Risotto 101

I've always wanted to make a homemade risotto.  Well, maybe not always, but recently.  I found a really easy, straight forward recipe by Giada.

Oh my goodness was it good!  It was creamy and buttery and delicious!

But something to note about risotto...it takes time and patience and stirring. 

Lots of butter, too.  Not this much butter, but a lot.

And more stirring. You can't really leave the pot's side.  You should have a glass of wine handy.

Recipie from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis

What you"ll need:

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 Tbls butter

3/4 cup finely chopped onion (from 1 onion)

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

How you do it:

In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a simmer.  Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt 2 Tbls of the butter of medium heat.  Add the onion and suate until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes.  Add the rice and stir to coat with butter.  Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.  Continue coking the rice, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the rice is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.  Remove from the heat.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper.  Transfer the risotto to a serving bowl and serve immediately.

I added some chopped mushrooms and it was delicious!  

I added them a little bit after the onions.

Kitchen Fires Make Me Crave Pork Chops...

I love pork chops.

I haven't thought about them in a long time.

Actually, It's been about 5 years since I've had a pork chop.

I think I almost forgot about how much I love pork chops, but then my roommate set the kitchen on fire.

Well, not the kitchen...but the oven. You can read about it here.

The fire incident led to us finding this video.

(Note that this video uses some profane language...it's rated R.)

So, I watched that video, laughed and then wanted a pork chop real bad. I emailed my dad, got the recipe and made pork chops!

Nick Bova's Recipe:

What you'll need:

2 pork chops

2 potatoes

1 large onion

3 Tbs oil (approx)

Worcestershire Sauce

How you do it:

1. Slice onions and potatoes.

2. Put enough oil in a frying pan to cover the bottom, i.e. around 3 Tbs.

3. Brown the pork chops on one side, around 5 minutes.

4. Turn the chops over and start layering the onions and potatoes. One layer potatoes, one layer onions and then cover the surface with the Worcestershire and salt and pepper to taste. Repeat for 2 or third layer.

5. Cover the pan and reduce to a low simmer for an hour, turning after 30 minutes. Cook until tender.

Notes: The pork chops brown up and get very tender on the bottom of the pan. Try not to turn too much; it breaks up the potatoes. If you get too much liquid in the pan, open a vent or move the lid slightly ajar. You can remove the lid for the last 5 minutes or so to evaporate any liquid.

Realizing how easy this dish was to make, I'm never going to go 5 years without eating pork chops again...and neither should you. Enjoy!

Sausage, Mushrooms and Onions--Oh My!

I didn't like sausage growing up.  I didn't like onions, either.  I didn't even really like mushrooms.

I didn't like a lot of things.  But that's starting to change.  Did you hear that?  I think I just heard my parents' shout of joy.  Every time I came home from college, I'd have discovered a new food I liked...and that discovery still hasn't stopped.

I have discovered I like sausage.  I especially like it in this dish.  Noodles always make things better.

What you'll need:

4 sausages

1/2 a large onion

1/2 a package of mushrooms*

penne pasta

1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce

Oil

How you do it:

Start boiling water for noodles, follow the directions on the box.

Heat skillet and add a little bit of oil.  Cook sausage completely.  Cut into bite size pieces.  Add onions to the pan and cook until golden brown.  Add mushrooms and continue to cook until tender.  Add spaghetti sauce and let simmer for another five minutes or until sauce is heated.

Pour meat, veggies and sauce over cooked noodles.

Open a bottle of wine, take in the smell of yummy sausage and sauce, and enjoy!

*Note that the mushrooms can be substituted for a green pepper.  In my family, this is fondly referred to as "SPO" aka Sausage, Peppers and Onions.

Cinco de Mayo

Is it bad that Cinco de Mayo surprises me every year?  I mean the holiday's name is conveniently the date, but every year I don't make the connection until someone says it or I read it somewhere.

Maybe it's because I'm just completely unreceptive to holidays that don't involve mythical creatures or beings.

But even without remembering, I made steak enchiladas.  Go me!  I guess my sub-conscience was trying to tell me something...or it could be that it just sounded good.

Either way, these are pretty delicious; plus, they make great leftovers.  Just don't forget the tortilla chips!!

What you'll need:

1lb steak, cut into thing strips

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 package of pre-washed, pre-cleaned fresh mushrooms

1 jar 15.5 oz salsa

shredded cheese

4 tortillas

olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Cook onion in pan with a small amount of oil until almost golden.  Add mushrooms and approximately 5 ounces of salsa.  Let simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.  When the onions and mushrooms look done, remove from heat and set aside.

2. Add a little more oil to the pan and cook the steak, about 5 minutes.  When the steak looks almost done, drain the pan of extra juices and add about 3 ounces of salsa.  Let simmer on low heat for about 3 minutes.  Remove the steak and add it to the mushrooms and onions.

3. Lay out the tortillas, add veggies, steak and cheese. Roll the tortillas so that there are no open sides.  This should make about 4 enchiladas.  Place each one in an oven safe pan.  Spread a little salsa on top to keep the tortillas from drying out, top with more cheese.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Enjoy!!