Orzo "Risotto" with tomato, mozzarella, and basil

Continuing on my Risotto kick, I made this mostly for Lana for when Joel and I were out of town. this is also from Emeril and since I knew Lana likes all the ingredients, I thought it was a safe bet. Plus since my dad doesn't like anything too exotic, i thought this would satisfy him too.

Ingredients:
3 T Olive oil
1/3 C minced red onion
1 T minced garlic
2 C orzo
4 cups stock heated (I used chicken, but veggie would work too.)
1 t salf
1/2 t pepper
2 C diced fresh tomatoes (I actually just poured in a can of diced tomatoes including the juice.)
1/2 C diced fresh mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 T thinly sliced basil

Directions:
1. cook onion and garlic in hot oil until fragrant ~ 30 seconds. Add Orzo and stir to coat.
2. gradually add the stock in 1/2 cup increments, stirring until all the liquid has been adsorbed before adding more.
3. if using can tomatoes, add in about half way through, if using fresh wait until end and just heat through 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4. add mozzarella and cook until just incorporated 2 to 3 minutes.
5. Garnish with basil and serve.

Broiled Zucchini

This is just Emeril's official take on the way I frequently prepare this veggie - sometimes I add peppers and onions too - depends on what i have on hand. I did like the whole garlic in there, that's something I'll add to my rotation.

Ingredients:
2 pounds zucchini
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 1/2 t salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
4 fresh thyme sprigs

Directions:
1. Position the rack 5 or 6 inches from the broiler and preheat
2. cut zucchini in half lengthwise and then into 6 to 8 pieces each.
3. toss everything together in a bowl to coat well.
4. broil for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until well caramelized.
5. remove thyme sprigs and serve immediately.

Spring Green Risotto

I received mostly positive feedback from this recipe. As with most risottos it does take a while to make if only for the stirring, but it is an easy recipe, especially if you cut everything up beforehand like I did.

I did not cook the asparagus separately like the recipe called for and while I did add the mascarpone cheese, I think it would have been plenty creamy without it. I also used a prepared veggie stock in lieu of the homemade chicken.

Thanks Ina Garten.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1 cup chopped fennel
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 pound thin asparagus
• 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Directions

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

Caramelized Onion, Sausage, and Basil Pizza

So, I happened to catch the pizza party episode of "Giada at Home" over the weekend and got inspired to try her caramelized onion, sausage, and basil pizza. I am pleased to say it did not disappoint! You can find the recipe here.

A lot of the local grocery stores around here sell pre-made fresh pizza dough in their refrigerated section -- it's just as good as the dough you can make from scratch, but you can buy it much quicker than you can make it :) -- so I picked up the dough from Harris Teeter, as well as their store-made sweet Italian chicken sausage to make this. And as a Wisconsin girl, I loves me some cheese, but having just a few gorgonzola crumbles on top for flavor was a nice change of pace. Definitely a good Sunday night treat!

When life hands you a huge loaf of bread...

Last week I went to the farmer's market and saw an incredibly crusty loaf of bread. Yes, it did look a little big, but little did I realize just how huge the thing was until the bread man packaged up my loaf in a shopping bag. Needless to say, I had to stretch the creativity a bit beyond your typical bread and cheese snacks to use up the bread before it went bad. Below is a pictorial adventure of me and the huge loaf of bread.

Of course, to start things off, I sliced into this thing and topped it with Cowgirl Creamery's St. Pat, an Echo Mountain blue, and tomme de Bordeaux.

For breakfast, I made an egg strata. Recipe coming later...

For lunch we topped thick slices with a Nicoise-style tuna salad.

Our final meal with this loaf was a very large panzanella, which we will probably be eating for the rest of the week.

Overall, it was a fun experience, and believe it or not, the bread was still pretty good by day 4.

Fattoush

Much like its Italian counterpart (panzanella), this salad is a great way to use up stale bread, though in this case the bread is flatbread or pita. Though I served this for Greek night, fattoush's roots lie a little farther to the east in Syria.

Much like panzanella, use what you've got handy. Below is the version that I made this particular night.

(As an aside: I discovered that I'm apparently allergic to sumac, so if someone wants a free bottle of it, let me know.)

Fattoush

Ingredients:

Pita bread (about 2 pieces)

1/2 medium red onion

1 English cucumber, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 pint of grape tomatoes, halved (if it's tomato season, use the real deal, diced)

1/2 c. basil, torn

2 T mint, torn

1/4 c. olives (optional)

1 T. capers (optional)

1 tsp sumac (OPTIONAL!!)

olive oil

1-2 tsp red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• If your pita bread is not stale, tear the pita bread into bite-sized pieces. Place the bread on a baking sheet and let it hang out in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or so until it's nice and crispy.
• In a large bowl, combine the pita bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell pepper, red onion, torn herbs to taste and olives, capers, and sumac (if using). Toss.
• Add in red wine vinegar and a decent glug (3 T.) of olive oil. You want to be able to coat the veggies and still have enough dressing for the pita bread to soak up.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• You'll want to let this sit for 15 minutes or so before serving. You want the crispy bread to partly soak up some of the vegetable juices, but still have a good bit of texture.

Tabouleh

Tabouleh is one of my favorite salads. I had it for the very first time on one of our family road trip vacations to California back in the 80s. We had this at a stop in--Oklahoma City--who knew? Tabouleh is perfect for when you want something filling, but you don't want to make a big production in the kitchen. All you need is a bowl, a knife, and a cutting board. (Also a spoon would be handy.)

One of the best things about this salad is you get a healthy dose of your greenery, plus the added bonus of a whole grain. It also keeps for a while in the fridge, so it makes for a great lunch the next day. You can also transform this as a filler for endive leaves for a party appetizer, or wrap it up in a butter lettuce leaf as a low-carb burrito, or even use it as a topping on a veggie patty.

Like pretty much anything I make, you can mix and match the ingredients to go with what you've got on hand or what you're feeling like for the day. For example, some other herbs you could use are marjoram, tarragon, basil, or arugula. One thing that is a must, the greenery must outweigh the bulgur wheat. The salad should be more green than tan.

Tabouleh

Ingredients:

1/2 c. bulgur wheat

1 c. boiling water

2 lemons

1 bunch of parsley

1 c. mint leaves

1 English cucumber

grape tomatoes, halved

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

• In a heatproof bowl, mix bulgur wheat and boiling water. Cover and let sit.
• Meanwhile, chop the cucumber into a small, bite-sized dice. And finely chop the parsley and mint.
• Once the bulgur has absorbed all of the the water, zest one of the lemons into the bulgur.
• Halve both lemons and squeeze the juice over the bulgur. Add a healthy pinch of salt, several grinds of pepper, and a tablespoon or so of olive oil. Toss well to combine.
• Add in herbs, cucumber, and tomatoes. Gently toss and taste for seasoning. You may need to add more salt.

You can either serve this as is, or it will hold for a while at room temp.