Ramp Season is Here!

Some love them, some hate them, some don't have a clue what they are, some just think the hype is overblown.  Me?  I rather enjoy the ramp.  It's a little oniony, a little leeky, a little garlicky.  The window of opportunity to get them is very brief in the spring.  This year with my ramps I decided to make some ramp risotto.

Start with a big old bunch of ramps.

They are actually easier to clean than a leek and you can use the whole thing, green and all.  Clean them up, chop them up and add them to the pot you cook your risotto in with 3 Tablespoons of olive oil (extra virgin if I'm making it) and a Tablespoon of unsalted butter.  

Saute for about 5 minutes.... no browning really is required here, you just want to start to soften the ramps.  After the 5 minutes, add a cup of Arborio rice (or any other short grain risotto rice you prefer).  And stir it into the ramps for 2-3 minutes, coating the rice in the oil/butter.  To that add a half cup of white wine.  Stir until the wine is absorbed.  

Then it's business as usual in the risotto game.  Add a ladle-ful of broth to the pot and stir until completely absorbed.  Then add another, doing the same stirring game each time.  One cup or rice should use about 4-5 cups of liquid.  You can use water, but why do that if you can use broth?  You don't have to make your own, unless you want to.  Use a good quality store bought broth (I pretty much exclusively use Kitchen Basics).  

It's getting there...

Sorry about the steam!

Keep adding and stirring....

I said above to stir broth until completely absorbed and that's what most recipes for risotto will say. But I have found this to be a little less than true.  I have stopped stirring when I make risotto.  Not for long stretches, but I don't continually stir the whole time.  In fact when I was making this yesterday I was also making a salad at the same time.  So broth added, stir it for a minute, go cut some cucumbers, come back and stir until absorbed.   Same thing with tomatoes for the salad, etc.   You really shouldn't stop for long stretches, which I don't, but a minute here and there, I have found to not be an issue.  

When the rice will no longer accept another drop of broth, it's time to stir, cook and let it thicken up a little.  You don't want it stiff, but I don't like my risotto like porridge either.  No soupy risotto please!   It should be soft and creamy.  At the end of the cooking, add half a cup of Parmesan cheese and before you know it, it's done!   

I was rather fond of this ramp risotto.  I think I'll make it again next Spring!   

Mangia!  :)

Squashy Risotto

It's getting to be risotto weather.  Or am I crazy?   Fall just seems kind of risottoey to me.  Kind of like pot roast or stew.  And when you're making your risotto with butternut squash, well it just screams autumn.  I've tried making Butternut Squash Risotto before and the result was not what I had hoped for.  But this time, I had a new plan.  The previous time I made it, I peeled, seeded and diced the squash, tossed with a little salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted it.  Then I made a basic risotto and folded the roasted diced squash into it.  I'm not saying it was bad.  But what happened was, when I took the squash out of the oven, I had to taste it.  It was good.  So I had to taste it again.   And well, just to be sure, I had to taste it a few more times.  Quality control is very important.  So by the time I finished tasting and testing, there wasn't much left for the risotto.

This time I'm starting with an around 2 lb butternut squash.  Butternut just happens to be readily available, inexpensive and darn tasty.  But my fave of the winter squashes is by far, the kabocha squash.  But they are not readily available and they are not inexpensive.  But they are delicious.  So either way.  Hell if you want to use acorn or delicata, by all means, feel free.  Cut your squash of choice in half, take out the seeds and place cut side down on a baking sheet with either a little cooking spray or a light coating of oil.

Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  These suckers are hard and they take a long time to cook.  When you take it out the cut side should be caramelized and all kinds of delicious.

Let it cool for a little while.  When it's cool enough to handle, scrape out all the yummy and discard the skin.  Then just mash it up with a fork.  You can puree it in a food processor if you must dirty this annoyingly difficult to clean appliance, but a fork or even a potato masher will do the trick.  And then set aside until later.  It might get watery while it's stilling there waiting to be added, no worries.

Now for the risotto.  It's pretty much standard.  One small onion or two shallots, diced.  I'm using a vidalia onion today because I was *gasp* out of shallots.  How could this be!  No worries, it won't happen again.  Add the diced onion to a heavy glorious pot that already has two Tablespoons of butter and three Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil heating up.  Cook the onions gently on medium heat, just sweating them out.  You don't want to brown them.

While the onions are sweating, in another pot you should have 5 and a half to 6 cups of chicken stock heating up.  If you make this yourself, bravo!   I don't always have time or inclination to make my own, but when I do I freeze it and us it as needed.  This time I'm using my favorite stock in a box, Kitchen Basics.  It's by far the best, has the least amount of sodium and is made right here in good old Cleveland (actually Brecksville) Ohio.

When the onions start to turn translucent, it's time to add the rice.  You will need 1 and a half cups of a short grain rice, preferably Arborio.  Add it straight to the butter/oil and onion mixture and stir it around to coat the rice.

Cook the rice for about 2 minutes on medium heat and then add 1/3 cup of white wine.  Stir the rice and wine until the wine has all but evaporated.  Now it's time to add your heated stock.  You don't want it to boil on that burner, but just come up to heat.   I use a large soup ladle and ladle in one or two each time.  After adding that amount, stir the risotto while the stock gets cooked in.  You don't have to stir constantly.  I know a lot of recipes say to do that, but I don't stir constantly and it turns out beautifully.  You want to stir a lot, don't get me wrong.  And you don't want to walk off and leave the risotto unattended.  But you don't have to give yourself that Tommy John elbow ailment from making risotto.

Don't forget to season as you go.  You know how much sodium you have in your own stock or in whatever store bought stock your using so be as aggressive or passive as necessary based on that.  This whole process should take about 20-25 minutes, adding another ladleful or two of stock after the last ones have cooked in.  And when you're down to your last ladle of stock, add it in and then add in your mashed butternut squash and stir it in.

Thinking about this dish had me going straight out to my garden and picking a nice big bunch of sage.  What says fall more than sage?   And it's a beautiful accompaniment to butternut squash.

Look how pretty my hand looks holding this gorgeous sage.  You would think I was in a commercial for sage the way I'm holding it.  I feel so Vanna.

Clean and chop the sage into ribbons and add to the risotto just about when it's done.

And then as the final step, add three quarters of a cup of grated Parmesan cheese to risotto and stir it in.  Now there is nothing left to do but enjoy it.  Buon Cibo mia Amici.

An Eggroll Would Sure Be Good Right About Now

Every Chinese New Year, Marc's (a NEOH chain of discount stores) gets in all kinds of good stuff. Bok Choy, Napa Cabbage, all kinds of different tofu's, egg roll and won ton wrappers, etc. And every year, I must buy the Bok Choy. This year was no exception.

Unfortunately, it was a touch past its prime when I bought it so I really needed to use it up fast. I decided to make a stir fry. I had chicken tenderloins in the freezer, the bok choy, some sweet peppers, carrots, scallions, rice... ok. I can throw this all into a pretty decent stir fry. I started with the bok choy, cleaned and chopped.


Then I put it in my biggest frying pan (because believe it or not, I do not have a wok. I think I need to remedy that) with some olive oil. I probably should have used veg oil, but I'm so used to reaching for the olive oil, so I grabbed it. I let the bok choy cook for a few minutes then added some chicken broth to the pan so it could simmer.



Then it was time to chop up everything else.... carrots, peppers, chicken, scallions.




And in the meantime I got the rice cooking. You may or may not remember that I tend to use jasmine rice. I put 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter in the bottom of the pan and saute 1 cup of rice with 1/4 cup of slivered almonds. After the rice and almonds saute for a few minutes (before they brown), I add 2 cups of chicken broth and let simmer until it's done and all the liquid is absorbed. After it's done I added three chopped scallions to the rice.



In the other pan, the bok choy is simmering away with the carrots and peppers (add more chicken broth if the pan starts to dry out). In another pan (ugh, too many pans!) I am browning the chopped chicken tenderloins. When they are just browned on both sides, I add one Tablespoon of brown sugar and 2 Tablespoons of white vinegar to the pan and let it cook with the chicken for a few minutes. This gives a nice sweet and sour flavor to the chicken.

Then put the chicken in the pan with the veggies and simmer with about a cup of chicken broth.


From here it doesn't really need to simmer much longer. Just until the chicken is completely cooked. Then add the finished rice to the veg/chicken. If there is still a lot of broth, you may want to thicken your sauce with a slurry of one Tablespoon of corn starch and 2-3 Tablespoons of water, stirred together. You don't have to mix the rice and veg/chicken though. You can just serve the veg/chicken over the rice if you prefer. But I like to have my rice sauced too, so I mix them.

And enjoy!


And doh! I realized today that I had ginger root in my freezer! That would have been a nice addition to this stir fry! Urgh.

Giant Yum Factor!

I heart jasmine rice. I use it almost exclusively (unless I'm making risotto of course). I can sometimes even find brown jasmine but it's not as readily available as white jasmine. I'm always looking for a new way to make rice too. I got to thinking about how rice would taste made with coconut milk. I actually kept coming back to this thought over and over again over a course of time but kept stopping myself because Nick does not like coconut. But I decided I had to try it so I finally bit the bullet and bought myself a can of coconut milk. I was pretty happy to find that Thai Kitchen sells a lite variety of coconut milk that has 65% less fat and 60% less calories than regular. Who'd a thunk!?


It's very easy to find in any ethnic food aisle at the grocery store. I started out like I always start out my rice dishes... 1-2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter in the bottom of your pan, when melted add 1 cup of dry rice and saute the rice for a minute or so. Shake that can of coconut milk very very good before you use it. The ratio for one cup of dry rice is 2 cups of liquid. The can contains 1 and 3/4 cups of coconut milk so I used 1/4 cup of chicken broth to supplement it. Then added a teaspoon of course sea salt.

Because I had them on hand from the night before, I took out my leftover sauteed plantains and chopped them up to add to the rice.



I added them about halfway through the cooking process. It doesn't take long for the rice to cook and you can just see how creamy and delicious it's going to be.



I served it along side chicken burritos (chicken tenderloins, sauteed with diced tomatoes, lime juice, cilantro, scallions and chilies in a whole wheat tortilla).


This rice was so delicious and like nothing I had ever tasted before. It was creamy and kind of dense. More so than when just making rice with broth or water. The texture was different too. It was really yummy. But did Nick like it? Well when he saw it, he immediately knew I did something different just by how the rice looked. He asked what I did and I said, "why don't you taste it first and then I'll tell you." He did. He's a pretty fearless eater. He loved it. I don't think you could really pinpoint a coconuty taste to the rice. Why not give it a try for something a little different? And don't worry about the plantains if you can't find them. I think it would be delish without them too!

Broccoli Rice Casserole Redo

I joke sometimes that I like to do everything the hard way. But it's not really a joke. The older I get, the more I prefer to do things that are not necessarily healthier, but that is often a happy coincidence. I just prefer things to be homemade. Not pseudo Sandra Lee style. So by that token it was my mission to make the classic holiday Broccoli Rice Casserole without the Cheez Whiz or Velveeta and Cream of Crap soup.

I started out as the original recipe I have starts out, by sauteing onions and celery in about half a stick of butter. I used half a large sweet onion (if you read my blog regularly you know I pretty much exclusively use whatever sweet onions are in season) and 3 ribs of celery, chopped.



After the onions are starting to get translucent, I added an 8 oz. package of mushrooms, chopped.



Be sure to season with salt and pepper as you go. Since you aren't using processed junk, you need to season more. You want to cook the onions, celery and mushrooms for a few minutes then add a 10 oz. package of frozen chopped broccoli. I don't have a problem using the frozen product here because a) the ingredients listed on the package are "broccoli" and that's it. And 2) it's all chopped and ready for you. Cook the veggies together until all the liquid comes out of the mushrooms and broccoli and evaporates from the pan. You do not want a watery casserole.


In meantime, you can be cooking your rice. I happen to really like the microwave method. The rice comes out perfect and fluffy every time. So in a microwave safe dish with a lid, add one cup of rice and 2 cups of water. Cook on high for 5 minutes then cook on medium high for another 10 minutes. Check it after this time. You may need another few minutes on medium high or you may not. When it's done, fluff it up and set aside to cool.

In another pan, we're going to make a simple bechamel sauce. Don't panic! It's really not any big deal. All you need is one quarter cup of butter and one quarter cup of flour.



On medium heat, whisk the butter and flour together as the butter melts then when completely melted and mixed, cook together, whisking the whole time, for another minute or so. It will give off a nutty aroma. I know, I know, chefs on TV say "nutty" for everything. But in this case it's really true. Then add 2 cups of milk.


Still on medium heat, keep whisking the milk mixture until it starts to thicken. Are you remembering to season? It's at this point that in addition to salt and pepper, that I added about a teaspoon of dried thyme. When the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, then you are ready to add the good stuff.


The good stuff being, not Velveeta. Not Cheez Whiz. Certainly not. The good stuff is 8 oz. of shredded cheddar cheese. Mild, sharp, or extra sharp. You chose. I go with extra sharp.



Stir until smooth. It won't take long, so as soon as it's smooth or even close to smooth, take it off the heat. In a large bowl, combine the veggies and the rice.



Then pour that delicious sauce over the whole thing and stir to combine.



Then put the whole thing in a greased 9 x 13 inch baking dish.



Cover and cook at 350 for 30 minutes, then remove the cover and cook for another 10 minutes. The casserole should be browning on the sides and kind of bubbly.



Delish!



Now, when I figure out how to make this without using so many pots and pans, I'll let you know!

A Night Out at Aladdin's

For several weeks now Nick and I have been wanting to go to Aladdin's for dinner. It's not a place we frequent, but a place we really love. Something always comes up and we have ended up not going. But yesterday Nick was determined that come hell or high water, we were going to Aladdin's! And we did.

Aladdin's came into existence in 1994 and has grown by leaps and bounds! Now in seven states and with 28 locations, it still has that local feel to it that we love. As the day went on and anticipation was building, I couldn't wait to get some of their succulent grilled meats and dip it into that insanely good garlic sauce. Oh my... calm down woman.

We went to the Hudson, First and Main location, even though the Highland Square one is closer. This way we can scope out the other restaurants that are there that we may want to try sometime. We were seated right away although there was a pretty good crowd.

To start, Nick had the China Mist Traditional Black Tea and I had the China Mist Green Tea. Both were very good.




We couldn't decide what we wanted for an appetizer. They all sound so good! But we had gotten hummus last time, so we crossed that off. I was leaning towards the, Dawali but once Nick saw the Falaffel, that was that. My husband is a notorious lover of all things chick pea. I forgot to take a pic, but as luck would have it, Aladdin's website had a picture of it and it did look exactly like this.



The falaffel were so incredibly delicious. They are a little fried piece of heaven. Ground chick peas and fava beans, mildly spiced with parsley and lots of garlic. They come with pitas and a yogurt tahini dipping sauce.

I had lamb on my mind so for an entree I chose the Mediterranean Lamb Plate. The marination and the grilling of the meat is to die for. It's juicy and tender, cooked to absolute perfection and it comes with that crazy garlic dipping sauce I mentioned earlier. I absolutely love garlic, but the first time I had that sauce I almost went into orbit! But then I took a second bite, and third and I was hooked! Now it's a must whenever we go to Aladdin's. It also comes with rice. But it's not any old white rice scooped onto your plate with an ice cream scoop! This rice is soft and fluffy, every grain separate. It has crunchy vermicelli in it and is topped with sauteed pine nuts, almonds, and cinnamon. It's so good on its own but I like to add some of my tahini yogurt sauce to it too.




Nick had the Mediterranean Shish Kabob Plate, which is exactly like my lamb plate only his plate has beef instead. Everything else is identical.

The portions are just right. Not too much, not too little and when dinner is over I'm feeling just right. Nick on the other hand, he's a dessert guy. We chose together from the huge dessert menu, thinking that I would have a few bites, but when that mouth watering Brownie Cheesecake arrived, I was just too full to partake. Nick assures me it was heavenly!




So another wonderful meal at the fabulous Mediterranean restaurant Aladdin's. If you have on in your area, give it a shot! You won't be disappointed.

Friday Night Special

Over the years, Nick and I have gotten away from buying processed foods. We try anyway and for the most part have succeeded. I cannot break that boy of his Stouffer's French Bread Pizza habit though. He really loves it. And for me, the one thing I haven't adequately figured out how to recreate myself is Zatarain's Dirty Rice. Thankfully the Zatarain's people now have a reduced sodium version, which I like just as well.




Friday Night Special is Dirty Burritos (thanks for the name Elaine!). It's Friday night's special because we do our grocery shopping on Friday evenings and when we come home I need to make something quickly.

So to make the Zatarain's Dirty Rice, you need a pound of ground meat. I always use turkey. And brown it first. I have started using this method that I saw Rachael Ray use when crumbling ground meat... a potato masher! It really works.



Once the meat is browned, drain and then add two and half cups of water, bring to a boil and then add the Zatarain's.



I think the box says to take the meat out, and then add it back in when the water boils with the rice mix, but who cares. It's not that big a deal, it all comes out the same. Turn down to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While that is cooking, it's time to get your burrito accouterments ready. I'm a firm believer in the Manny's Fajita Style tortilla. They are stronger than regular tortilla's and don't come apart when you fill them up. Shredded lettuce, check. Chopped tomatoes, check. Shredded cheddar, check. Salsa, check. Sour cream, check.


If you like, you can even heat up some refried beans, as I did on this day. I had those kick ass La Preferida Refried Beans with Chorizo. I can't always find them, so when I do, I stock up!


When all is ready, it's time to build the perfect Dirty Burrito. In my world that starts with beans on the bottom, followed by a scoop of Zatarain's. From there it goes cheese, lettuce, tomato, salsa and sour cream.



Good luck closing it! We do our best, but we always end up overfilling. I did succeed this time though! Serve with chips and salsa. I don't make Spanish rice with this because of the rice in the Zatarain's.

It's Risotto Season!

My sister in law has some relatives in Pennsylvania that grow mushrooms. So whenever her father goes to PA to visit them he comes home with so many mushrooms they have to give them away. I am often a lucky recipient of said mushrooms. I got a bee in my bonnet to make mushroom risotto and that is where a good portion of those mushrooms went!

In a large skillet, heat 3 Tablespoons of olive oil and then add a mixture of chopped mushrooms. I used button, cremini and shitake. Saute until well cooked, but not browned. Add some wine or broth to the pan if it's too dry, plus salt and pepper. I added tons of fresh thyme because I still have tons in my garden. But dried will work just fine too.




In a heavy bottomed pot, melt two Tablespoons of butter in three Tablespoons of olive oil. Add one medium sized shallot, chopped.



In a saucepan, heat (but don't boil!) five cups of chicken broth or stock. You can use homemade or store bought. Just adjust your added salt if you're using store bought. It can be salty already.

When the shallot is softened but not browned, add 1 1/2 cup of Arborio or other short grained rice. Stir to coat rice and then let cook for two minutes. The heat should be on medium. After the two minutes, add 2/3 cup of white wine. Stir until all the wine has been absorbed into the rice and then start to add your broth. You do not need to keep the heat on under the pot with the broth, but it should be warm. One ladle full at a time, add the stock to the rice and stir until each ladle full is completely absorbed. It takes patience, but your efforts will be so worthwhile!


When all the broth is gone and the rice is done, stir in your mushrooms and then stir in 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. Nick went crazy for this last night so I think I'll be making it again!