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.

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.

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.

Thai Veggie Wraps with Fried Rice

I've been spending one day each week this year eating only vegetarian meals. I don't spend much time planning the veg meals and they just seem to happen. Because we had a vegetarian friend over for dinner, I decided to spend a little more time. I know that there is shrimp on the board, but I only added it to Abby's wraps.

I used Thai wraps that I get at my Asian food store and have to soak in cold water for a couple of minutes to get them to be pliable so I can use them. The ingredients I used in these particular wraps brought a lot of crunch and heat. In order: Mint, blanched green beans, diakon radish, kumquats, ginger, jalapeno, carrots, fennel bulbs, scallions and a little touch of basil. I served them with two sauces, one hot chili and the other sweet chili.

I enjoy fried rice a lot but don't order it out much. I prepare mine with soy sauce, sambal, scallions, ginger, and a dash of fish sauce. I also use an egg to bring it together. The flavors complemented the wraps well and made the meal feel more fulfilling.

Kale to the Chef

I recently made a dish that I couldn't get out of my head. I kept boring my friends about it and so I decided to make enough of it that I would become sick of it and be left with no choice other than to give it a rest. The dish? Braised Kale with Pancetta.

I browned the Pancetta and Danish Bacon with the shallots and half of a white onion. To that I added the chanterelles and cooked until they browned. I then added a little chicken stock to scrape the fond off of the bottom of the dutch oven. I then added the Kale and hot peppers and covered with chicken stock. I cranked it up to high for about 10 minutes and added the cannelinni's at the end to finish.

Caprese Supreme

I caught the last farmers market of the year last week and was lucky enough to catch some great tomatoes, including some Chocolate Cherry Tomatoes. Unfortunatley, they do not taste like chocolate, but they were great. I added some balsamic and olive oil and some freshly pulled Mozz.

Here is a picture of one of the cherry tomatoes without any lighting enhancements: 

I've got an App for that

This past Christmas I was given three (yes, three) mushroom related gifts. Black truffles, truffle salt, and grow your own crimini's. It caused me to reflect on not only who I was, but who people thought I was. It turns out, there isn't much hiding behind my love of mushrooms. I used the chanterelles two nights ago for one of the best apps I have ever made.

I split the mushrooms in half and sauteed them in butter and added a pinch of salt at the end. I then plated them with one of my favorite cheeses, Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog. I added lavender for a touch of freshness (which really elevated the dish) and dotted some of my good and thick aged balsamic. I'll be making this again soon...