Asparagus Risotto with Lemon and Peas

adapted from a recipe from Mario Batali

Asparagus Risotto with Lemon and Peas

Time: 45 minutes

1 pound asparagus, peeled, trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces, tips reserved
6 to 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 package frozen peas (fresh if they're in season!)
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup chopped basil
10-15 sage leaves
2 1/2 cups Arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
Salt to taste
about 2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus stalks and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Rinse quickly under cold water. Put cooked asparagus in a blender or food processor and add just enough water to allow machine to puree until smooth; set aside. (mbc note: i pureed them raw- admittedly i wasnt reading this recipe while i cooked)

2. Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.

3. Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time stock has just about evaporated, add more.

4. After about 15 minutes, add remaining asparagus pieces and tips, basil, sage, and peas, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. When it does, stir in 1/2 cup asparagus puree. Remove skillet from heat, add lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Risotto should be slightly soupy. Serve immediately.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Corn Bisque and Lime Cream

Hi! I'm one of Karen's friends from vet school and I brought this soup to a recent potluck. I didn't serve the lime cream then because the sour cream I bought was spoiled, but the soup is plenty good without it.
Adapted from "A New Way to Cook"

Corn Bisque
2-3 tbsp peanut oil, preferably Spectrum brand
2 med yellow or Vidalia onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
30oz cooked corn, either fresh or frozen
2 dried red chiles, crumbled
1/2 ancho chile (optional)
2-3 tsp toasted cumin seeds
2 c. veggie broth
2 tbsp parsley or cilantro
2 c. 2% or whole milk

Lime Cream:
1/2 c. sour cream
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro or parsley
1 tbsp chopped chives or scallions
1/4 tsp salt, to taste
1/4 tsp sugar
1-3 tbsp lime juice, to taste
pepper to taste
1 lime, sliced into wedges

Corn Bisque: Saute chopped onion in peanut oil until translucent and lightly browned. While the onions are cooking, mash the garlic cloves with salt. Once the onions are done, add the corn, both kinds of chilies, the cumin seed, and the veggie broth. Cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off burner and let sit until cool enough to puree in food processor, or use immersion blender. Puree 3/4 - all of the soup depending on desired consistency, adding parsley/ cilantro to the portion to be pureed. Add the milk, taste and adjust salt, and heat gently until warmed through. For the Lime Cream, just mix all ingredients together, and serve on top of soup.

Winter Squash Lasagna with sage, walnuts and black kale

This was great. Kind of dairy heavy... but the kale was a great addition. This is from Deborah Madison's cookbook. It is especially good on a cold fall evening :)
hope you kittens are well!
love, kareni

ingridients:
3.5c milk
aromatics: 1 garlic clove, 1 slice onion, 1 bay leaf, 1 parsley sprig
1 large butternut squash (3lbs or less)
4 plump garlic cloves
20 or so sage lleaves
packed .5c parsley leaves
.25c olive oil
1 large onion cute into squares
1 c lightly toasted walnuts or hazlenuts finely chopped
sea salt and ground pepper
1.5 Tbs butter
3.5 Tbs flour
1 8 oz package no boil lasagne noodles
1c grated gruyere cheese
1c freshly grated parmesan cheese
3 bunches black kale
pinch of red pepper flakes

1. butter large baking dish and preheat oven to 375F. in a small pot heat the milk w aromtatics and when its nearly boiling, cover the put, turn it off and let it stand
2. peel squash and chop into .5 inch cubes. chop 2 cloves of garlic and the sage and parsley. heat olive oil in skillet add the sqyash... cook until they are a little softened. Add the onions and continue cooking until squash is tendor. reduce heat and continue to cook until slightly caramelized. add garlic and herb mixture. cook a few more minutes then turn off heat. add s and p to taste
3. melt butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. reheat the milk and pour it thru a strainer into the roux....while wisking briskly! turn heat low and wait until it thickens (like 15 min) season w s and p to taste.
4. spread .5c sauce onto baking dish and lay 3 noodles over it. cover with half the squash mixture, 1c of sauce, half the gruyere and a third of the parmesan. repeat and then add the third layer of noodles. spread remaining sauce and top with parmesan. tent with foil. bake for 30 min, then remove foil and continue to bake until bubbly and golden (20 min longer). remove from oven and let rest while you cook the kale
5. strip kale from ropy stems. cut into .5inch strips. head oil and garlic. when oil is golden add the kale
add some crushed red pepper flakes. and some salt, toss in the pan and coat with oil and then add 2 c of water (I added much less then this, and there was still too much water.. i would say go with .75c) cook until it is as tender as you like it!
6. lay kale on plate and top with cheesey bubbly goodness :)


enjoy!

Pao de Queijo - Brasilian Cheese Bread

I made this last night and they came out excellent as usual. It made 20 small cheese breads. The picture I am including was not taken by me....it's from the web. But mine looked sort of like this, but even better. These are so easy to make and so delicious!

2 cups manioc flour (can be found at any Asian or Brasilian market...it's super inexpensive, I buy a Vietnamese brand)

1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (can also use canola oil, or combination of the two)
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated parmesan cheese or other hard cheese....stronger cheese is really nice. Adding more cheese doesn't hurt either...the cheesier the better.
2 eggs

Mix milk, salt and butter in a pot, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, then add the manioc flour. Then add the cheese and eggs, kneed with your hands or spoon until it's smooth, then form balls (depending on how big you want the small breads to be) with your hands. Cook on greased baking sheet at 400 degrees until they are lightly browned and crispy on top, about 15-20 mins. Serve right away. They are delicious.

I personally love the texture of bread made with manioc flour, and ate lots of pan de yuca in Ecuador when I was there last year (same idea, but without the cheese).

Spicy Coconut Sweet Potato Soup with Collard Greens, Crispy Tempeh Strips, and Jasmine Rice

Hey guys,

Folks asked for this one a long time ago- I made it at my house this spring. It's from my favorite cookbook- Fresh Food Fast, by Peter Berley and Melissa Clark.

This menu can easily be made vegan (scrap the butter) and gluten-free (pick wheat-free tempeh and perhaps check the coconut milk?... those are the only really processed ingredients.)

Enjoy!

-Brigid


Spicy Coconut Sweet Potato Soup with Collard Greens

Serves 4

2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion (about 2 medium)
2 tsp coarse salt
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small jalepeno pepper with seeds, minced
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and ground or 1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
1 small bunch collard geens, tough stems removed, and leaves cut in half along the rib, and then crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
lime wedges
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, for garnish

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, and saute until softened, for 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the sweet potato, garlic, jalpeno, ginger, coriander, and turmeric, and saute for 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of water, the coconut milk, and 2 teaspoons of salt, raise the heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

3. Add the collard greens to the soup and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add a bit of water if the soup is too thick.

4. Ladle the soup into 4 wide soup plates, and top with a spoonful of jasmine rice and several crisy tempeh strips. Squeeze lime over and sprinkle with cilantro.


Crispy Tempeh Strips

Serves 4

2 (8 ounce) packages of soy tempeh, cut into 3 x 1/4 inch strips
2 cups neutral oil, such as canola or sunflower
Coarse salt

In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the oil until hot but not smoking. Fry the tempeh in batches (don't crowd the pan) until golden-brown, about 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt


Jasmine Rice

Serves 4

2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
1 Tbs unsalted butter (optional)
1 tsp coarse salt

1. in a medium saucepan over high heat, combine rice, butter, and salt with 3 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Stir the rice once, reduce heat, and cover the pan.

2. Cook until the water is absorbed and the rice begins to stick on the bottom, about 18-20 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork, and serve.

more like a question then a recipe- per se....

hi friends-

I am writting to solicit advice on behalf of my mother. she really likes brocolli rabe- but complains that everytime she makes it, it turns out bitter. do you asian cuisine-savvy folks have any advice??

lovelove- your poop4eva
ive been hanging out w a lot of 20year olds.. what can i say-- they rub off on me :)

k

Lemon Chicken

Melissa and I invented this recipe and it turned out really well. It was great alongside the disappearing zucchini orzo.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts (pounded and cut into thirds)
1 cup flour
a few pinches salt
10 grinds of the pepper
several pinches of fresh thyme (dried would work too)
A few tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup (or maybe more) white wine (we used Riesling)
2 lemons, thinly sliced
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 pinch herbs from Provence (or else just more thyme)
more salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter
a few pinches of Hungarian paprika

Directions: Mix flour, pepper, salt and thyme in small dish. Coat pounded chicken with flour mixture, then sautee in the olive oil in a deep pan. Once the chicken is browned, add shallots, wine and lemons. Add herbs, more salt and pepper and butter, then cover and let simmer for several minutes (10 or so). Then add paprika and serve. Lemon rinds should be tender enough to eat by this point, and chicken should be fully cooked.

Disappearing Orzo Photos

Here are some photos of the zucchini orzo before and after it disappeared! It was really good.

Disappearing Zucchini Orzo

This is adapted from Barbara Kingsolver's recipe from her new book Animal Vegetable Miracle

Ingredients:
1 lb orzo pasta
Bring 6 cups water or chicken stock to a boil and add pasta. Cook 8 to 12 minutes
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
4 large zucchini
olive oil for sauté
thyme
oregano
¼ cup grated parmesan or any hard yellow cheese (or more to taste)
1 tbsp butter (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Use a cheese grater or mandoline to shred zucchini, sauté briefly with garlic until lightly golden.
Add spices to zucchini mixture, stir thoroughly, and then remove mixture from heat.
Combine with cheese and cooked orzo, salt to taste, serve cool or at room temperature.

Spanekopeta

Kyle and I made this Spanekopeta recipe for the chowhound picnic, and it came out really well. The recipe comes from my grandmother - not sure where or when she got it, but it's a family favorite. My aunt serves it every Christmas.

It takes a while to prepare - Kyle and I spent about 2 hrs working together to prepare the pies, then we froze them. They bake for about 1 hr and 15 minutes when frozen.

I took some pictures, which I will try to add to this post when I load them to my computer.

Spanakopeta

from Judy Pistrang

1/2 lb. phyllo dough (cut 1 lb. package in half)

2 packages frozen spinach, leaf or chopped (I like to use one of each)

2 T olive oil

1 medium grated onion

1 T dried dill

1/2 lb. feta cheese, crumbled

2 T grated romano cheese (or parmesan cheese)

2 T large curd cottage cheese

1/2 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 stick butter, melted

1 egg for glaze

Thaw phyllo dough according to package.

Saute onions in oil until wilted. Add frozen spinach to onion and cook together until defrosted. Cool. Add dill.

Beat 2 eggs well. Add baking powder, feta, cottage cheese and 2 T romano or parmesan.

Combine spinach and cheese mixtures.

Butter 13 X 9 inch pan. Construct Spanakopeta as follows:

Layer 5- 6 sheets of phyllo in pan, overlapping each other, covering the sides of the pan (overlap 1 inch over sides of pan). Brush each sheet with melted butter. Put half of spinach/cheese mixture in pan, spread evenly, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Repeat with 5 or 6 more phyllo sheets, brushing with butter. Spread rest of spinach/cheese mixture, sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Top with rest of phyllo sheets, brush with butter. Fold sides over to seal. Brush with one beaten egg.

With sharp knife cut diagonally into 3 to 4 inch squares.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes, until brown. May be frozen and baked for 1 hour at 350.

Chocolate Coconut Pudding

from Heidi Swanson at 101cookbooks.com

Coconut Chocolate Pudding Recipe

September 4, 2007 | by Heidi

1 14-ounce can of coconut milk (lite is fine), divided
3 tablespoons sugar
scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup arrowroot powder, sifted
1 teaspoon raz el hanout spice blend or curry powder, (optional)
3 tablespoons alkalized dutch-cocoa powder, sifted (be sure to check the label- non-alkalized will not set!)
1 3.5-ounce bar semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flakes, toasted in a dry skillet

Shake the can of coconut milk vigorously for a few seconds. In a heavy saucepan bring 1 1/4 cups of the coconut milk, sugar, and the salt to a simmer over low heat.

While that is heating, in a separate bowl whisk together the remaining coconut milk, arrowroot powder, spice blend (or curry powder), and cocoa powder.

When the coconut milk and sugar mixture has started simmering take about 1/4 cup of it and whisk it into the arrowroot mixture, creating a slurry. Now whisk the arrowroot slurry mixture into the simmering pan of coconut milk. Keep whisking until the pudding comes back up to a boil and thickens up a bit, about a minute.

Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the chocolate and vanilla. Keep stirring until the pudding is smooth. Place in a refrigerator to chill thoroughly. To prevent a skin from forming press plastic up against the surface of the pudding. Serve dusted with the coconut flakes and a tiny pinch of spices (or curry powder).

Serves four.