Month: March 2011

Butternut Squash Risotto

- Elspeth Leave a comment

“Rice is nice…but liquor is quicker!” Today, you get the best of both worlds with some tasty Saffron and Squash Risotto. A touch above easy but nothing too complicated, with a very comforting and creamy result:

I had this all by itself (a horrid thought to you raging carnivores out there) with a lovely glass of wine. Beringer Pinot Noir, if you must know. I don’t know if you’re supposed to have risotto with red, white, or grappa, but this sounded tasty.

I don’t know about you people, but I have always found rice to be a tad intimidating. Perhaps this is because my parents always argued over how to cook it:

“Why are you lifting up the lid? I told you that Grandma NEVER touched the lid until after 20 minutes! Has it been 20 minutes? Well? Has it?”
“I’m just checking to see how it’s going! I’ve never even heard of such a thing! Your mother isn’t always right, you know.”
“Excuse me? She’s a SAINT! How dare you! Your rice is doomed and it’s all your fault.”

You get the point, but they could go on for an hour about that rice. Inevitably, the poor grains didn’t always make it out alive.

It probably didn’t help that we small babes would hover around and check all the pots when my stepdad wasn’t looking. Poor guy didn’t even see it coming.

I’ve now discovered that, for the most part, rice is incredibly easy. And, better yet, you can do so much more than just throw it in a pot with some H2O and wait for your mother to tell you that you’re doing it all wrong!

So come along, friends. Let’s explore this dish without all the yelling.

You will need:

1 onion (Red, white, yellow, whatever your preference)
3 cloves garlic (or more, depending on how many vampires you’re trying to ward off)
1/2 a medium-sized butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads, pummeled into dust with your mortar and pestle
5-6 cups chicken broth
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 c white wine
1/2 stick butter
1.5 c shredded parm
Salt + Pepper to taste

Take your onion…

…show it who’s boss:

Show the garlic, too, while you’re at it. You need to make an example out of these fools or else all the sprouting root things will think they can just walk all over you.

Now, here’s the really crafty part: shred the butternut. So innovative! So creative! So not my idea! Thanks to my friend Lydia, whose Italian heritage gave her a one-up here and who gave me the idea. If the butternut was left in chunks it might not cook enough with the rice or you’d have to cook it separately, which takes all the fun/flavor out of the risotto.

So from this….

(eek!)
To this:
Word of caution: don’t shred the whole squash. The narrow top half wielded almost 3.5 cups of shredded squash, which turned out to be perfect. Any more and you’ll be asking “would you like some rice with your squash?” No bueno.
Throw a heavy-bottomed pot (I used my 5 qt Le Creuset, which was almost too small) with 1/4 c olive oil over medium-high heat. When it’s nice and toasty, toss in the onions and garlic.
Saute for a few minutes until soft, then add the squash.
Continue cooking for a few minutes and add the rice.
Stir until all the juices coat the rice, make a well in the center, and add the wine.
Let it cook off for a few minutes before you slowly add the broth. You want to add enough to just cover the rice, but without giving it everything you’ve got in one go. The idea is to keep it barely submerged until it’s pretty much done.
It should look like this most of the time. You can add the saffron at any time.
You want to keep it on medium heat and stir it very often so the rice doesn’t get any change to stick to the pan. It should take 15-20 minutes to cook through. Give it a taste, and when it’s almost soft enough to be done you want to stop adding liquid but keep the heat on for a few more minutes. You want it to be creamy and very “wet” looking.
If you get concerned and think “Oh golly, is it done? Do I stop cooking? Should I keep going?” Stop having a panic attack and give it a taste. This is your dinner, so just stop cooking when it’s a consistency that works for your taste buds!
Now throw in some butter
And butter’s best friend, cheese:
Give it a good stir so everything gets incorporated and SHAZAM! You’ve got yourself some tasty lovin’.
Enjoy, people of the world. Enjoy.
NOM NOM NOM!

Caesar Salad

- Elspeth 2 Comments

Salad, that is. I know the Ides have passed, but that doesn’t make this salad any less tasty. Plus, it’s another easy recipe that is sure to impress even the most mentally-deficient of your friends. After all, we Italians are always impressive.

So prepare yourselves, earthlings! You’re about to be singing my praises to a chorus of “wham, bam, thank you ma’am.”
As a disclaimer, this dressing may not include raw egg, but it does include the little fishy known as anchovy. So be aware of that before you serve it to your shellfish-challenged friends. You might also want to steer clear of this if you have a romantic evening planned, because you won’t be getting any sugar with this on your palate. No one likes garlic-fish-face.
Here is what you’ll need:
3 cloves garlic or one small shallot (use the shallot if you want a less intense flavor than the raw garlic)
1 T anchovy paste or chopped fillets
1-2 T lemon juice
1-2 t dijon mustard
1/4 c good olive oil
2 large heads romaine lettuce, washed, chopped, and dried
1 cup shredded parm (don’t be lame and get the pre-shredded crap that tastes like cardboard. Get out the box shredder and put your back into it like you’re at a seventh-grade dance that’s pumping Juvenile).
Home-made croutons (recipe follows)
Put the lettuce in your fancy salad bowl with the chez (that’s French for “cheese”. I don’t actually know if that’s true, but it sounds cooler). Set aside.
Mince the garlic and mix in a small bowl with the anchovies, lemon juice, and mustard. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in slow stream.
Toss the dressing into the salad, adding more olive oil if the salad looks dry. Throw on the croutons (after eating several, just to make sure they’re not poisoned) and taste test.
I don’t add salt in this one because of the high content in the anchovies and cheese, but to each their own (you’re the one who’s going to end up with high-blood pressure, but go ahead!).
Croutons:
Any bread you want that’s not a dumb choice. To clarify:
Dumb: Rye, anything with fruit in it, Cinnamon Bread, the 37-day old loaf that has mold on it and can’t even be sawed into smaller chunks that’s still (for some reason) sitting on your counter, or anything sweet.
Tasty: Most sliced breads (whole wheat, white, fiber-filled, etc), day-old loaves or baguettes, challah, etc
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper
I don’t know why people find croutons so intimidating. It’s BREAD. Bread that’s already made and you’re basically toasting it.
Sure, toasters can be a little frightening. Sort of like Barney or a giant dust bunny.
Cube the bread into bite-sized pieces. People tend to go too big with croutons and end up trying to wrap their mouthes around a crispy hunk of bread that is roughly the size of a small boulder. Aim for 3/4 inch square pieces.
If you’re using the spray kind of olive oil then you are on the road to Easyville. Put the croutons in a bowl and spray lightly with the oil until they shine just a tad. 2-3 second spray, shake the croutons around to coat evenly, then spray again. If you’re using a bottle of oil, stream about 2 T into the bowl as your other hand shakes it around. The spray helps distribute the oil evenly, so it’s a nice investment.
Shake some S + P over the croutons and pour onto a baking tray. Bake at 400, stirring every few minutes, until desired brown-ness: about 5-10 minutes.
Make sure you make a big batch, because people flock to the kitchen as soon as they smell this delicious treat. By “people”, I mean me. Mmmmm carbs.
You can also get crafty and add your favorite spice or herb: rosemary, cayenne, cumin, chili flakes. You can even press some garlic and toss it with the oiled croutons.

As usual: NOM!

Lemon Curd

- Elspeth Leave a comment

I know, people. It’s been about six weeks since my last post, and I’m sure you’re all suffering from the loss of my witty diatribes. But try and put yourselves in my shoes– I haven’t eaten since that damn gumbo! It’s been rough. But what better way to wrangle myself out of this pity party than with a nice, comforting batch of….

Lemon curd?
Yes, by Jove! Lemon curd! For those of you without British grandmothers (apologies for what must have been a dull and love-less upbringing) or who are victims of just sheer ignorance, you should know that this curd, this lovely curd, is one of the most beloved treats of yours truly.
Why should you care? Because this is my blog and I say so, that’s why.

For those of you who think: this stuff is so good when I get it from a jar! Why should I bother?
Hmmm, with that logic, why cook at all? Go grab yourself some ground-up cow and a box of your new best friend, Hamburger Helps-you-Vomit, and you’ve got yourself a grand ole’ party for….well, just you, because no one will want to speak to you again.
This recipe, courtesy of Martha with a couple of tweaks by moi, is extremely easy and delicious. I use it for cake fillings (it’s nothing like those gross, grocery-store made lemon cake monstrosities with the corn-starch enriched sugar fest stuffed inside) or folded in with whipped cream for a mousse-like heaven. Perfect in Martha’s Stone-Fruit Trifle (recipe here) or on top of pancakes. Or on a spoon. Or your finger.
So let’s get crack-a-lackin’!
You will need:
1/4 c + 2T granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
2 T bourbon
2 t lemon zest (chopped fine!)
1/4 c + 2 T lemon juice
Pinch salt
6 T butter (embrace the fat, it is your friend)
In a small/medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the sugar, yolks, bourbon, juice, and salt over medium high heat.
Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and let cook for 3-5 minutes.
It will look like bubbling yellow lava. Pass through a strainer into a bowl (this may seem minor, but it makes for a much, much smoother final result).
Add zest and butter, stirring until butter has melted. Place in a shallow bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic onto the top of the curd.
Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Eat directly out of bowl with no utensils (I told you to make it a shallow bowl!)
Or, as I did, put it inside a yellow cupcake and top with lime cream cheese frosting and a candied lime peel:
To answer your question: yes, it was amazing.