Morel Risotto with Edamame and Porcini Broth

I have a love/hate with Risotto. I do enjoy the time it takes to make it, but sometimes when I am done, it's 'just a rice dish'. Yeah, Yeah, I get it, if you do it right it is so much more. Cool. I never feel like I'm totally wowed by it, but it is good. So, I decided that since the only thing in my fridge was Morels that I have been saving to make with eggs, I would use them for a nice risotto. Here's how it went:

I started by slicing and sauteeing up the morels in butter and olive oil.
I then removed them from the pot, added white onion and sweated them out for a couple of minutes before adding the aborio rice to cook until the tips were translucent.
I then added a tuscan red wine blend to the rice and added boiling water to a bowl of dried porcini mushrooms.

I covered the porcini's with plastic wrap and let them steam. I really just wanted the liquid from this, so I started adding it to the rice right away. It's key to use a warm liquid when making risotto, instead of stock right out of the fridge.

While continuously stirring, I kept letting the rice dry out and then added the red wine and mushroom stock to the rice. Then repeated. Then repeated.

While that was all going on, I added some frozen edamame to a pot, then stirred it for the pic. I removed the edamame and added it to the food processor and blended it to add to the risotto for added nutrients and a green flavor to the earthiness of the mushrooms. Finally, I added a pat of butter and some parm. reg. to the risotto and served.

Fresh White Fish with Herbed Lemon Sauce

With the blossoming of Spring, I've moved from some of the heavy dishes of the winter into a taste for something lighter and more delicate. I've stopped eating tuna, except on the rarest of occasions, even though it is my favorite protein. Likewise with Chilean Sea Bass (or, before marketing geniuses took hold, the Patagonian Tooth-fish).

So, in an effort to eat more sustainable seafood, I've been going with more local and bountiful species. I got this Lake Superior White Fish fresh from Whole Foods on Monday and made it that night. It was one of the best fish meals I've ever eaten. Seriously. Like, so good that I told myself that I could eat it every night. Anyway, here's how I made it:

I chose to bake the fish, but wanted a lot of crunch and flavor, so I added a coating before the breadcrumbs and topped it with a herbed lemon-butter sauce with shallots. I think that the spread on the fish is key to getting a lot of flavor onto the fish but not overwhelming the delicate nature of it.

I beat together: 2 eggs, 2 tbsp Horseradish, 1 tbsp Mayonnaise, Cayenne, Paprika, Salt and Pepper. Then I coated the fish with the mixture.

I then covered the fish with breadcrumbs and baked at 350. I wish I could tell you how long I baked it for, but I waited until it was about 155 degrees and took it out.

While the fish was baking I made the sauce. I melted 2 tbsp of butter and added a little olive oil to the pan along with the shallots. I then squeezed in the juice of one lemon. Once it was aromatic (4 minutes or so), I added a little blend of freshly chopped lavendar, rosemary and thyme. I topped the fish with this and it was so good. Not too heavy and just the right blend of acidity and base.

I served it with boiled red potatoes and steamed carrots. Overall a really great meal.

Beer: Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale

Get it if you can find it! Lagunitas is one of my favorite breweries and has recently released a 9.7% bomber of a beer that is on a very limited release. This link takes you to their virtual taste: Lagunitas Site

The story behind the name is kind of funny because the ATF/FBI thought that they were selling pot out of there brewery (Hops are a close cousin and look similar), but they shut down their operations for a month to investigate. Anyway, the ale is a deep amber in color and is borderline barleywine. It isn't overly bitter and the hops are ever-present, but really heavy on the front-end.

 Pick it up if you can find it, it's been selling out all over Chicago.

Mexican Breakfast

I've been riffing with this one for a while, but the gist is cheese and jalapeno quesadilla's topped with eggs and enchilada sauce.

I made cheddar and jalapeno quesadilla's with corn tortillas.

at the same time I start warming black beans with a shallot and enchilada sauce in a small pot.

I added refried beans to the bottom of the plate and then topped them with the quesadilla.

Spaghetti Carbanara

Rib-Stickin Spaghetti Carbanara. This stuff is so good and delicate if you handle it right. We just had a great Carbanara out at Otto in Manhattan and I thought I would give it a shot.

I started by browning some pancetta in a nonstick skillet.

While the pancetta was going I shredded Parm Reg into a bowl and added 3 eggs and a couple of splashes of milk.

After I boiled the pasta, I removed it with a good amount of the pasta water on it and added it to a bowl with the egg mixture then added the pancetta to mix. I then added a lot of crushed black pepper and served. 

Pozole & Cheese Enchiladas

I decided to make a nice Mexican dinner with the focus on Pozole, a fresh and hearty Mexican soup that dates back to the Aztecs. While I did riff on it a bit, I made sure to stay true using hominy and pork shoulder.

I started with a base of red pepper, onion, kale, garlic and jalapenos.

I added the onions, peppers and garlic to the pot to sweat and then added the kale along with 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and 1 can of diced tomatoes. From there, I let it simmer and cook down for about 2 hours.

During that time I started roasting the pork shoulder at about 250 degrees.

I chopped the pork and added lime to add some citrus flavor and freshness.

Just before serving I tossed in radishes and additional jalapenos.

I made onion and cheese enchiladas with sprouted corn tortillas, which really hit the spot as a side dish instead of the main course .

To make the enchiladas, I warmed the tortillas in some corn oil and then added enchilada sauce to them and stuffed each one with a fair share of onions and cheese, while also adding a piece of kale to each one. I then topped with more cheese and baked at 350.

Rack of Pork with Celery Root Puree & Braised Brocolli Raab

I'm actually pretty amazed that I pulled this one off tonight, since we are all pretty sick around here. I brought the pork out of the fridge about 45 minutes before I seared it on the stove to temper it.

I wanted it to taste really fresh so I made a rub for it in my food processor.

I used the peel from half of a lemon and orange and reserved the juice from the orange to add to the mixture. I added the peel along with half of the onion, some walnuts, sage, thyme, rosemary and garlic to the food processor. I squeezed the orange in and started blending. I then added some olive oil and kept blending, finally adding coarse mustard and a little horseradish.

While I was blending the rub, I seared off the pork rack.

I then peeled the organic celery roots, which have a really unique, almost sweet smell.

After searing the pork, I added the rub and put it in a roasting pan on a rack at 400 for an hour and 15 minutes. I added an orange, garlic and onion to water under the rack in the roasting pan so the juices wouldn't burn and the aroma would be nice.

I let the roast sit for 15 minutes while I boiled the celery root and blended it in the food processor. The meat turned out ridiculously tender and had great flavor. I braised the raab in some water with pepper flakes, wanting to keep it fresh and not flavored with any stock. The celery root puree was really fresh tasting, and the texture went well with the pork, which was very tender. The rub was a nice addition, especially when you would get some of the rind of the citrus on the bites.

The pork was just a little past medium and extremely tender and juicy.

Smoked Whitefish with Garlic Naan and Winter Root Salad

So, I'm moving my menu into the spring even if the weather isn't letting me know we're there yet.

When we were out in NYC at Russ and Daughters the fish monger was going on about how they can't get any 'chubs' out there (among other meanings, chubs are a smoked fresh water fish, commonly from the great lakes). After I made a couple of jokes under my breath and we got back to chicago, I decided to hunt them out. I found them at Dirk's and got a couple on Monday. I was thinking about serving them with bagel's, but that bored me. So, I ended up getting some Garlic Naan. I warmed the naan in my skillet while I sliced shallots and washed the arugula. The whitefish was really delicate and delicious and I can't wait to have it again soon

I served it with a peruvian potato salad I made earlier in the day so it could cool. I added Carrots and Radishes to the salad, which was nice. I topped it with a dressing made of grainy mustard, a little mayo and red wine vinegar. It tasted good, but I was disappointed in how it looked, especially since the potatoes were so vibrant.

Here is how the plate looked when served. Very colorful, delicious and fresh.

Stilton Stuffed Mushroom

As you can probably see from my posts, we enjoy our steak, arugula and mushrooms. It's one of those things that isn't broke, and I don't stray away from the flavors much. However, I really liked this mushroom cap. I took large crimini mushrooms and sauteed them for about 15 minutes in a small amount of butter. I then added some english stilton bleu cheese to them and covered it so the cheese would melt down a bit. It was a perfect savory bite to complement the chianti we were drinking with dinner.

Here it is on the plate with the strip served over arugula:

Germanic Stir-Fry

This is a pretty typical meal that we eat when I don't feel like cooking. Usually it's some sort of lean smoked sausage with cabbage and potentially mac + cheese. This time it was a chicken sausage added to a pan of sauteed cabbage and onions. I add a little creole seasoning for flavor and we eat it with mustard. It looks heavy, but is actually pretty light.

Orecchiette with Walnut Pesto

I think that this took about 20 minutes to make...but it was really satisfying. Orecchiette roughly translates to 'small ear' in Italian and comes from Southern Italy. I decided to serve it with a walnut + basil pesto. To make the pesto, I added basil, parm reg, basil and walnuts to my food processor. Then, slowly drizzled in olive oil until it became emulsified. I then drained the pasta and added the pesto to the pan and tossed it until it was completely covered.

Braised Ox Tails

And yet another combination of braised meat over polenta....but at least the weather is warming, which means that these hearty dishes will be shelved until the fall. This time I used oxtail, and slow cooked it.

Added button mushrooms and browned them before adding the wine and beef stock.

The finished product...

The Green Hit

After a long weekend of travel, we got home Sunday night and this salad hit the spot. Very simple and fresh flavors. Arugula topped with radish, walnut, peas and a medium boiled egg. I made a quick vinegrette with mustard, olive oil, shallot, ginger, rice wine vinegar; essentially putting it in a glass jar and shaking the shit out of it.

topical view - I let the salad sit for a minute, and you can see that it affected the dressing, which looks broken.

Lasagna, Garfield Style

Last Saturday I decided that I was going to make a serious Lasagna so I set off to Whole Foods early in the morning for ingredients and started on my sauce around 11ish. I used Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes in the sauce, which were crushed. I added them to garlic and onion which I had sweated, along with a pinch of sugar and a touch of san marzano tomato paste. I then let it reduce all afternoon. I also sauteed up sausage and added it to the sauce in whole links.

I boiled the noodles and decided that I wanted eggplant in the lasagna, so I started sauteing up thin slices that I cut lengthwise to mimic the lasagna noodles.

To assemble, I splashed some sauce on the bottom of the pan and added my noodles. I topped the noodles with sauce, then a layer of fresh mozzarella and finally some eggplant. I repeated that three times and then shredded parmigiano reggiano on top along with additional mozzarella.  I baked it in the oven for about 45 minutes while we went on a family walk. After letting it sit for 20 minutes we finally dug into what turned out to be the best Lasagna I have made in years, if not ever.

Queso Fresca

So I decided that I was going to start making cheese...and then realized that it was a pretty messy process that took time even to make the quick stuff. I am sure that this is going to continue.

I first added 1 tablespoon of citric acid to a little water and stirred it in. I then added it to 1 gallon of whole milk which was on the burner. I started heating the milk on medium high until it reached 180 degrees. My mistake was that I should have warmed the milk on a different setting while continuously stirring, as it started to brown on the bottom of the pot while I was warming it.

After letting it sit for a little bit, the curds started to seperate from the whey and I was able to scoop them out onto a cheese cloth.

After I squeezed out the excess liquid, I molded the whey onto a plate and added fresh salt. It tasted really fresh and milky, but I could get a hint of the browned milk (which I love in puddings, but not my cheese it turns out).

Pork Chop (from the Butcher and Larder)

So I was very excited to go to a new butcher shop in my neighborhood called the Butcher and Larder, a name I love. When I got there the pickings were pretty slim and it seemed like they were waiting on a truck to arrive. Luckily, the two things that I was looking for were in stock. He hand cut two rib chops for me that I thought looked really good (they were) and he also had fresh pork lard that I had wanted to make some flour tortillas, so the trip was a success.

Although the fat looked pretty cool, I cooked them on medium which didn't allow it to render down at all and it ended up just getting cut off. I cooked them in my cast iron and added the chop to a bed of rapini that I sauteed with hot pepper flakes and reduced with balsamic.