Sunday, November 29, 2009

Sausage Risotto with Spring Greens

I got this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. My attention was caught when it mentioned swiss chard, which I've dabbled with before. I'd never made risotto and was a smidge scared to try it. All I can think of is Top Chef when they're all "omg it's SO hard to make a perfect risotto". I might be making that up. But it sounds about right. This recipe looked doable, though, so I thought I'd give it a shot.

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch dandelion greens, Swiss chard, or mustard greens (12 ounces), tough bottom stems removed, leaves cut into 3/4-inch pieces (I didn't see any of those other greens at the farmer's market, so I stuck with the chard)
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, divided
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 6 ounces mild Italian sausage (about 1 1/2 links), casings removed
  • 2 cups arborio rice (13 to 14 ounces)
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 5 cups low-salt chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for serving

Preparation

  • Cook greens in boiling salted water just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain; cool.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large saucepan over medium heat; add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sausage; sauté until brown, breaking up with spoon, about 3 minutes. Add rice; stir 1 minute. Add wine; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until wine is almost absorbed. Add 1 cup broth. Stir until broth is almost absorbed. Add remaining 4 cups broth by 1/2 cupfuls, allowing broth to be absorbed before adding more. Mix in greens after 10 minutes. Cook until rice is tender and mixture is creamy, 25 minutes total. Mix in cheese and remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper.
  • Serve risotto, passing additional cheese.
Couple things:
1-I would swear on my LIFE that I had parm in my fridge. I didn't. Just smelling this dish cooking, I knew it would be effing fantastic with the cheese. Damn it. I think I left it at a friends house...? boo.
2-My risotto came out a tad undercooked, but not too much. Totally delish and creamy!
3-I halved the recipe, but kept the full amount of greens. Can't have too many veggies.
4-Definitely use the low sodium broth. It's super salty and I have no idea why. Maybe from the sausage?
5-SUCCESS!! Super good! And totally easy!
6-Don't have my camera cord, so pics to come.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Elderberry Martini


To be honest, I have no idea where this recipe came from. Oops. And I'm also writing it from memory sooo....yeah.

Edit: Just kidding! Found it!

8 muddled green grapes
1 oz vodka
2 oz sauvignon blanc (they gave a specific kind, but I can't remember. We used whatever was around and it was fine) (it was supposed to be Kim Crawford, apparently)
1 oz elderberry syrup (at IKEA)
1/4 oz lemon juice

Put all that junk in a shaker with some ice and get r done! Obviously (I hope), make sure you strain it since it'll full of grape skin and seeds. The recipe said to also run it through a tea strainer, but we kinda liked the little tiny grape pieces in it.

(since this seems to be a popular search, if you make it and have any comments/suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!)

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Turkey Meatballs

This is one of my favorite dishes that my dad makes. Pretty easy, SUPER good. Usually, if made right (which is always, by him, and about half the time, by me), it's one of those holy-crap-I-cant-stop-eating-until-I-puke meals. Mmmm...

1 lb ground turkey (try to avoid 'lean', because that meat dries out and the meatballs sometimes fall apart)
1/2 cup shredded tart apple (granny smith)
3/4 ts salt (last batch I made seemed a little salty, so maybe a touch less)
1/8 ts garlic salt
2 Tbl veggie oil
1/2 cup apricot jam (you can supposedly use apple or pineapple or whatever, but that doesn't sound great to me, soooo...I stick with apricot)
2 Tbl spicy brown mustard.

Combine turkey, apple, salt and garlic in med bowl. Shape into 1.5 in balls. Brown in heated oil (about 8 mins). Stir together jelly and mustard. Spoon over meatballs and simmer another 8-10 mins until glazed. Turn meatballs several times. Sauce thickens as it cools. Serve over rice.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Mostly Green Curry Chicken

This is a Rachael Ray recipe from her 365: No Repeats book. Rachael Ray is annoying as all hell and she's full of crap if she thinks ANYONE can make these recipes in 30 mins. Not happenin. However, there are a kagillion (365) recipes in this book and most are easy enough. This particular recipe doesn't even HAVE curry in it, which I find odd, but whatevs...

1 1/5 cups chicken stock/broth
1 13.5 can of coconut milk
1 cup jasmine rice (I used quinoa instead. Little healthier)
3 Tbl veggie/canola oil
4 6-8 oz chicken breast halfs, but into bite size pieces
salt and pepper
1 green bell pepper (plus other color bells, if you so desire)
1 med yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 lg garlic cloves
1 sm jalapeno pepper (eff that. this whitie left this out)
3 in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
2 cups broccoli florets
zest and juice of one lime
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaved, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
hot sauces, such as tobasco (nah)

In a sauce pot, combine 1 cup of the chicken stock, 4 oz (1/4 cup) of the coconut milk, and the jasmine rice (or quinoa). Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 mins (or until all the liquid is absorbed). Turn the heat off and keep the rice covered until ready to serve.

While the coconut jasmine rice is cooking, preheat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with about 2 Tbl of veggie oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add the chicken pieces, spreading them evenly across the pan, and brown the chicken on all sides, about 3-4 mins. Remove the browned chicken to a plate and reserve. Add the last Tbl of veggie oil to the pan. Add the green bell peppers, onions, garlic, jalapenos, ginger, and broccoli florets. Cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 mins, or until the veggies start to wilt. To the skillet add the remaining coconut milk, and 1/2 cup chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 mins. Add the chicken back to the skillet, and return it to a simmer for about 2 more mins. Add the lime juice, lime zest, cilantro, scallions, parsley, and frozen peas. Stir to thoroughly combine. Simmer a minute more to heat the peas., taste, and adjust the seasoning. Add more salt or some hot sauce, if you like heat. Serve over coconut rice (or quinoa).

Ok, that's totally not my pic beeeecause my camera jumped ship and can't be found at this exact moment. But it pretty much looked the same. The coconut quinoa turned out a lot better than I expected and the chicken and veggies were pretty good, too. I probably could have use a LITTLE hot sauce or something to spice it up a bit, but I was pleased with the result.