Edamame Risotto

This time of year, as asparagus comes into season I love to make asparagus risotto.  But I'd already made it twice in the past month, so I was looking for something else to put in my risotto.  Then the light bulb went off, I had some edamame in the freezer!  It was actually the first time I had bought edamame frozen but decided to give it a go. 

The edamame I bought was still in the pod, but you can buy it already out of the pod too.  I cooked the edamame according to the package instructions which is pretty much standard for most frozen veg. 

Once it's cooked, let cool for a few minutes until you can handle it and then pop those beans right out of the pods.  I thought this was going to be a long and tedious process but it was very quick.  They slip out pretty easily.

They look like lima beans don't they?  Well as a bona fide lima bean hater, I can tell you they do not taste like them!  Once they're all shucked, set aside and start making the risotto.

I have a pretty standard recipe that I use for all my risotto's, and this time was no different.  Start by heating up five cups of chicken broth in a pan.  Don't boil it, just heat it.  And in another pot, put in three tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter.  To that added 2 chopped shallots (or you can use a medium onion or a leek, whichever you like and have on hand) and a little salt and pepper. 

Once the shallots are soft and translucent, add one and one half cups of Arborio rice.  Stir to coat the rice and cook for about a minute or so.  Add half a cup of white wine and stir until the wine has been absorbed. 

Now it's time to get down to business.  Add stock to the rice a ladlefull at a time.  Stirring until all the stock is absorbed.  Use your judgment on adding more salt as you go.  It really depends on whether you're using bought stock or homemade.

After about half the stock has been absorbed, add the edamame to the pot and continue with the stir stir stir of it all.

I know all the stirring and stirring is kind of a pain in the ass.  But it's so worth it.  I've tried the Ina Garten baked risotto, which is much less hands on, but honestly, I didn't really like it as much as I like it the traditional way.  But that's just me.  I always say I prefer to do things the hard way.  And trust me, if you will be rewarded!

Once all the stock has been absorbed and your risotto is looking yummalicious, stir in half a cup of Parmesan cheese.  Right before your eyes the risotto becomes even more creamy and delicious looking.  All that's left is to enjoy!

Buon Cibo mia Amici

Broccoli Rabe Calzone

I've been grooving on the calzone's lately.  They are so easy and so yummy.   Generally speaking I would make my own dough from my Grandma's tried and true, never fail recipe.  But since Marc's started carrying Corbo's pizza dough, and I can get a ball of dough for a buck, I can't resist it!  And when I pick up that buck ball of dough, my mind starts to wander and I think of all the goodies I can fill it with.  This time, as I continued my shopping I saw some gorgeous, extremely fresh broccoli rabe (or rapini if you prefer).  I knew that rabe was going to be the star of my calzone. 

 

Take the rabe and wash it, then chop it coursely, getting rid of the really thick stems.  Then blanch it in boiling water for a couple minutes.  Not too long, you just want to start the cooking process.  While you're doing that, in another pan brown about a half to a quarter of a pound of Italian sausage.  I've mentioned before that my preference is for Lou's which is a local Cleveland brand and delish.  But you can use whatever kind you want and in fact, when I'm feeling like I should be more health conscious, I use DiRusso's turkey sausage... also regional.  Anyway, you want to take it out of the casing and crumble and brown it.

On this particular occasion, I had leeks in the house so I decided to use them too.   Make sure you clean leeks well and then chop thinly and saute with the sausage, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.  When both the sausage and the leeks are done (leeks should be soft and maybe just starting to brown a little, sausage will no longer be pink and starting to brown), add the blanched rabe to the pan and mix it all together.

If there is as much moisture in your pan as I have here, keep cooking it until all of it gone or carefully dump out the liquid.  You don't want all that in your calzone or it will be soggy. 

Now take your ball o' dough and flatten it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The dough may stick a  little but it's no biggie.  Once you have it flattened, put your rabe mixture over the dough. 

Make sure you leave room all around the edges so that you will be able to close the dough and not have the filling leak out.  Then top with about a cup of shredded mozzarella or provolone.  I'm using provolone.

Carefully pull up one side of the dough and connect it to the other, then tuck in the ends.  With a sharp knife, cut a few vents in the top of the calzone to allow the steam to escape.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Check on it at 15 to make sure it's not browning too fast.  But it should be a nice golden brown color when you pull it out.  Depending on your oven, it could be less than 15 minutes, it could be more. 

Just know you want it to look like this...

And then to look like this...

Dough done all the way through, cheese melty and delicious.   Manga!

Best Gadget Ever

My Grandma loved gadgets.  If I took her to Bed, Bath and Beyond, she would stand at the gadget wall looking for anything she didn't already have.  Truth be told, she pretty much had them all.  So it is in that spirit that I purchased the Vacu Vin Pineapple Slicer.  I can't remember where I first saw it, but it might have been on America's Test Kitchen.  With apologies to Alton Brown, it really is a uni-tasker.  At least I haven't found another use for it.  But it doesn't matter to me.  And oh, by the way, this is not a paid advertisement or a promo.  I just love this thing is all!

It work on the same principle as a corkscrew for wine.  You have the handle and then three different size slicer/corers for your pineapple.

Cut the top off the pineapple and chose the size slicer/corer you need.  Attach the handle.

Then line up the bottom hole of the slicer/corer over the core and press down hard so the slicer goes right into the pineapple.

Once it's in securely, all you have to is start turning it.  Hold it firmly in one hand and push down and turn. 

You may get some juice bubbling up while you're turning, just tip the pineapple over and dump it into the bowl you're going to put the cut pineapple into.  You don't want to lose that juice!  

Turn it until you get to the bottom of the pineapple.

Now comes the tricky part.  Turn the pineapple sideways and while holding it still, firmly grasp the handle of the slicer/corer and start pulling it out of the pineapple.  There is suction at work here, so it's not as simple as just pulling it right out.  It takes a little effort and at times, the handle will come off.  Just put it back and on resume.   With a little finesse, you'll be able to pull the whole pineapple right out of it's skin.

Take off the handle, flip it over and you have perfect slices of pineapple.

 

It then slides right off the corer part and you can either make slices (they are already sliced but all attached to each other) or chunk it, or whatever else you want to do with it!   It's the greatest gadget ever!

Sugo Italian Bistro

On the occasion of the 18th wedding anniversary.... wait, 18 years?  Seriously?  I'm just going to gloss over that fact and pretend I'm not that old.  So anyway, on the occasion of the anniversary, we decided to give Sugo Italian Bistro in Cuyahoga Falls a try.  Having been to, and loving Chowder House, Chef Louis Prpich's other restaurant, we've been wanting to try Sugo.  This one is in the very able hands of Chef Michael Ferris.   And well, I'm just in love with the name.  Sugo, meaning sauce in Italian, is what my Grandma and my mom always call it when we're having a pasta dinner.  So the name has a special meaning for me.

We arrived at 7:00 pm.  I was surprised to find how small it was on the inside, but so beautiful.  It's all red and black and dim lights.  I loved the interior!

 

After putting in our appetizer order, we were brought a basket of delicious warm bread and a dipping oil.  The oil had some herbs and pepper in it.  Very nice.  Not too spicy.  Just right.

We started out with the calamari appetizer.  This was not like any calamari I'd had before.  It was so elegant.  A whole calamari stuffed with a sausage/mascarpone mixture.  It is then breaded and fried and served with an arugula salad and a marinara sauce.

It was so incredibly crispy on the outside and juicy and tender inside.   The arugula was a perfect compliment.

The crispy coating did fall off a bit when you cut into it, but who cares!  It was yummy.

Next came our salads.  We both got the house salad, which was a lovely blend of mixed greens, tomatoes, roasted red peppers and Gorgonzola (and I think) Parmesan cheeses in a house Italian dressing.  Very nice!

I was having a hard time deciding between the Chicken Roulade (a chicken breast stuffed with sun dried tomatoes and Boursin cheese, served with roasted fingerling potatoes and a Parmesan cream sauce) or the Roasted Crispy Half Duck (juicy half duck roasted crispy with a honey/thyme glaze and served with roasted vegetables and garlic mashed potatoes).  Something caught my attention on the menu though that steered me more towards the duck, it was the addition of "nom, nom, nom" under it's description!   Seriously, if you add a bunch of "nom's" to your menu, that is probably the favorite item.  And our waitress confirmed it for me when I told her I was hedging between the two.  The "nom's" and the waitresses gushing clinched it, Crispy Duck it is!

And nom nom it was!   Everything was perfect.  The duck was succulent and moist, with a delicious crispy skin.  It was both sweet and a little spicy.  The veggies were flavorful and the garlic mashed potatoes were silky and yummy.

Nick opted for the Veal Medallions.  Called the "Chef's Favorite" on the menu, the veal was tender and juicy and served with roasted vegetables and a pancetta/sage pepper cream sauce.  I don't generally eat veal, but I did have to have a taste and it was out of this world!  And really, I just love a purple spud!

I ended up boxing up half of my duck and didn't think I'd be able to have a dessert myself, but Nick was up for one.  I just had a few bites of his and after having them I wished I had ordered my own!   He ordered the pear, honey and ginger cheese cake.

That is a whole lot of yum!   Not too big, not too small.  Just yummy and perfect.   I think the crust was made of crushed ginger snaps, giving it a really nice ginger bite but otherwise the ginger was mild and not overpowering.  Very good stuff!

Sugo is moderately priced.  Not crazy expensive and very casual.  I'd definitely recommend it and I'd definitely go back!

Luca's Amazing Nutella Pizza

It's pretty well known that I am a big Nutella freak. Anywhere, anytime if Nutella is involved, I'm there.  So when my friend Erica told me that Luca's, the new pizza place in Stow, has Nutella pizza on the menu I knew I had to have it.  And Erica knew I had to have it so she invited me and the man over for dessert and coffee.  Dessert being this very Nutella pizza!   Oh yes, I couldn't wait!

Thinking about it before having it, I wondered what the crust would be like.  I've had dessert pizza's before and they usually use a sugar or shortbread type of cookie as the crust.  But this pizzeria is New York style so I wondered, would they use their regular pizza crust for it?  Maybe with a little sugar added to the dough?   Hmmm the possibilities were intriguing. 

My first look at the pizza made my mouth water.  It was the regular pizza dough, very thin and lightly baked.  I didn't detect any sugar added, and it wasn't needed at all.  After it's baked, it's slathered with Nutella.  For me, that would be enough but Luca's upped the ante by adding some fresh strawberries and bananas and then the pièce de résistance... chopped hazelnuts. 

The pizza was huge!  The dough did not have a hint of brown on it, but it was done enough.  It had a really nice chew to it.  This is not a knife and fork dessert, you have to pick this baby up.  And you're going to want to anyway.  It's irresistible!  If you're a NY style pizza folder, then have it.  You can easily fold this slice.  The Nutella, as always is fabulous.  It's not hot, it's served cold or room temperature.  Although, warm with melty Nutella sounds pretty damn good too... hmmm, I might have to try it that way!  The chopped hazelnuts added the perfect crunchy contrast to the soft fruit, smooth Nutella and chewy crust.

It's simple, but delicious.  I haven't had the opportunity (yet) to try anything else at Luca's, but if this is any indication of the goodness they are putting out, then I won't be disappointed when I do.  And if you find yourself at Luca's for some pizza or a calzone, or something else, make sure you save room for some Nutella pizza!  

Buon Cibo mia Amici

Arancini, At Last

One of the things my Grandma talked about wanting to make but never did was arancini.  I'm not sure why she never made them, or why I never took a day and went to her house to make them with her, but it never happened.  And I thought of them from time to time, how delicious it sounds and how I'd like to make them.  When I see them on a menu, I order them.  So what is arancini you ask?   Having originated in Sicily, it's basically risotto that is shaped into a ball with some fillings in the middle, breaded and deep fried.  In the words of Ina Garten, "how bad can that be?"

Traditionally arancini start with saffron risotto and being the traditionalist I am, I would start with saffron risotto.  To make it, you need one small onion, diced and sauteed in a large pan on medium heat with a Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a Tablespoon of butter.  

Once the onions have softened and are translucent, add 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice.  Do yourself a favor and don't try and use regular long grain rice thinking it will work the same.  It won't.  You need a short grain rice like Arborio or don't even bother.   Add a good pinch of saffron.  It's expensive but a little goes a long way.

Stir together and saute for about 2 minutes.   You don't want the rice to brown or anything, but you want it to be nicely coated with the oil/butter.

Add 1/3 cup of white wine to the rice and stir until the wine is evaporated.  You should have another pot going with 5 cups of chicken stock.  I happen to not be able to find chicken stock in my favorite brand Kitchen Basics that week, so I opted for turkey stock.  And I didn't have any of my own available either.  You want to warm the stock but not boil it.  Just heat it gently.  Add one ladle of chicken stock at a time to the rice, stirring and stirring until all the stock is absorbed.  Then add another.   And keep doing this until you get the desired consistency of risotto that you want.  Normally it would take 5-6 cups of stock to get the loose risotto texture that is desired when eating risotto.  But since we are making arancini, you want the consistency a little stiffer.

Check out that color!  That's the saffron at work.   Once the risotto is done, set it aside to cool completely and make your filling.  I've had them with a tomato sauce, a meat sauce, peas, or cheese inside.  I had an idea for what I wanted to fill mine with and that's what I went with.   One pound of Italian sausage (either bulk or removed from the casings) browned with a diced small onion and some basil from my garden.

Once the sausage and onions are nicely and lightly browned, drain any grease off and mix it with the risotto.

Hot damn that looks good enough to eat right now!  But just wait.  Let it all cool completely and wait.  Chill.  You've come this far.  And so I chill.  Once the risotto mixture is cooled, it's time to start the arancini mayhem.  Put a pot on the stove with about 3-4 inches of oil (vegetable, canola, any light oil that has a high smoke point).  That oil needs to get to between 340 and 350 degrees.  I have a candy/deep fry thermometer that came in very handy for this occasion.   It is the first time I've used it for deep frying because I never deep fry.  Ever.   So this should be fun!

While it's heating I cut up the cheese.  Oh yes, there will be cheese.   Fresh mozzarella in fact.  Cut it up into a small dice.  Try not to keep eating it while you do that so there is some left for the arancini.

And now, assembly.   Wash your hands or if you're a wuss, put on some rubber gloves.  Take about 3 Tablespoons, give or take, of the rice mixture and form it into a sort of semi circle.  Then put one of your pieces of diced motz in the middle.

 

Take a little more of the rice mixture and place it over the cheese and then form the whole thing into a ball.  As you can see, mine fit in the palm of my hand.

Not too small, but not huge either.   A little bigger than a golf ball.  Once they are all formed, it's time to bread them.  Dip them in egg then in bread crumbs.  I'm using Panko. 

And this is how many I got from the batch of risotto/sausage.

 

Look at those cuties.  From here I've washed my hands again, for about the 50th time and then check my oil.  It's ready!

Be careful with this huh?   It's hot freakin oil!  Gently put in three arancini at a time and don't go anywhere.  This goes fast.  Check out the action shot.

You can see they are getting brown really fast.   The temp of the oil shot up right before I put them in and this first batch got very brown in very little time.   But then I was able to get the temp down and things went a little smoother.

The one on the right was from that first batch with the too hot oil.  The one on the left, clearly perfect.   Money shot!

These were absolutely delicious.  The risotto was still creamy.  The sausage added a wonderful depth to the arancini and the cheese, what are you kidding me?  It's fresh motz, it's freakin fantastic anywhere at any time.  Try it.  Make them.  Don't fear the arancini!   You won't be sorry. 

Buon Cibo miaAmici