture reduces to about 1/2. The tomatoes will be starting to caramelize at this point and things might start to stick a little to your pot. (That's ok... try not to let things stick, but the little bit of sticking tells you you're doing it right)
Add the red wine, stirr well for about a minute.
Add the sugar and the next can of tomatoes and reduce heat to a low-medium. (Or is that medium low?)
Simmer for 5 minutes and add the parm reg. Stir well while adding the cheese so nothing clumps.
Add cream and stir well. Keep simmering and stirring for another 5-10 minutes. (cook your pasta during this time)
Once your pasta is nearly done, your sauce should be just a little too thick. (This is perfect). Remove your pasta from your pot and dump it into the sauce with about 1/2 a cup of the pasta water.
Stir well until every noodle is gloriously covered in the sauce. Then cover and simmer for an additional 2-5 minutes depending on the kind of noodle you have. (Thicker noodles take longer).
Finishing the pasta in the sauce makes the noodles absorb some of the sauce. It's awesome!
Plate with salt (to taste), freshly cracked black pepper, chili pepper flakes, and a generous pile or more reg parm.
And finally: EAT.
Notes: The sauce can be put in the fridge for a day or three. I've found that it tastes ALARMINGLY BETTER after being in the fridge for 12-24 hours. So I'm considering making a huge pot and freezing portions. (I haven't tried it yet... nor have I tried scaling up the recipe... Will post later)
So the recipie of the day? Pasta sauce!
Due to food issues at home, I can not rely on canned soups, sauces, stocks, bouillon cubes or anything that has any of the following: onion powder, garlic powder, onions, garlic, "spices" and more. Thankfully, locally grown, organic garlic is ok. But the supermarket stuff that is dirt cheap that comes from China causes ugly reactions that I do not care to share in a food post. Additionally, I can use leeks in place of onions and that doesn't cause anybody to have a GI disaster.
This sauce can be made with a panoply of ingredients, or just a few. There are a few tricks which are critical which I will try to make perfectly clear.
To start I don't really know what to call it as I typically do not add enough meat to make it a proper Bolognese, but I suppose it would be easy to just add more and bob's your uncle.
Ingredients:
3-4 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 strips of bacon cut into lardons. (Optional... reduce oil if using bacon)
1-2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
1 small onion (or 1/2 of a leek)
2 small stalks of celery (finely chopped)
2 cans of Aurora chopped tomatoes. (398ml size)
2 anchovy fillets or the equivalent amt of anchovy paste. (optional but highly recommended)
150g of super finely graded Parmigiano Reggiano (or more... and LOTS more when plating)
15-25 coarsely chopped salty olives. It need not matter if they are green or black
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 pinch rosemary
1 pinch tyme
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1/2 cup of red wine (and a glass for you to drink while you cook)
1/2 cup whipping cream (35% mf)
NB: the cream is optional. But you might want to use half the listed amount of anchovy if you do skip the cream.
Method:In a large skillet, add the oil, bacon, onion (leek) anchovies and garlic. medium ish heat until the onions soften. Do not burn the garlic! (It's easy to do)
Once the onions have sweat down a little, turn up the heat to medium. As the garlic starts to brown add ONLY ONE can of the tomatoes. There should be lots of steam and sizzling. Stir well. Add spices, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cover.
COVER and simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring every 2-3 minutes or so until the mixture reduces to about 1/2. The tomatoes will be starting to caramelize at this point and things might start to stick a little to your pot. (That's ok... try not to let things stick, but the little bit of sticking tells you you're doing it right)
Add the red wine, stirr well for about a minute.
Add the sugar and the next can of tomatoes and reduce heat to a low-medium. (Or is that medium low?)
Simmer for 5 minutes and add the parm reg. Stir well while adding the cheese so nothing clumps.
Add cream and stir well. Keep simmering and stirring for another 5-10 minutes. (cook your pasta during this time)
Once your pasta is nearly done, your sauce should be just a little too thick. (This is perfect). Remove your pasta from your pot and dump it into the sauce with about 1/2 a cup of the pasta water.
Stir well until every noodle is gloriously covered in the sauce. Then cover and simmer for an additional 2-5 minutes depending on the kind of noodle you have. (Thicker noodles take longer).
Finishing the pasta in the sauce makes the noodles absorb some of the sauce. It's awesome!
Plate with salt (to taste), freshly cracked black pepper, chili pepper flakes, and a generous pile or more reg parm.
And finally: EAT.
Notes: The sauce can be put in the fridge for a day or three. I've found that it tastes ALARMINGLY BETTER after being in the fridge for 12-24 hours. So I'm considering making a huge pot and freezing portions. (I haven't tried it yet... nor have I tried scaling up the recipe... Will post later)
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