Risotto sums up all that I love about starch. Hot, creamy, slightly chewy yet soft rice cooked long enough to soak up the flavors of everything else you put with it. My favorite is a wild mushroom risotto, which I will post on this site someday, but I had a bunch of fresh herbs from the market and thought I'd try this with the remainder of my arborio rice. I found it while perusing the NY Times "Recipes for Health..." Risotto=healthy? Ok! You won't hear me argue that one!
Ingredients
7 cups chicken stock
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used parsley, chives, dill and tarragon, but feel free to throw in whatever you prefer or happen to have on hand)
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Zest and juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Ingredients
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a simmer.
2. Chop the herbs and garlic. Add 1/4 of the garlic to the herbs, and set aside in a small bowl.
3. In a Dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.
4. Dice the onion and add to the oil, along with some salt. Cook until tender, about three minutes.
*Note: do not brown the onion, as it will affect the flavor of the finished product.
5. Stir in the rice and three cloves of minced garlic. Stir until the rice is coated with oil and begins to crackle.
*Note: it may not look like a lot of rice at first, but trust me - it's really going to fluff up.
6. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until absorbed.
7. Add 1 1/2 ladles of hot chicken stock so that it just covers the rice. The stock should be bubbling, not too slowly or too quickly.
8. Once the stock is absorbed, add another 1 1/2 ladles of stock. Repeat this process until all of the stock is gone and the rice is creamy. This usually takes about 25 minutes.
9. Zest and juice a lemon, and freshly grate some Parmesan cheese.
10. Add the herb/garlic mixture you set aside previously, as well as a little salt, black pepper, and the lemon zest and juice. Remove from heat and stir rapidly until well-combined.
11. Serve hot, perhaps following a light salad to tie you over while the risotto cooks away.
The local farmer's market has a vendor that sells amazing pretzel bread. For a long time, I've bought one a week, though it usually doesn't last two days! It's salty yet sweet, soft with a great bread-y texture. It's really the most perfect pretzel bread I've ever had.
I've hunted the internet to find the recipe, but to my misfortune, it's not there. Guess some good things need to stay a secret, right? But I did find this recipe for pretzel bread at smitten kitchen, and it was not only easy to make but very, very tasty.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups bread flour
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup + 2 tbsp. hot water
Cornmeal (*optional)
8 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbsp. sugar
1 egg, beaten
Coarse sea salt
Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, yeast, 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. sugar.
2. With the mixer on, gradually add the water until it forms a smooth, elastic dough.
3. Knead bread with your hands for a couple minutes on a floured surface.
4. Wipe out the mixing bowl, lightly grease it with olive oil and return the kneaded dough to the bowl, turning so the entire dough is coated in oil.
5. Cover with plastic wrap, then a kitchen towel and let rise for one hour (or until doubled in size).
*Note: be sure to keep the bowl in a warm, draft-free place to ensure that the dough rises properly.
6. Meanwhile, prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper and sprinkling it generously with cornmeal. Set aside.
7. Once the dough is risen, punch it down and knead it by hand for five minutes on a lightly floured surface. You will notice the dough getting more smooth as you knead.
8. Cut the dough in half, then half again. Then, cut each quarter in half. This will give you 8 generously sized pretzel rolls.
9. Form the eight pieces into rolls by molding them with your hands. Place the rolls on the baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel. Set aside and let rise 20 minutes, or until nearly doubled in size.
10. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Also, bring the 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
11. When the dough has risen a second time, use a serrated knife to cut an "x" onto the top of each roll. Don't hesitate to really cut here - do it like you mean it!
12. Once the water is boiling, add the baking soda and 2 tbsp. of sugar. Don't be alarmed when the water boils up like a science experiment - it's supposed to do that! The water mixture is going to seal the rolls and keep them moist and delicious on the inside while providing that crusty pretzel outside we expect from these little gems.
13.With the water boiling, place four of the rolls in the water and cook for 30 seconds on each side (1 minute total). Remove with a slotted spoon and return to the lined baking sheet, "x" side up.
14. Repeat step 13 with the remaining four rolls.
15. Once the rolls have been boiled, you'll notice they begin to form a hard outer seal. Brush them with the beaten egg (combined with a little water) to ensure that they bake up nice and golden-pretzel brown. Quickly sprinkle (generously) with coarse sea salt.
16. Bake rolls for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
17. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack. Serve them hot or at room temperature - they will keep for a day uncovered at room temperature.
*Note: if you cover them or refrigerate them, the salt on top is going to suck out the moisture from the rolls and you'll be very displeased. If in leaving them out they get a little hard, just heat them quickly in the microwave or under a broiler and serve.
Aside from not being allowed to have a grill on my little balcony, I'd be clueless (and scared) if I was able to have a grill but had to light it, use it, etc. It's definitely not my forte. So when I found this recipe for filet mignon from Barefoot Contessa and it didn't involve the grill, I was pretty excited. I was even more excited when I took the first bite and it was de-lic-ious. Tender and juicy on the inside, salty and crusted on the outside... just a few adaptations to the original recipe I found.
Ingredients
*Note: can be adapted based upon how many filets you are making.
3 filet mignon
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 tbsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. peppercorns (I have a peppercorn blend, which provides a nice mix of flavor, but you can use black peppercorns if that's what you have lying around)
1 tbsp. coriander seeds
1/2 tsp. dried mustard
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the sauce:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 oz. Roquefort cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. fresh chives, minced
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large Dutch oven or cast iron skillet, generously cover the bottom with olive oil. Heat over high heat until smoking, about five minutes.
*Note: you want the oil really hot so it sears the meat right away. It helps form the peppery crust that tastes oh-so-good.
3. Meanwhile, coarsely ground the salt, peppercorns and coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle.
*Note: you can also process them in a spice grinder, but I like to do it manually to ensure that nothing is too finely ground.
4. Add the mustard and crushed red, and stir to combine. Place on a flat plate so you can easily coat the steaks.
5. Pat the steaks dry with a paper towel and thoroughly rub 1 tbsp. vegetable oil on each.
6. Roll the filets in the peppercorn mixture on all sides, including the top and bottom, pressing lightly to evenly coat all sides.
7. When the oil is hot, add the steaks and sear them evenly on all sides for two minutes each (totaling about 10 minutes).
*Note: use some tongs for this, as the oil is going to pop as soon as it touches the meat.
8. When the searing is complete, you'll notice the steak has a dark crust. This is a good thing! Remove the steaks to a clean surface and remove the excess oil from the Dutch oven.
9. Add just a touch of olive oil and return the steaks to the Dutch oven. Top each with 1 tbsp. of butter.
10. Bake uncovered in the oven for 8 minutes (for medium...less or more depending on your preference).
11. Remove to a plate, cover and let set for 10 minutes to allow the juices to redistribute.
For the sauce:
1. In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Cook on a low boil for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the salt, pepper, chives and cheese. Whisk rapidly until the cheese is completely melted.
3. Serve hot on top of the filets.
