Another very good Risotto dish! I combined all the mushrooms together and just used 16 oz of what I usually use, splitting up half for the first part and half for use later.
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup white wine
1 TB oil
1 oz butter
2 leeks, thinly sliced
8 oz field mushrooms, sliced
2 cups arborio rice
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
2 TB chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring the stock and wine to a boil, reduce heat and keep at a simmer.
Heat the oil and butter in a large pan, then add the leeks and cook for 5 minutes or until the leeks are golden. Add the field mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add the rice to the mushroom mixture and stir until the grains become translucent. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid to the rice and stir over medium heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Continue to add the hot liquid, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed between each addition. Reserve the final 1/2 cup of liquid.
Stir in the button mushrooms and reserved liquid. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Stir in parsley and Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook, Bay Books, 2010
Showing posts with label Risotto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Risotto. Show all posts
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Shiitake-apple Risotto
I wanted to try a new risotto dish. This was good, and it was my first time cooking apple on the stove.
4 cups vegetable stock (I try to get low sodium)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup Arborio or other risotto rice
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons thyme
Bring stock to a simmer. In a saucepan, cook the onion in the oil over medium-low heat until softened and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the apple and stir a few times. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the grains begin to turn opaque. Raise the heat to medium-high and ladle in 1 cup of the stock. The liquid should quickly boil and then simmer until you are finished. Continue to stir without stopping, getting all sides and the bottom of the pan, so the rice does not stick or burn. Keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed and evaporated. Ladle in 1/2 cup more hot liquid and repeat the process until the pan is again void of much stock.
After 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add slightly less liquid now at each addition until you get your desired results in about 20-25 minutes.
When the risotto is done, remove it from the heat, stir in the cheese and thyme.
The Bold Vegetarian Chef, Ken Charney, 2002
4 cups vegetable stock (I try to get low sodium)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup Arborio or other risotto rice
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons thyme
Bring stock to a simmer. In a saucepan, cook the onion in the oil over medium-low heat until softened and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the apple and stir a few times. Add the rice and cook, stirring constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the grains begin to turn opaque. Raise the heat to medium-high and ladle in 1 cup of the stock. The liquid should quickly boil and then simmer until you are finished. Continue to stir without stopping, getting all sides and the bottom of the pan, so the rice does not stick or burn. Keep stirring until the liquid is absorbed and evaporated. Ladle in 1/2 cup more hot liquid and repeat the process until the pan is again void of much stock.
After 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Add slightly less liquid now at each addition until you get your desired results in about 20-25 minutes.
When the risotto is done, remove it from the heat, stir in the cheese and thyme.
The Bold Vegetarian Chef, Ken Charney, 2002
Monday, December 5, 2011
Lemon & Herb Risotto
Another really good and easy-to-make Risotto recipe! This serves 4 people.
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 cup onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups dry white wine (I sometimes replace the wine with water)
1 lemon
1 1/3 cups arborio risotto rice
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp chives
salt and pepper
Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook over a moderate heat until they become transparent and softened. Place the stock and wine in a saucepan, heat to a very gentle simmer, cover and keep hot.
Finely grate the zest from the lemon and add to the rice. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and reserve.
Add the zest and rice to the pan, stirring well to coat in the onion and garlic mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Now add 3-4 ladles of the hot stick to the rice mixture, stirring well to mix. Cook, stirring gently, until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Add another 3-4 ladles of the hot stock. Continue cooking in this way until the mixture is thick and creamy and the rice is tender but not soft (risotto should have a little "bite" to it). You may not need all the hot stock, just keeping adding it until the risotto is your liking.
Remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter and the Parmesan, stirring quickly to mix. Sprinkle over the herbs and fold them through with a large metal spoon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
100 Great Recipes: Vegetarian, Vicki Smallwood, 2009
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 cup onions, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 3/4 cups dry white wine (I sometimes replace the wine with water)
1 lemon
1 1/3 cups arborio risotto rice
1/4 Parmesan cheese, grated
3 tbsp parsley
2 tbsp chives
salt and pepper
Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook over a moderate heat until they become transparent and softened. Place the stock and wine in a saucepan, heat to a very gentle simmer, cover and keep hot.
Finely grate the zest from the lemon and add to the rice. Squeeze the juice from the lemon and reserve.
Add the zest and rice to the pan, stirring well to coat in the onion and garlic mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
Now add 3-4 ladles of the hot stick to the rice mixture, stirring well to mix. Cook, stirring gently, until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Add another 3-4 ladles of the hot stock. Continue cooking in this way until the mixture is thick and creamy and the rice is tender but not soft (risotto should have a little "bite" to it). You may not need all the hot stock, just keeping adding it until the risotto is your liking.
Remove from the heat. Add the remaining butter and the Parmesan, stirring quickly to mix. Sprinkle over the herbs and fold them through with a large metal spoon. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
100 Great Recipes: Vegetarian, Vicki Smallwood, 2009
Butternut-squash Risotto
This is really easy and tastes good. I cheat and buy the already cut-up butternut squash a day or so before I'm making it. This is a good autumn side-dish, and serves 4 people.
1 lb butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter (I use margarine)
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
4 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 1/3 cup arborio risottorice
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Peel and deseed the butternut squash and cut into small chunks. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over a moderate heat until they become transparent and softened. Place the stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer. Cover.
Stir the butternut squash into the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes. Now add the rice, stir well to coat in the mixture. Now add 3-4 ladles of the hot stock to the rice mixture, stirring well to mix. Cook, stirring gently, until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Add another 3-4 ladles of the hot stock.
Continue cooking in this way until the mixture is thick and creamy and the rice is tender but not soft (risotto should have a little "bite" to it). You may not need all the hot stock, just keep adding it until the risotto is to your liking.
Remove from the heat, add the remaining butter and the Parmesan, stirring quickly to mix. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
100 Great Recipes: Vegetarian, Vicki Smallwood, 2009
1 lb butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup butter (I use margarine)
4 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
4 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 1/3 cup arborio risottorice
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
Peel and deseed the butternut squash and cut into small chunks. Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook over a moderate heat until they become transparent and softened. Place the stock in a saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer. Cover.
Stir the butternut squash into the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes. Now add the rice, stir well to coat in the mixture. Now add 3-4 ladles of the hot stock to the rice mixture, stirring well to mix. Cook, stirring gently, until the liquid has almost been absorbed. Add another 3-4 ladles of the hot stock.
Continue cooking in this way until the mixture is thick and creamy and the rice is tender but not soft (risotto should have a little "bite" to it). You may not need all the hot stock, just keep adding it until the risotto is to your liking.
Remove from the heat, add the remaining butter and the Parmesan, stirring quickly to mix. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
100 Great Recipes: Vegetarian, Vicki Smallwood, 2009
Monday, January 17, 2011
Microwave Mushroom Risotto
The note to the recipe says that it is very easy to make, and doesn't require the constant stirring that risotto usually requires. Very true, this was very good and easy to make. The note also says you can substitute other sauteed vegetables for the mushrooms or omit veggies altogether. I made this as is.
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
Pinch salt
A splash of white wine or Marsala
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1/2 small onion, minced
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups liquid (veggie broth, water, some wine, etc.) [I used water]
1/4 cups or more grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley or other chopped herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil (you can use butter instead). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and saute until the mushrooms give up most of their juices. Add the splash of wine or Marsala and cook until most of the liquid is cooked away. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Set the mixture aside.
Melt the remaining oil and butter for 1 minute in the microwave in a large microwavable bowl. [Cover bowl so it doesn't splatter]. Stir in onion and heat on high for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in rice and microwave for another minute on high. Add all liquid and heat for 9 minutes on high. Stir. Heat for approximately 9 more minutes and stir again. Most of the liquid will be absorbed at this point, but the risotto will still be a but soupy. If it is dry, add a little more liquid. Stir in the mushrooms, the cheese and parsley or other herbs. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.
Congregation Beth El Sisterhood cookbook (2003), Bethesda, MD
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
Pinch salt
A splash of white wine or Marsala
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1/2 small onion, minced
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups liquid (veggie broth, water, some wine, etc.) [I used water]
1/4 cups or more grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley or other chopped herbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Saute the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil (you can use butter instead). Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and saute until the mushrooms give up most of their juices. Add the splash of wine or Marsala and cook until most of the liquid is cooked away. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two. Set the mixture aside.
Melt the remaining oil and butter for 1 minute in the microwave in a large microwavable bowl. [Cover bowl so it doesn't splatter]. Stir in onion and heat on high for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in rice and microwave for another minute on high. Add all liquid and heat for 9 minutes on high. Stir. Heat for approximately 9 more minutes and stir again. Most of the liquid will be absorbed at this point, but the risotto will still be a but soupy. If it is dry, add a little more liquid. Stir in the mushrooms, the cheese and parsley or other herbs. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes before serving.
Congregation Beth El Sisterhood cookbook (2003), Bethesda, MD
Monday, January 25, 2010
Totally Fantabulous . . . . and really not as hard as it looks.
oy. we bought only what was on the shopping list!, and still spent about $100 bucks at the grocery store. Food is expensive! and I'm a sucker for fresh veggies and decent cuts of meat, and fancy schmancy cheeses. . . it adds up fast. Time for some cheapo meals that only look expensive.
Also, it's winter, which means I'm craving me some barley.
Also, I've been meaning to start cooking with squashes, because they are good for you, and not counting zucchini, I have zero experience with squash.
Ok, so this meal was cheap, pretty, and even the husband liked it!! it doesn't get much better than that!
Barley Risotto in Acorn Squash, adapted from Smitten Kitchen **.
Serves 4
2 Acorn Squash
4 slices bacon/Turkey bacon (optional)
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cups chicken stock/veggie stock/water/mix of those
1 cup pearled barley
2 big pinches of thyme
1/2 cup white wine or sake
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
2 tbsp butter at room temp
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (yes, you can cheat and use the stuff in the green canister. I did!)
couple tablespoons any kind of cheese you want, shredded.
this is much easier than in sounds.
Poke the squash all over with a fork. Cut the squash in half, top to bottom, and scrap out the membranes, seeds, and any other icky stuff thats in there. Set the halves flesh side down on a microwavable dish. put about a 1/4 cup water in the dish, and one half at a time, microwave for about 8 minutes, or until tender.
While the squash is doing its thing in the microwave, preheat the oven to 350, and start the bacon in a large heavy bottomed pot. Also, get the chicken broth simmering in another pot on the stove. when the bacon is done, remove and chop.
Here's where things get fun. THe barley is going to be much more forgiving than arborio rice, but you still have to pay a lot of attention to it. Don't expect to leave the kitchen for the next 30 minutes. Add the chopped onion to the pot you cooked the bacon in, adding more oil if needed. Stir in some thyme, and let the onion cook about 5 minutes over medium heat. When the onion is cooked, stir in the barley, and keep stiring! you want it to toast a little, but not burn. after a minute or two, add the wine. watch it sizzle! keep stiring! When the wine is nearly absorbed, add a ladlefull of chicken broth. and yes, keeping stiring. This is the general gist of risotto: keep stirring. When the liquid is nearly absorbed, add a little more. So you're gonna do that for the next 30 minutes or so.
Somewhere in there, your squash halves will have cooled a bit, and you can scrape a lot of the flesh out, to leave a 1/2" shell.
When it looks like you have one ladle's worth of broth left yet to add, mix the beans, bacon, Squash flesh and chard into the barley. Break the squash up with a spoon, and push the chard down under the barley so it wilts. Along with the last of the broth, add the butter, and the parmesan cheese. Stir it all up, let some of that broth bubble away, season with black pepper (I found mine didn't need any salt, but yours might), and you're nearly done.
Spoon the risotto into the squash halves, top with shredded cheese, and bake for about 30 minutes at 350.
Wow, now that I read all that, it sure looks hard and involved! but it really wasn't. Sure, you stand there and stir, and stir, and stir, and then you dump some other stuff in and stir and stir and stir, but that's really all you half to do. I was watching my husband play Assassin's Creed II while I was stiring. and then I read comics while it was in the oven. Couldn't have been easier!
And barley is so much more forgiving than Arborio! don't get me wrong, I adore Arborio, but barley is so easy, so chilled, so mellow. If you weren't so keen on the whole risotto thing, I don't see why you couldn't bake the barley in the oven with all the other stuff, like a casserole, then spoon it into the squash half and toss it back in the oven for a bit. the possibilities are endless!
** Phew! I checked! the lady from Smitten Kitchen isn't going to kill me for reposting my version of one of her recipes! I'm suddenly really worried about that kind of thing. . . .
Also, it's winter, which means I'm craving me some barley.
Also, I've been meaning to start cooking with squashes, because they are good for you, and not counting zucchini, I have zero experience with squash.
Ok, so this meal was cheap, pretty, and even the husband liked it!! it doesn't get much better than that!
Barley Risotto in Acorn Squash, adapted from Smitten Kitchen **.
Serves 4
2 Acorn Squash
4 slices bacon/Turkey bacon (optional)
olive oil
1 onion, chopped
5 cups chicken stock/veggie stock/water/mix of those
1 cup pearled barley
2 big pinches of thyme
1/2 cup white wine or sake
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 bunch swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
2 tbsp butter at room temp
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (yes, you can cheat and use the stuff in the green canister. I did!)
couple tablespoons any kind of cheese you want, shredded.
this is much easier than in sounds.
Poke the squash all over with a fork. Cut the squash in half, top to bottom, and scrap out the membranes, seeds, and any other icky stuff thats in there. Set the halves flesh side down on a microwavable dish. put about a 1/4 cup water in the dish, and one half at a time, microwave for about 8 minutes, or until tender.
While the squash is doing its thing in the microwave, preheat the oven to 350, and start the bacon in a large heavy bottomed pot. Also, get the chicken broth simmering in another pot on the stove. when the bacon is done, remove and chop.
Here's where things get fun. THe barley is going to be much more forgiving than arborio rice, but you still have to pay a lot of attention to it. Don't expect to leave the kitchen for the next 30 minutes. Add the chopped onion to the pot you cooked the bacon in, adding more oil if needed. Stir in some thyme, and let the onion cook about 5 minutes over medium heat. When the onion is cooked, stir in the barley, and keep stiring! you want it to toast a little, but not burn. after a minute or two, add the wine. watch it sizzle! keep stiring! When the wine is nearly absorbed, add a ladlefull of chicken broth. and yes, keeping stiring. This is the general gist of risotto: keep stirring. When the liquid is nearly absorbed, add a little more. So you're gonna do that for the next 30 minutes or so.
Somewhere in there, your squash halves will have cooled a bit, and you can scrape a lot of the flesh out, to leave a 1/2" shell.
When it looks like you have one ladle's worth of broth left yet to add, mix the beans, bacon, Squash flesh and chard into the barley. Break the squash up with a spoon, and push the chard down under the barley so it wilts. Along with the last of the broth, add the butter, and the parmesan cheese. Stir it all up, let some of that broth bubble away, season with black pepper (I found mine didn't need any salt, but yours might), and you're nearly done.
Spoon the risotto into the squash halves, top with shredded cheese, and bake for about 30 minutes at 350.
Wow, now that I read all that, it sure looks hard and involved! but it really wasn't. Sure, you stand there and stir, and stir, and stir, and then you dump some other stuff in and stir and stir and stir, but that's really all you half to do. I was watching my husband play Assassin's Creed II while I was stiring. and then I read comics while it was in the oven. Couldn't have been easier!
And barley is so much more forgiving than Arborio! don't get me wrong, I adore Arborio, but barley is so easy, so chilled, so mellow. If you weren't so keen on the whole risotto thing, I don't see why you couldn't bake the barley in the oven with all the other stuff, like a casserole, then spoon it into the squash half and toss it back in the oven for a bit. the possibilities are endless!
** Phew! I checked! the lady from Smitten Kitchen isn't going to kill me for reposting my version of one of her recipes! I'm suddenly really worried about that kind of thing. . . .
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Beef stew that even I'll eat. between comic books, that is!
i better write it all down, so i don't forget something. . .
beef stew
adventures in risotto
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Sandman
Deathnote
A Voyage Long and Strange (non fiction! Can you believe it?)
and i have to introduce a new member of our adventuring kitchen family:
Our lovely Calphalon non stick dutch oven! Recipes that call for a large heavy skillet or dutch oven will no longer daunt me!
Ok, so the beef stew deal. was unlike any beef stew my Mom ever made me when i was a kid. the cookbook, my everpresent Meditteranean cookbooks calls this Corsican Beef Stew. i did alter it some, for ease and convenence.
Corsican Beef Stew
1 lb stewing beef, cubed
4 or 5 sliced bacon (I used turkey bacon)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup dry white wine - we used a Riesling, was excellent.
1 can diced tomatoes, drained over a colander
6-8oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
pinch cinnamon
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound penne, or other pasta of similar size
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
in dutch oven, cook bacon. I used turkey bacon, so i had to add some olive oil. when bacon is cooked but not crispy, remove and chop. season beef with salt & pepper, and add to pan with 2-3 tbsp oil. brown meat on all sides, don't worry about cooking it all the way through. if you need to do the beef in two batches, that's fine. remove the beef to a plate and set aside. add onions to pan, cook till slightly browned. mix in chopped bacon, garlic, wine, tomatoes, mushrooms, cinnamon, rosemary, and bay leaf. cook for about five minutes to soften the mushrooms, then stir the beef back in. cook gently for 20 more minutes, stirring often to keep it from sticking. Now, add enough water to nearly cover, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to simmer, and simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender.
when it's nearly done, cook your pasta, being careful not to over cook it. To serve, put pasta down on plate. put parmesan cheese on top of your pasta. put beef stew on top of that. is super good.
Adventures in Risotto! thank you cute teeny weeny little Rice and Risotto by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen! now i just need to find a good bulk source of arborio rice.
again, i adapted this recipe to include veggies i had on hand.
Risotto Primavera
2 tbsp olive oil, you might need more.
1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
small can mushrooms
approx 1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
6 and 1/4 cups simmer chicken stock (i used 4 cups stock, the rest water)
3 scallions, sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
2 tbsp chopped basil
first things first, set up your stove. because once this gets started, you can't stop for anything. on the stove, have your lovely dutch oven, and a sauce pan that can hold all your broth (i learned the hard way my sauce pans hold exactly 6 cups). have handy ALL ingredients you need, a large spoon, a ladle, and another large bowl.
start the broth heating up on the stove. i had the head up to medium, then i turned it down a little. you want it simmering gently, not boiling. saute zucchini, carrots, and peas in dutch oven with some oil. when they are nearly done, add the mushrooms. season with a little salt & pepper. when they are done, remove to a bowl. make sure nothing is left in your dutch oven. put a little more oil in the pan, and add the onion. stir and cook till it's turned a little clear. now stir in the garlic. add the rice, and stir constantly until it is coated with rice and oil, about a minute or two. now, add your first ladle full of broth. it will bubble all over the place in the bottom of the dutch oven. stir that rice and broth baby! this is the point where you can't walk away until the dish is done. when the broth has been absorbed by the rice, add another ladleful. after this, it's pretty easy. stir till absorbed, add more broth, stir, repeat. takes about 30 minutes. when you're about to add the last of the broth, put all the sauted veggies in, the raw scallions, the butter, the parmesan cheese, some salt & pepper, and the basil into the rice. now pour the rest of the broth on top of that, and stir and stir and stir. you've also got to get that butter and cheese melted and mixed through.
i'd make it again. requires some concentration, but easier than it sounds.
Finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, by Greg Maquire. Was surprisingly good. i shouldn't say "surprisingly", but i was happily surprised and satisfied at how nice this book was. good tempo, great characters in intense states of denial, no slow bits. the book is about a lower class Mother who wisks her daughters Iris and Ruth away from England to a loving yet estranged family in Holland. they arrive, no family to be found. Mom manages to marry a very recently and suspiciously widowed local merchant, and moves her family in with his sullen and beautiful daughter Clara.
this book never tries to be something that it isn't, and i can't tell you how much i appreciate it. it isn't Iris's fault she's not beautiful. She does her best to befriend Clara. when Clara and Margarethe fued, Iris is stuck in the middle, and ready to break away from her mother. And Ruth, no one even pays any attention to her, why should they? she's metally retarded, and couldn't possibly have anything to say about anything.
my friends are always askind me for book recomendations, but i read so much SF, that i don't know what to recommend to friends who aren't into SF. now i've got something that no one won't like.
I'm also reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. started this a few years ago, couldn't get into it. but now that i'm all into comic books, i'm totally into this. i'm highly entertained that Dream looks just like Gaiman's picture in the back of the book. and Dream's sister is fricken hilarious!! between the two libraries that i frequent, they've got all the issues between them.
Deathnote - ummm, it's about a bored teenaged boy who kills people? morbid, but rather comic. absolutely addictive.
also reading Tony Horwitz's A Journey Long and Strange. my first Non fiction in a while. it's about what happened between (and before!) Columbus screaming "Land Ho!", and the british colonists showing up for the first thanksgiving. fascinating because it's funny. i'd read more history if it was written this way. Horwitz doesn't pull any punches about idiotic explorers and their patrons. the etymology is fun as well.
beef stew
adventures in risotto
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Sandman
Deathnote
A Voyage Long and Strange (non fiction! Can you believe it?)
and i have to introduce a new member of our adventuring kitchen family:
Our lovely Calphalon non stick dutch oven! Recipes that call for a large heavy skillet or dutch oven will no longer daunt me!
Ok, so the beef stew deal. was unlike any beef stew my Mom ever made me when i was a kid. the cookbook, my everpresent Meditteranean cookbooks calls this Corsican Beef Stew. i did alter it some, for ease and convenence.
Corsican Beef Stew
1 lb stewing beef, cubed
4 or 5 sliced bacon (I used turkey bacon)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup dry white wine - we used a Riesling, was excellent.
1 can diced tomatoes, drained over a colander
6-8oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped
pinch cinnamon
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 pound penne, or other pasta of similar size
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
in dutch oven, cook bacon. I used turkey bacon, so i had to add some olive oil. when bacon is cooked but not crispy, remove and chop. season beef with salt & pepper, and add to pan with 2-3 tbsp oil. brown meat on all sides, don't worry about cooking it all the way through. if you need to do the beef in two batches, that's fine. remove the beef to a plate and set aside. add onions to pan, cook till slightly browned. mix in chopped bacon, garlic, wine, tomatoes, mushrooms, cinnamon, rosemary, and bay leaf. cook for about five minutes to soften the mushrooms, then stir the beef back in. cook gently for 20 more minutes, stirring often to keep it from sticking. Now, add enough water to nearly cover, and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat down to simmer, and simmer for 2-3 hours or until beef is tender.
when it's nearly done, cook your pasta, being careful not to over cook it. To serve, put pasta down on plate. put parmesan cheese on top of your pasta. put beef stew on top of that. is super good.
Adventures in Risotto! thank you cute teeny weeny little Rice and Risotto by Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen! now i just need to find a good bulk source of arborio rice.
again, i adapted this recipe to include veggies i had on hand.
Risotto Primavera
2 tbsp olive oil, you might need more.
1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup frozen peas
small can mushrooms
approx 1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
6 and 1/4 cups simmer chicken stock (i used 4 cups stock, the rest water)
3 scallions, sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper
2 tbsp chopped basil
first things first, set up your stove. because once this gets started, you can't stop for anything. on the stove, have your lovely dutch oven, and a sauce pan that can hold all your broth (i learned the hard way my sauce pans hold exactly 6 cups). have handy ALL ingredients you need, a large spoon, a ladle, and another large bowl.
start the broth heating up on the stove. i had the head up to medium, then i turned it down a little. you want it simmering gently, not boiling. saute zucchini, carrots, and peas in dutch oven with some oil. when they are nearly done, add the mushrooms. season with a little salt & pepper. when they are done, remove to a bowl. make sure nothing is left in your dutch oven. put a little more oil in the pan, and add the onion. stir and cook till it's turned a little clear. now stir in the garlic. add the rice, and stir constantly until it is coated with rice and oil, about a minute or two. now, add your first ladle full of broth. it will bubble all over the place in the bottom of the dutch oven. stir that rice and broth baby! this is the point where you can't walk away until the dish is done. when the broth has been absorbed by the rice, add another ladleful. after this, it's pretty easy. stir till absorbed, add more broth, stir, repeat. takes about 30 minutes. when you're about to add the last of the broth, put all the sauted veggies in, the raw scallions, the butter, the parmesan cheese, some salt & pepper, and the basil into the rice. now pour the rest of the broth on top of that, and stir and stir and stir. you've also got to get that butter and cheese melted and mixed through.
i'd make it again. requires some concentration, but easier than it sounds.
Finished Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, by Greg Maquire. Was surprisingly good. i shouldn't say "surprisingly", but i was happily surprised and satisfied at how nice this book was. good tempo, great characters in intense states of denial, no slow bits. the book is about a lower class Mother who wisks her daughters Iris and Ruth away from England to a loving yet estranged family in Holland. they arrive, no family to be found. Mom manages to marry a very recently and suspiciously widowed local merchant, and moves her family in with his sullen and beautiful daughter Clara.
this book never tries to be something that it isn't, and i can't tell you how much i appreciate it. it isn't Iris's fault she's not beautiful. She does her best to befriend Clara. when Clara and Margarethe fued, Iris is stuck in the middle, and ready to break away from her mother. And Ruth, no one even pays any attention to her, why should they? she's metally retarded, and couldn't possibly have anything to say about anything.
my friends are always askind me for book recomendations, but i read so much SF, that i don't know what to recommend to friends who aren't into SF. now i've got something that no one won't like.
I'm also reading Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. started this a few years ago, couldn't get into it. but now that i'm all into comic books, i'm totally into this. i'm highly entertained that Dream looks just like Gaiman's picture in the back of the book. and Dream's sister is fricken hilarious!! between the two libraries that i frequent, they've got all the issues between them.
Deathnote - ummm, it's about a bored teenaged boy who kills people? morbid, but rather comic. absolutely addictive.
also reading Tony Horwitz's A Journey Long and Strange. my first Non fiction in a while. it's about what happened between (and before!) Columbus screaming "Land Ho!", and the british colonists showing up for the first thanksgiving. fascinating because it's funny. i'd read more history if it was written this way. Horwitz doesn't pull any punches about idiotic explorers and their patrons. the etymology is fun as well.
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