Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Here in our house, we love the warm, creamy comfort that risotto brings to a meal. I think I've said it before, but I don't understand the idea that risotto is a difficult dish to prepare. Folks site the length of time involved or the amount of effort involved in "babysitting" the dish. For me, I am going to be in the kitchen prepping dinner for a good 30 minutes anyway, so what's a little stirring and pouring on the stovetop when I’m already involved in cooking!

So not only do I love that risotto fits into my dinner prep schedule, it is also so versatile! You can have your plain Parmesan version or you can kick it up with artisan cheeses, specialty mushrooms, savory vegetables, smoky meats, or fresh seafood. This chameleon dish is happy to be the star of the meal, or morph into a perfect complimentary side.

With all this adoration, I was pleasantly surprised to find a recipe for sun dried tomato risotto attached to the cap of my Bella Sun Luci bottle! We made it and devoured it- the flavors were fantastic together. It was the perfect addition to the stuffed chicken entree and will definitely be on the menu again soon.


Sun Dried Tomato Risotto
From Mooney Farms, Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomatoes

• 1 Onion, chopped
  
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
  
• 1 C. Risotto (Arborio) Rice
  
• 4-6 C. Chicken Broth, warmed
  
• 1/2 C. Sun Dried Tomatoes (packed in oil), chopped
  
• 1/4 C. Fresh Basil, chopped
  
• 1-2 tsp. Dried Parsley (I didn’t have fresh on hand.)
  
• Salt & Black Pepper
  
• 1/4+ C. Parmesan Cheese, grated

1. In a large saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion starts to become translucent.
   
2. Add in the dry risotto rice. Stir to coat the rice with oil and let it sit for a minute to brown.
   
3. Pour in about 3/4 cups of broth to the pan. Bring to a low boil and stir the risotto. As the liquid starts to absorb, add in the tomatoes, basil, parsley and salt & pepper to taste. Give a good stir.
   
4. Continue to pour in 1/2 to 1 cup of broth and stir until the rice is al dente and creamy. Personally, I pour the liquid in, give it a stir, and then let it sit for a few minutes while it simmers away. I only stir every few minutes, usually in between chopping something else that will go into dinner. When I give a stir and the bottom of the pan is dry, that's when I add in more broth.
   
5. You may not need all of the broth. Other liquids can be used as well such as water or white wine. The stirring will create the creaminess and the slow simmering will make the rice soft and chewable!
   
6. Just before serving, stir in the grated Parmesan until it melts and is thoroughly mixed in.

Cornmeal Crusted "Catfish" & Dirty Rice

Howdy y'all! Tonight I took a trip down the bayou for something to keep us warm on a raw, cold night in the Northeast. Now, I may be mixing my regions and cuisines here, as I am in fact a Yankee. And in the process, I could be offending any lovely loyal readers in the hot and steamy Southeast- if so, I'm sorry! I really did try to make you proud tonight!

I started off on the wrong foot though- I was planning on using the catfish I had in my freezer, but knowing how long it would take to defrost I stopped by the fish counter at Whole Foods to pick up a fresh catch since I was there to buy rice anyway. Well, wouldn't you know they of course had no catfish. So I had to sub in tilapia. Totally not the same flavor, but it was the right texture.

Second mistake, while at Whole Foods I forgot to pick up celery. I might be a northerner, but I know it pretty much ain't Cajun if it doesn't have celery. Shoot, strike 2!

However, I think I earn some points here because in my dirty rice, not only did I use a nice sausage with some heat, but I also bought honest-to-God chicken livers which I chopped and cooked. They were gross. And I still have half a pound in my fridge with no clue what to do with them. (Suggestions as welcomed- leave a comment with some inspiration! Hubby says we should feed them to Tyson the cat.)


Overall, the meal was a big hit! Both the rice and fish really should have been hotter. Some Tabasco would have been great on the fish, but by the time I sat I didn't want to get back up. The fillets cooked up really nice with the crust starting to come off and the rice made a ton and was delicious.

Inspired by Paula Deen and Emeril's recipes

Yankee Dirty Rice

• 2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  
• 1/2 Lb. Chorico Sausage, chopped into small pieces (This is a mid-heat Spanish sausage- other sausage meat could be subbed)
  
• 1/2 Lb. Chicken Livers, chopped (ew!)
  
• 1 Onion, chopped
  
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped
  
• 1 Tbsp. Paprika
  
• 1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder
  
• 2 tsp. Dry Mustard
  
• 1 tsp. Salt
  
• 1 tsp. Black Pepper
  
• 1 tsp. Thyme
  
• 1 tsp. Oregano
  
• 1 tsp. Chili Powder
  
• Dash Cayenne (Next time I'll use 1/2+ tsp.)
  
• 3 C. Cooked, Hot White Rice

1. Heat the oil in a large saute pan or medium pot over medium heat. Add in the sausage and liver, cooking until browned.
   
2. Add in onion, pepper and spices. Cook until the onion and pepper are tender.
   
3. Stir in cooked rice and stir to thoroughly coat.

Cornmeal Crusted "Catfish"
From AllRecipes.com

• 3 Firm White Fish Fillets- preferably Catfish, but Tilapia will do
  
• 1 Egg
  
• 1-2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
  
• 1/2 C. Flour
  
• 1/4 C. Cornmeal
  
• 2 tsp. Chili Powder
  
• 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
  
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
  
• 1 tsp. Oregano
  
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  
• Vegetable Oil for light frying

1. In a shallow bowl or dish, beat the egg with the lemon juice until you have an even consistancy as best as possible.
   
2. In a separate shallow dish, blend the flour, cornmeal, and spices, again acheiving a consistant blend.
   
3. Heat about 3 Tbsp. oil over medium high heat in a large, flat skillet or pan.
   
4. Dredge each fillet in the cornmeal mix first, shaking off any excess. Then dip it lightly through the egg wash and coat it again in the cornmeal, making sure no fish is visible.
   
5. Place each fillet in the hot pan and allow it to cook until the cornmeal batter is crispy and brown. You may experience the batter pulling away from the fish- that's ok, just be careful not to pull it off.
   
6. Flip the fish once to cook and brown the other side. All the fish should be able to be cooked in one pan, but if you are working with a small dish, make sure you allow each fillet enough room, even if that means cooking in batches.
   
7. When fish is cooked through, remove the fillets to a plate with papertowels to drain. Serve hot!

Seafood Paella

To continue our Spanish feast for New Years Eve, we tried our hand at seafood paella. Wow, what a feast- we were SO stuffed! We spared no expense either- we had lots of meats and I bought the ever expensive saffron. It was a perfect team effort- lots of chopping and stirring and timing decisions to be made. Tons of fun!



Seafood Paella

• 2 Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  
• 1 Spanish Churizo Sausage, cut into slices
  
• 1 Onion, chopped
  
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped
  
• 1 Garlic Clove, minced
  
• 2 C. Arborio (Risotto) Rice
  
• 4 C. Chicken Broth
  
• 1/2 C. White Wine
  
• 1/2 tsp. Saffron Threads
  
• 1 Bay Leaf
  
• Salt & Pepper
  
• 1/2 C. Frozen Peas
  
• Shrimp, Clams, Scallops (large and/ or small), Tilapia (or other white fish- about 1/2 Lbs.)

1. In a large stock pot, saute the onions, peppers and garlic in a generous amount (3Tbsp or so) of olive oil until nice and aromatic.
   
2. Add in chicken and chorizo. Saute until almost cooked through.
   
3. Pour in the rice and stir to coat with oil. Pour in broth and white wine, bringing to a boil. As soon as it starts to boil, add in the saffron, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
   
4. Stir the rice occasionally to make it creamy.
   
5. As it the rice starts to get soft, add in the seafood. First add in the tilapia, then the shrimp and clams, and finally the scallops. You don't want to cook any of the seafood too long or it will get tough.
   
6. When the rice is tender, remove the bay leaf and any unopened clams. Stir in the peas. As soon as the peas are warmed through, serve hot.

Butternut Squash Risotto & Apple Scented Pork Chops

Mmmmmm, risotto and baked pork chops make for such a nice warm and hearty meal. Risotto is one of my favorite things to make. Everyone talks about how labor intensive it is, and how difficult... I don't get it. Sure, you can't walk away from it like a crockpot or baked dish in the oven, but I do all my cooking actively standing in the kitchen for at least 30 minutes most nights. So risotto ain't no thing to me! And hubby loves it too, which is an added bonus!

Pork, on the other hand, hubby does not like. He's not totally against it, but it is low on his favorites list and complains about it whenever I make it. So I only make it about 6 times a year. That's about the same amount we eat beef steaks. (We eat lots and lots of chicken and fish and pasta!) But I am off topic... I was in the mood for pork, so I declared we were having it. I thought a nice sweet dish would go well with the risotto.

Goodness it was good...


Butternut Squash Risotto

• 2 Tbsp. Butter or Olive Oil
  
• 1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
  
• 2 Tbsp. Onion, finely chopped
  
• 1 C. Arborio (Risotto) Rice
  
• 1 C. White Wine
  
• 3+ C. Chicken Broth, warmed
  
• 1 C. Butternut Squash, cooked and cubed
  
• 2-3 Tbsp. Parmesan Cheese, grated

1. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion and saute until delicious smelling!
   
2. Stir in rice and coat with oil/ butter and let heat up, about 1 minute.
   
3. Pour in white wine and stir, continuing over medium heat. The wine should start to bubble and soak into the rice. If you do not want to use wine, you may just use the equivalent amount of chicken broth.
   
4. Add in 1/2 C. (or so) of chicken broth and stir. The broth should simmer and slowly soak into the rice. Stir every couple of minutes to make sure the rice is not burning and sticking on the bottom and to make sure there is enough liquid. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, add in another 1/2 C. and repeat the process.
   
5. With around 1 C. of broth remaining, stir in the squash. As the rice finishes cooking, the squash should cook further, getting softer and breaking into tiny pieces with the rice. You will get a lovely orange color and the rice will almost be coated with the squash.
   
6. Continue adding in the broth until the rice is thoroughly cooked through. If you need more broth to get a tender, al dente texture, add more in.
   
7. Just before serving, stir in Parmesan cheese until melted.

Apple Scented Pork Chops
From Allrecipes.com

• 2 Medium Pork Chops
  
• 1 Apple, peeled, cored, and sliced
  
• 1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar
  
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  
• 2 Tbsp. Apple Jack Brandy
  
• 1 Tbsp Butter, cut into smaller pieces
  
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Salt and pepper both sides of the pork chops. Brown both sides in a hot pan on the stove top.
   
2. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.
   
3. In a glass baking dish lined with foil, place apples slices along bottom of pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
   
4. Place browned chops on top of apple slices and pour Apple Jack on top of everything.
   
5. Bake uncovered in oven for about 45 minutes until pork reaches a temperature of 160 internally. Serve warm with cooked apple slices.

Hearty Wild Rice Soup & Rosemary Biscuits

A while back the second round of Homegrown Gourmet was held with the theme being Soups. It was right at the start of autumn and there were some really great looking entries. One caught my eye and I had it saved for a while before I got around to making it. It was Carrie's Wild Rice Soup. (Apparently Northern Wild Rice is the national grain of Minnesota.)

Now, I should tell you that my darling Adam usually turns his nose up when I suggest soup for dinner. He doesn't think it is enough for a full meal. (He seems to have a hollow leg that he fills up every meal!) This recipe however has changed his mind. He LOVED it- I mean, he has brought it up a couple of times since I made it at the start of December saying that I should make it again. This is crazy and a huge compliment to Carrie and her mom, the originator of the recipe!

It helped that I accompanied the meal with rosemary biscuits. Anything with rosemary gets 2 thumbs up from my husband. And you can't say no to biscuits- even the Bisquick variety!


Carrie's Wild Rice Soup
Modified from Carrie's Cooking Adventures

• 3 Tbsp. butter
  
• 1 Tbsp. Onion, minced
  
• 1/2 C. Flour
  
• 4 C. Chicken Broth
  
• 2 C. Cooked Wild Rice
  
• 1/2 C. Carrots, finely grated
  
• 1/2-1 C. cooked chicken
  
• 1 Small Can Sliced Mushrooms
  
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Cashews (chopped)
  
• 1/2 C. Heavy Cream
  
• 1/2 C. Milk
  
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large saucepan or medium stockpot, melt butter over medium-high and saute onions until translucent.
   
2. Mix in flour and stir until smooth. Add in 1 C. chicken broth and whisk over heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. As the mixture thickens, add in the remaining broth and stir. Allow to boil for about a minute.
   
3. Add in rice, carrots, chicken, mushrooms, and cashews. Heat through and let simmer for 5 minutes.
   
4. Stir in cream and milk and heat. If soup is too thick for your taste, add more water or chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to your tastes.

Rosemary Biscuits

1. Using a standard biscuit recipe or Bisquick, prepare biscuits as normal, but add in about 1-2 tsp. of dried Rosemary to the dough.
   
2. Cut with biscuit cutter and bake as usual. Serve hot with butter on the side.

Beet Risotto, Sauteed Mushrooms, & Almost Marsala Chicken

Beet risotto is a menu item that comes up every now and again in our house. We always love risotto- so creamy and cheesy and rich. And we are some of the few people that really like pickled beets from the can. We like them hot, cold, or chopped up in risotto.

I paired this tasty dish with another standard and something I made up and really don't remember what I put in it. The standard was a sauteed mushroom dish- we love mushrooms. The other was a chicken dish that I whipped up. It is kind of like chicken marsala in that is uses marsala wine. Otherwise I just kind of made it up as I went.

That night dinner was delicious. The mushrooms were gone at the end of the night. However, the leftover risotto and chicken were not as good. The risotto was bland and I over nuked the chicken, killing the nice texture it had at first. I'll still make these all again though!


Beet Risotto
Printed from www.kbuxton.com in 2002!

• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil or Butter
  
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
  
• 1 Small Onion, chopped
  
• 1 Can Pickled Beets, finely chopped
  
• 1 C. Arborio Rice
  
• 1/2 C. White Wine or Vermouth
  
• 3+ C. Hot Chicken Broth
  
• 1/4 C. Grated Fresh Parmesan

1. In a medium sauce pan, heat the oil or butter and saute the garlic and onions until soft.
   
2. Pour in rice and stir to coat with oil.
   
3. Add in wine and stir. Wine will evaporate as you stir.
   
4. Add in chicken stock about 1/2 C. at a time, stirring often. The risotto will slowly absorb the broth, cooking and becoming creamy with stirring.
   
5. About halfway through cooking the rice, add in the beets. This adds a wonderful color and lets the beet flavor absorb into the rice as it cooks.
   
6. When rice is tender (may not require all the broth), stir in the cheese until it melts throughout.
   
7. Serve hot with extra Parmesan on hand for grating on the plate.

Sauteed Mushrooms

• 1 Small Package of Sliced Mushrooms
  
• 3 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
  
• 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  
• Olive Oil

1. In a small saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in shrooms, soy, and garlic. Saute until cooked through and aromatic. Serve hot.

Caramelized Marsala Chicken

• 1/2 Red Onion, sliced into thin strips
  
• Olive Oil
  
• 1/2 C. Marsala Wine
  
• 1 1/2 Lbs. Chicken Breasts
  
• 1 tsp. Thyme (I think- maybe it was Rosemary)
  
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook red onions until they are soft and starting to caramelize, about 25 minutes.
   
2. Add in marsala wine and stir. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce wine a little.
   
3. Place chicken breasts in pan and spoon marsala and onion mixture on top of breasts. Sprinkle in the herbs and then cover the pan.
   
4. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 30 minutes, turning occasionally. When turning, be sure to spoon more mixture over the chicken to keep the flavors melting over.
   
5. Serve warm with onions on top of chicken.

Platinum Chef 5- Fish Rice Cakes with Cool Sauce

It's Platinum Chef time baby! This challenge was a tough one. I really like coming up with a 1 dish solution for the ingredients, but this had such a weird set of raw materials, "challenge" was a great way to describe it! Avocado, rice, & basil are a-ok; I know what to do with those. But black beans AND grapes... complicated.

I focused on rice. I made a fish and rice cake that I paired with an avocado sauce. I'm not sure where you might find this in the world, and it needs some tweaking, but I'm pleased with this base. The basil didn't really add much flavor, and the raisins and black beans were a subtle but nice addition to the fish. It did need something extra though- hubby thought tang (orange zest?) and I thought spice (cayenne?). The sauce was perfect though- no changes there! I am going to add some lemon and mint to it and use it for a Greek style sauce tomorrow... But that's another day.


Fish Rice Cakes with Cool Sauce
Fish Cakes

• 1 1/4 C. Sushi Rice (Risotto might also work)
  
• 1 3/4 C. Water
  
• 1 Haddock Fillet (2 might be better)
  
• Chili Powder
  
• 1/2 C. Black Beans, drained & divided
  
• 1/2 C. Raisins, divided
  
• 1 Tbsp. Fresh Basil
  
• 1 Tbsp. Chives (I actually used 4 stems.)
  
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  
• Chili Powder, Dried Basil

1. Cook rice according to directions. Let sit and cool while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
   
2. In a medium saucepan, heat some water with chili powder to boiling. Add in fish and cook until flaky.
   
3. In a food processor, add in fish, basil, chives, 1 Tbsp. olive oil, half of the raisins, half of the black beans, and a couple of spoonfuls of cooked rice. Blend on Chop or Mix mode to just chop the mixture. The rice will turn pasty.
   
4. Roughly chop the remaining beans and raisins.
   
5. In a large bowl, mix together contents of the processor, rice, chopped raisins & beans, and any additional spices desired. I added in additional chili powder and dried basil.
   
6. Form mixture into 3-4" patties that are about 1/2" thick. In a large skillet, heat a little olive or vegetable oil and fry the cakes. Brown on each side, about 3-5 minutes each. Serve warm!

Cool Sauce

• 1 C. Sour Cream
  
• 1 Avocado
  
• 1/2 Cucumber, seeded
  
• 1 Clove of Garlic

1. Chop the avocado, cucumber, and garlic into large chunks.
   
2. In a food processor, puree all ingredients until a smooth consistency is achieved.
   
3. Let sit for a few minutes so flavors can blend.

Tarragon Risotto with Caramelized Onions & Chicken

As can be seen by the lack of posting in the last week, I've been slacking in the kitchen. I just haven't had the inspiration, ya know? I have to get back in the swing, so I opted for risotto tonight. Usually I do mushroom or beet or sweet potato risotto, but I didn't have/ want those things. I searched allrecipes.com for some inspiration and came up with the following meal. The chicken really made the recipe- without it the recipe would be bland, but overall it wasn't super fantastic- just quite good. Next time I might step up the tarragon (fresh rather than dried) and more parmesan.


Tarragon Risotto with Caramelized Onions & Chicken
Recipe inspired by allrecipes.com

• 1 or 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  
• 1 Onion
  
• 2-4 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
  
• Olive Oil
  
• 2-3 Cloves Garlic
  
• 1 1/2 C. Arborio (Risotto) Rice
  
• 1/2 C. White Wine
  
• 5-6 C. Chicken Broth, heated
  
• 1-2 tsp. Dried Tarragon
  
• Dashes of Basil, Thyme, and Black Pepper
  
• 1/4 C. Grated Parmesan
  
• 1/4 C. Frozen Peas

1. Cut chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Put chicken pieces in a microwavable covered container or in a stove top pan, covering meat with water. Cook meat until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes on high if using microwave. Drain and set aside.
   
2. Slice onion into very fine strips. In a small saute pan with 2 Tbsp. olive oil, cook onion over medium heat for approx. 15 minutes to caramelize. Onions will have a nice brown color, but will not be burnt.
   
3. Pour balsamic vinegar onto onions, stirring. Allow to sit until later.
   
4. Crush and chop garlic cloves. In a large saucepan, heat 1-2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat. Add almost all of the garlic to the saucepan to saute. (The remaining garlic can be added to the water to cook the chicken. Sorry, I know that's out of order.)
   
5. Before the garlic burns, add in the rice and stir to coat with olive oil. Turn heat down to medium/ medium-low. Allow to sit for about 1 minute on the heat, stirring often.
   
6. Pour in wine and stir. The wine should simmer and bubble and start to cook off. As the liquid diminishes, pour in chicken broth about 1/2 C. at a time, stirring often.
   
7. Continue to simmer, stir, and add liquid until the rice is al dente & creamy, about 30-45 minutes. Half way through cooking, stir in herbs. Just before finished cooking, stir in chicken and peas.
   
8. When completely cooked, stir in parmesan cheese, getting it melty. Serve hot, adding more parmesan on top if desired.