Butternut Squash Ravioli
Okay. It's officially Fall. Time for squash.
Butternut squash is a favorite because you can do absolutely anything with it - from sauces to soups and everything in-between.
Tonight's squash became a sauce for butternut squash ravioli. I had been thinking about this all day and since I was getting off earlier than usual, I thought I'd also bake a loaf of bread and make a nice dessert... I made the nice dessert. I didn't bake the bread - and I'm actually glad I didn't. Dinner was rich enough without it.
The sauce took no time after roasting the squash. And the squash only took 30 minutes in the oven. I peeled it, cut it into cubes, drizzled some olive oil and sprinkled with salt & pepper. Onto a sheet pan and into a 400° oven for 30 minutes.
For the sauce itself, I sauteed about a half-cup of diced onions in a pat of butter. When they were translucent, I added the cooked squash and a handful of chopped walnuts. I then added a cup of heavy cream and started breaking up the squash a bit. I then added about a half-container of Boursin cheese. I was originally going to do a butternut and sage sauce, but the cheese was there. As the sauce thickened, I added some water. Probably a full cup over the course of the cooking.
Next went in about 4 ounces of arugula. I just stirred it in and let it wilt. Next went the drained ravioli.
Not counting the 30 minutes of squash-roasting (I checked my email while it was cooking) dinner took 10 minutes to put together.
And I had the time to make dessert using one of my Adluh mixes!
Not bad at all.
Babalu
Yes, we're singing Babalu along with Ricky, tonight!
I decided something different was in order tonight. Something vaguely Cuban. I had sampled a pre-made Pork Masitas and thought I could come up with something that would probably not be really authentic - but would probably taste okay. The two flavors I knew I needed were citrus and garlic. Cumin was another logical choice and after doing a quick Google-search to see if I was on the right path, I added Mexican oregano, as well.
The seasonings were done. I needed citrus. I decided to go for it and used oranges, lemons, limes. Can't have too much citrus, right? And Cuba and Bacardi go hand-in-hand, so I added a bit of Bacardi rum. And then, because I like spice, I added a bit of Matouk's Calypso Sauce. I know, I know... Calypso Sauce is from Trinidad and Tobago. That's why I said "vaguely Cuban."
I started off with about a pound and a half of cubed pork from the end of a loin. It was fairly fatty. I marinated it over night in the following:
Marinade
- Juice of:
- 2 oranges
- 2 limes
- 2 lemons
- 2 tbsp Bacardi Rum
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp Matouk's Calypso Sauce
- salt and pepper, to taste
I removed it from the marinade and heated some olive oil in a heavy skillet with a lid.
The pork went in and I covered it, turned the heat way down, and let it braise for about an hour. It created almost a cup of liquid that I (eventually) pulled out and used to cook the rice and beans.
When the pork was tender, I drained it and put it back into he skillet with some olive oil. I then browned the meat while making the rice.
The rice was 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 cup of white rice, and 2 cups of liquid - the liquid from the pork and the remainder tap water. And a pinch of cumin, oregano, and salt. Cooked for 20 minutes.
Plantains would have been more authentic, but I didn't have plantains, so I used a couple of slightly-green starchy bananas. I fried them in the same pan as the pork. Real plantains would have been better. These worked.
The flavors all worked well together. It was just off-beat enough. Not exactly an authentic family dish, but close enough that I have Babalu echoing in my head.
And speaking of Babalu... I had to look it up. Who knew that it was a tribute to a god?!? " Millions of Americanos tuned into I Love Lucy, and most of them probably didn't realize that Ricky Ricardo's signature song was a tribute to an Afro-Cuban god. "Babalu," written by Cuban composer Margarita Lecuona, is about Babalu-Aye, one of the seven main gods of the Afro-Cuban religion Santeria. It was first recorded by Cuban vocalist Miguelito Valdes in 1941."
I love it!
Butternut Squash Risotto
It's an Almost-Fall day. A slight chill in the air. An absolutely-perfect A perfect day to make risotto. But since it is Almost-Fall, a butternut squash risotto seemed appropriate.
I love risotto. The creamy goodness is the epitome of comfort-food. And you can literally put anything in it - from seafood to sausage, and any and every vegetable known to mankind. And they're easy to make - 20-25 minutes start to finish. Real food on the table in 20 minutes without microwaving some processed food-thing.
Perfection.
Butternut Squash. Another perfect food. Roasted, baked, boiled, mashed, cubed, sweet, savory, soup, stew... The uses are endless as are the flavors it can take.
We'll be seeing more of it this fall. For tonight's risotto rice, I used carnaroli, but arborio will work just fine...
Butternut Squash Risotto
- 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup risotto rice (arborio, carnaroli, vialone nano)
- 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 6 cups hot chicken broth (or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian)
- garlic powder
- sage
- salt and pepper
Coat cubed squash with olive oils, and sprinkle with sage, garlic, and salt and pepper. Place on sheet-pan in 425° oven for about 25 minutes. Set aside.
Saute onion, mushrooms, bell pepper and garlic in 2 tbsp butter a risotto-style pan. (We use a heavy 30-year old Le Creuset braiser.) Cook until vegetables are wilted and fragrant.
Add 1 cup rice and continue sauteing until rice is slightly translucent. Add 1 cup broth and stir until most of broth is absorbed. Continue stirring and adding broth until about 3/4 has been added. Add tomatoes.
Add roasted butternut squash, mashing some with spoon as you stir.
Continue adding broth until rice is tender.
Stir in parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if necessary.
I was rich, filling, and filled the house with the scents of autumn.
Perfect for the first cool night of the season.
I'm ready.
Oh. And yes, the stove-top is dirty. It's always dirty. It's the down-side of cooking at home every night.
Oh well.
Savory Pies
Back in the '60s (I think) Bisquick came out with their "Impossible Pies." It may have been longer than that, but I remember my mom making them when we were kids. It's a pretty basic concept - a filling of sorts is put into a pie plate and a Bisquick batter is poured over it and baked. The batter forms a crust on both bottom and top - Impossible!
I haven't bought a box of Bisquick in years - but I usually have a good baking mix - without partially-hydrogenated soybean oil - on the shelf. I decided it was time to use it for something other than pancakes.
I headed over to Mom's Cook Books and found several recipes that were fun. I played around with them a bit and came up with a variation of the Cheeseburger Pie and the Vegetable Pie.
Impossible Beef and Vegetable Pie
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup mixed vegetables
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup baking mix
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 3 eggs
Butter a 10" pie plate and set aside. Pre-heat oven to 400°.
Brown beef and onions. Add vegetables and heat through. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Place cooked meat and vegetables in buttered pie plate. Top with shredded cheese.
Mix baking mix with milk and eggs in a blender or mixer. Pour evenly over meat and vegetables. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Tons of childhood memories in every bite!
That was last night.
Tonight I decided I wanted Chicken Pot Pie.
I planned on cheating and buying a crust since I have a bazillion programs to load onto the newest computer - but I forgot.
Eh... It didn't take long to make one from scratch - and it really was a good one!
Pie Crust
- 2 cups flour
- 1/3 cup pastry/cake flour
- 2 sticks butter, frozen
- pinch salt
- 1/2 cup ice water
Using a food processor, add flours and salt. Pulse to mix.
Chop up frozen butter and add. Pulse until butter is incorporated and mixture looks grainy.
Slowly add ice water and pulse until mixed.
Turn out onto counter. Press and form mixture into two disks . Wrap in plastic and refrigerate about an hour to allow the flour to properly absorb the water and to relax the gluten.
Roll out crust and place in pie plate. Crimp edges and fill.
Total simplicity. Really. I'm glad I forgot to buy the crust. This one really is superior to a store-bought.
I made the filling with chicken breasts, onions, garlic, a chopped potato, a couple of carrots and celery stalks and a cup of frozen mixed vegetables. I used salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and French herbs added some chicken stock and thickened it all with flour and water.
Into the crust it went, topped with another and baked at 400° for about 30 minutes.
It was just what the weatherman ordered! And really quick and simple to pull together quickly so I could do all the fun computer-related things I needed to do.
I'm looking forward to Fall.
Vanilla Pound Cake
I am just having so much fun with all of this flour! Every day is just a new reason to make or bake something.
I'm still doing my experiments and I'm still working on The Classics. I do think that a products true quality lies in how simply it can be used. And simplicity really is the key. I've heard that French restaurants will test a prospective cook by making them roast a chicken. If you can't do the basics well, you'll never be able to master the complex.
So back out came Baking With Julia. I really liked the series when it ran on PBS and the recipes are written well. Not to mention the variety of recipes - from pound cake to wedding cake - and so much more.
I followed the recipe as written except I played with the flour. It calls for 3 cups of all-purpose flour so I used 11 ounces (about 2.25 cups) of Daisy pastry flour and 5.5 ounces (1.125 cups) of Daisy bread flour. There is a bit of an adjustment for using the Daisy flour by volume. I also used Irish butter, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, and organic eggs. What the hell. Quality In - Quality Out.
My ratio was perfect. The cake was moist with a rich buttery-vanilla flavor. The kind of flavor that could have one sneaking into the kitchen to keep slicing off thin wedges - over-and-over. Just dense enough without being too heavy and a perfectly browned - and tender - crust.
I really could eat this one all night.
A few hints... Make sure your ingredients are all at room temperature and you sift your flour. Also, take the time the recipe calls for. Whip the butter and sugar for 5 minutes. Take a full four minutes to add the eggs. It really does make a difference. Cooking is an art and baking is a science. You really do need the proper ratio of tenderizers (sugar and butter) to proteins (flour and eggs) and you need to take the time to properly emulsify the butter, sugar, and eggs before adding the milk and flour. It really will make a huge difference.
Vanilla Pound Cake
From Baking with Julia
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature, whisked to blend
- 1 cup milk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan or other 12-cup decorative pan with a center tube.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together onto a sheet of waxed or parchment paper; reserve.
Put the butter into the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or work with a hand-held mixer) and beat at medium speed until smooth. With the machine running, add the sugar in a steady stream. Stop the machine and scrape down the paddle and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Continue to beat at medium speed until the mixture is very light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes.
With the mixer still at medium speed, begin to add the eggs in small additions, about a tablespoon at a time. If the mixture becomes watery or shiny, stop adding the eggs and beat at an increased speed just until it smooths out. When the batter has come together again, decrease the speed to medium and continue adding the eggs, scraping down the paddle and sides of the bowl from time to time; it will take 3 to 4 minutes to incorporate the eggs. The mixture is properly combined when it appears white, fluffy and increased in volume.
Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture and the milk alternating-4 additions of flour, 3 of milk-scrapping the paddle and bowl frequently and mixing until the batter is smooth after each addition. Add the vanilla and mix just to blend
Baking the cake. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert the cake onto a rack, remove the pan, and cool to room temperature. The cake is best served in very thin slices.
Storing. The cake can be covered at room temperature for about 3 days or wrapped airtight and frozen for a month. Keep in mind that stale pound cake is excellent lightly toasted and used as the based for ice cream sundaes.
I don't think this cake will be around long enough to have to think of freezing any of it.
Cybil's Birthday and Tuscan Chicken
Today is Cybil's 9th Birthday!
Well... Actually, it's her Adoption Day. (Shhh! Don't tell her - she doesn't know she was adopted!) 8 years ago we found her at the Chester County SPCA. We didn't even notice her the first time we walked through - she was curled up in a ball in the back corner of the cage shivering. The most pathetic thing I have ever seen.
The aid put a leash on her and brought us outside to a small area where dog and person can get to know one another. Victor sat on the bench and I sat down on the curb. She walked over to me, laid down and put her head in my lap.
That was all she wrote.
We filled out the paperwork, paid the fee, and she jumped in the back of the car - somehow knowing she had scored big-time.
Driving home, we started thinking of names. She had been picked up as a stray on the streets and they had named her "Sparkle." We were not going to make her go through life with a name like that. She needed something that suited her regalness. Since she is part German Shepherd and part Border Collie, we decided "Cybil Shepherd Dineen Martorano" was a perfectly-fitting name. And she definitely approved.
This is our little girl the first day we had her at home. A skinny little runt about a year old - maybe. It's hard to remember her being so little.
Fast-forward 8 years and she has us wrapped around her little paws. It's not a bad thing.
For her birthday dinner, I grilled her a steak. She usually gets a bit of our dinner after we eat but once a year she gets her own. No leftovers on Birth(Adoption)Days!
While her steak was cooling, we ate our dinner. It was a concept from the October 2010 edition of Cooking Light Magazine.
I played with it a bit. I used boneless, skinless breasts for the whole chicken, 4 oz of diced speck (a type of prosciutto) for the bacon, arugula for the spinach, and cherry tomatoes from the yard for the canned diced tomatoes. I also used pinto beans because (horrors!!) I didn't have any cannellini beans in the cabinet. And I served it over polenta. Otherwise, it's just like the recipe!
Tuscan Baked Chicken and Beans
Ingredients
- 1 (3 1/2-pound) roasting chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 slices center-cut bacon
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups packed torn spinach
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 (16-ounce) cans cannellini or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Cut chicken into 2 breast halves, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook bacon in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan; chop and set aside, reserving drippings in pan. Add chicken pieces to reserved drippings in pan; cook for 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; set aside.
- Add onion and 1/8 teaspoon salt to pan; reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in bacon, spinach, rosemary, beans, and tomatoes; remove from heat. Arrange chicken pieces on top; bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40 minutes. Discard skin before serving.
Peg Palmasano, St. Michaels, Maryland, Cooking Light October 2010
We both ate about a third of our chicken breasts and scarfed up everything else! The meal would have been perfect without the chicken! But that's okay. Victor and Cybil have lunch tomorrow while I'm at work.
I thought about a birthday cake for Cybil and decided some special dog-friendly treats would be more appropriate.
We'll have brownies, later...
Veal Chops and Yet Another Computer
Third time's the charm!
So... what are the odds of getting two computers within 4 days that had identical problems? While I have no idea what the actual odds might be, the folks at MicroCenter came through with flying colors. "We will make this work for you." is what they told me - and they did. It's nice to see that sort of customer service - it's been a while since I've experienced quite that level.
I now have to install all of those programs for the third time in a week. The little robot at Microsoft is really tired of me calling, I'm sure. I know I'm tired of calling it.
But it matters not, really. The computer is running, I can get back to playing Scrabble, and taking pictures of dinner.
I had a couple of veal chops - veal porterhouse, actually - and wanted to do something other than grill them. I started leafing through some old Bon Appetit magazines that are still around cluttering up the house and found a recipe for Basil-Crusted Veal Chops. We just happen to have lots of fresh basil so I gave it a whirl.
It was g-o-o-d! One of the most simple recipes imaginable - but loaded with flavor! The basil-crust would be perfect on any number of things - from chicken to fish. The one ingredient that took it from ordinary to extraordinary was just a bit of seeded Dijon mustard. I'm definitely going to keep it around.
Basil-Crusted Veal Chops
- 1/4 cup minced fresh basil
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
- 1/4 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons coarse-grained mustard
- 2 8-ounce veal loin chops (each about 1 1/2 inches thick)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix basil, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, Parmesan, butter and mustard in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Pat veal chops dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add veal. Cook until brown, about 1 minute per side. Remove from heat. Press basil mixture onto top of veal chops. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon remaining breadcrumbs over each. Roast in oven until cooked to desired doneness, about 15 minutes for medium-rare.
My chops were much thinner (maybe 3/4") so I cooked them at 425° for about 10 minutes. They came out medium rare and juicy.
The potatoes were baked with fresh rosemary, garlic, and olive oil. The baby broccoli was steamed and then drizzled with melted butter mixed with balsamic vinegar.
Simple but effective.
The veal chops really did come out good. The crumb top really has a lot of flavor.
So... time to start installing more programs. Hopefully, this will be it for a loooooong time!
New Computers and Baked Ravioli
Hiding under that sauce and cheese are ravioli - cheese and spinach ravioli. Big cheese and spinach ravioli. In a sauce of tomatoes, fresh green peppers, peas, garlic, and ground beef. An out-of-this-world sauce of tomatoes, fresh green peppers, peas, garlic, and ground beef.
Ya know that brand-new computer I got on Thursday? On Friday it wasn't working very well. On Saturday it was worse. Today it went back and in less than 3 minutes - no hassle, no fuss, no raising my voice - I had a brand-new one - again. Thank you, MicroCenter!
So... I spent the day installing updates, programs, and peripherals on my new machine. It's a bit of a speed-demon. I think I'm going to enjoy it.
Victor, taking pity on me (and knowing if he wanted to eat he was going to have to cook because I was up-to-my-ears in computer-related tunnel-vision) made one of the most perfect meals imaginable. There is just something so comforting about baked pasta and baked ravioli takes it up to another level. It's tender and cheesy and warm and filling all at once. And with chunks of ground beef, strips of bell pepper, and just the right amount of green peas, I went for it. A bit too much. I have to admit that not only did I go back for seconds after taking a hefty helping to begin with, I sopped every last bit of sauce off my plate with a piece of garlic toast. I hurt myself - and I loved every calorie of it!
So while I was waiting for the store to open this morning, I made a génoise cake from Baking with Julia. My Organic Daisy Flour arrived and since we're bringing dessert tomorrow to Victor's brother's house, I thought a split-three-layer génoise filled with raspberry cream would make a nice afternoon dessert. The nice thing about a génoise is that they can be baked ahead and just left out over-night.
Pictures and recipe tomorrow.
Now...
Back to installing programs...
Power Failures, Computer Failures, and Back Again
Back in January I bought a new computer. My old one had outlived its extended warranty and was crashing quickly.
I admit to being a bit of a computer geek. Newer, faster, bigger, better is always fine with me.
It was a nice upgrade from the old one. I was pleased.
So... mid-August and my new computer dies. I was not pleased.
I faithfully back up everything so I wasn't panicked. The biggest hassle was I couldn't de-authorize a lot of programs. It's a pain having to call everyone up and get new install codes. But... I brought it back to MicroCenter for repair, hoping for the best.
August 19th I got it back. A new hard-drive. Goodbye programs. I spent the weekend reinstalling programs, making those pesky phone calls... Hurricane outside but all was dry inside. We had weathered the hurricane with no major problems. A bit of water in the basement and lots of limbs and leaves - but we never lost power. We were feeling extremely lucky.
And then Sunday night the computer dies, again! Deader than a doornail. Without the ability to de-authorize the programs I had just spent hours re-authorizing.
Oh well...
Back to the shop on Monday and back to using the laptop.
And then on Wednesday - in beautiful weather - sunshine and blue skies - the power goes out. Phone call to PECO and the recorded message states the power will be back on September 2, 2011 at 2:40pm.
2:40pm. I love how precise they can be.
In the meantime, we have the iPad and the phones. We're not without outside communication.
The power went off just after 5pm when I was starting dinner. It was going to be a Frozen Chinese Night. Pot stickers, shu mai, Thai egg rolls, fried rice... We have the propane cooktop so we could cook - but the egg rolls needed an oven. The gas grill worked just fine and we had a lovely candle-lit dinner.
PECO surprised us and the electricity came on a bit after noon, yesterday - 26 hours earlier than expected. We were pleased.
And while we were busy being pleased, the phone rang - MicroCenter was calling me to tell me my new computer was dead. Because it was less than a year old, they bought it back from me at full purchase price and I was off to get another. Oh boy. More programs to install and more phone calls to make. "Hi. Yes, I know this is the third time in a week I've installed the program. The other two installations were on a dead computer. Really. Don't you just hate those weeks where you keep getting your computer back and it keeps dying right after you spent all that time reinstalling programs?!? Hopefully I won't have to call you again any time soon."
Ya do what ya hafta do...
So... with about half of the programs back on and email configured, Victor took pity and cooked dinner tonight - a chicken stir-fry with corn noodles.
He marinated the chicken breast in Soy Vey Veri Teriyaki Sauce and then cooked it up with green peppers, green beans, brussels sprouts, peas, bamboo shoots, and a couple of chile peppers.
It was soooooo good! I really like the corn spaghetti noodles. They are just different enough to be fun. And perfect for you wheat-allergy and/or gluten-free-types.
I'm about a third of the way through the re-installation process. Hopefully by Monday.....
Pre-and-Post-Apocalyptic Dining
Never let it be said that, when faced with uncertainty or adversity, we don't eat well.
As the frenzy surrounding Hurricane Irene increased, Victor's mom started getting nervous. She only lives a couple of miles from us but was getting a bit uncomfortable with the relentless hype. We brought her over to spend the night with us.
That, of course, meant dinner! Any excuse to cook at our house. I was at work and picked her up on my way home.
We keep a reasonably well-stocked larder at all times and I really hadn't thought about bringing home more food to get us through the storm, but our eating habits are a bit different than an 85 year old. I needed to gear some meals more towards her tastes, so I picked up a few additional goodies to get us through a couple of meals.
Victor started dinner.
Stuffed peppers, baked ravioli, and homemade focaccia. Perfect.
The focaccia was made with bread dough I had in the fridge, topped with ricotta cheese, pesto, and cappacola.
The peppers were from the garden.
Victor stuffed them with crumbled Italian sausage, celery, onion, green peppers, and bread crumbs - all sauteed in olive oil, stuffed into the halved peppers, topped with sauce, and baked at 350° for about 30 minutes.
The ravioli were layered in a pie plate with sauce and baked along side the peppers.
Very basic and simple - perfect for Mom.
I also picked up a whole chicken to roast. I figured if the power went off I could still roast it on the grill outside.
I didn't have to worry about it. When we awoke this morning the cable was out but thanks to the weather-gods, we never lost electricity. And I didn't have to worry about more meals for Nonna. By 7:30am, she decided the storm had passed and she was ready to go home. After a piece of toast and a cup of coffee, Victor took her home.
And I had a lovely organic chicken just for the two of us...
I really like a simple roast chicken. A good chicken doesn't need a lot of adulteration. Unfortunately, good chickens have become more and more difficult to find. Chickens are factory-farmed and - like so many foods today - bred for profit not flavor. When you look at a supermarket chicken and see that it includes 14% to 22% "solution" you know you're getting an inferior product they are trying to flavor with stuff that shouldn't be there.
Which is why I buy organic. The flavor comes from the bird - not additives.
I placed the bird in a pan, rubbed it with butter, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. Into the cavity, I placed a single lemon. It went into a 350° oven for 35 minutes and then I placed the potatoes in and raised the temperature to 425° for another 20 minutes.
It came out great. Crispy skin for Victor and tender juicy meat.
And the beauty of the simple preparation is the rest of the bird is going to make an outrageous traditional chicken salad, tomorrow!
And the weather tomorrow?!? Sunny and 78°. The perfect temperature.
And I have the day off.
The Hurricane Cocktail
Back in early 1985 Hyatt sent me to New Orleans for two weeks for a management seminar. Rooms at the Hyatt Regency, all meals included, bar tab picked up... And non-stop seminars. Early morning to late night. But being the fun and adventurous young man that I was - and seminaring with equally fun and adventurous young men and women - several of us would head out to the French Quarter every night to experience the Big Easy.
The first thing I did the first day I was there was get a Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's.
It was - by far - the most vile, disgusting drink I have ever had in my life. OMG! It was horrible. Sickeningly sweet and mass-produced, it was downright bad. I didn't enjoy it, either. I did drink the whole thing, of course - there was a lot of rum in it, after all - but it's the one and only I have ever had. (I just shivered and broke out in goosebumps at the memory!)
I've made it to New Orleans a couple more times since then - the last time was with Victor in either 1999 or 2000. His (then) company wanted to transfer him down there and they flew us down first class, put us up at the Fairmont, wined and dined us, and otherwise tried to make it the most appealing place on the earth.
This Liberal Yankee Gay Boy From San Francisco saw one too many Ol' Miss sweatshirts and rebel flags to feel comfortable moving there. Victor's salary would have been nice, but we still wouldn't have been able to afford a home in The Garden District. We actually did look at real estate for grins and giggles. Areas that were prone to flooding and areas that weren't... weird rules and such about who would be responsible for flood damage...
We said "Thanks, but no thanks."
And... it really is a good thing we didn't move there. We would have been there for Katrina. And I am reasonably confident we would have been there for Katrina. I have always had a sneaking suspicion we would not have evacuated. Being the slightly pig-headed idiot I can be at times, it just seems that staying and riding out a hurricane would have been something that sounded like a fun thing to do. Yeah... you would have seen us on TV - live from the Super Dome.
So we go from Katrina to Irene.
In case you haven't heard... there's a hurricane moving its way up the east coast. Mandatory evacuations from Cape May to Atlantic City. Heading towards New York City. We're about 75 miles from the coast. Not enough to worry about a direct hit, but close enough that the power can go out. That would not be fun.
Or... other than no air conditioning, maybe it would. I have several books on the Kindle still to read, an audio book on the iPod. Plenty of food and a gas stove. And, as long as there's cellular, we have the iPhones and iPad to amuse us, as well.
The one thing I know we won't be doing is making a
Hurricane
Ingredients:
- 2 oz light rum
- 2 oz dark rum
- 2 oz passion fruit juice
- 1 oz orange juice
- juice of a half a lime
- 1 Tbsp simple syrup
- 1 Tbsp grenadine
- orange slice and cherry for garnish
Preparation:
- Squeeze juice from half a lime into shaker over ice.
- Pour the remaining ingredients into the cocktail shaker.
- Shake well.
- Strain into a hurricane glass.
- Garnish with a cherry and an orange slice.
I have my standards. As low as they are, I have my standards...
Risotto
The minute I got home from work today, I baked a loaf of bread. It was to go with the risotto that I decided I had to have while making my 4-minute commute. (It can actually be as much as 5 minutes if it's snowing and I miss the light.) I did a mental check-list and figured I had what I needed.
Actually... the only things one really needs for risotto is the rice and parmesan cheese. Everything else is just an add-on.
Risotto is one of those dishes that really impresses - but is totally simple to prepare. 30 minutes start-to-finish and you can have a really fabulous meal on the table.
And anything can go in it!
The basic is 2 cups arbrio, carnaroli, or vialone nano rice. The most common is arborio, but I do have a penchant for carnaroli because it is almost impossible to overcook it. Vialone nano is slightly smaller and cooks faster and absorbs flavors better. I actually buy all of them and will pick up whichever one strikes my fancy when I'm shopping. They all work.
And then a cup of (usually) white wine, 7 cups of hot broth, and a cup of shredded parmesan.
The fun comes with the fillings.
Literally anything can go into risotto and I have put literally anything in them. They can be great clean-out-the-'fridge-dishes. And they are totally stellar with a lightly-poached or fried egg on top. The yolk running down into the dish..... Gastronomic heaven.
I almost always start with onions or leeks, a couple cloves of garlic, and mushrooms. Tonight I went without garlic just because. I also used a half-cup of marsala with a half-cup of water because - horrors - we had no white wine in the house. So much for my mental check-list. I also used speck - an Italian smoked prosciutto that I had in the freezer.
Quick Risotto
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cups carnaroli rice
- 4 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1 leek, chopped
- 4 oz speck, cubed
- 1/2 cup marsala mixed with 1/2 cup water
- 7 cups hot chicken stock
- 1 cup peas
- 1/2 lb thick asparagus, cut in bite-sized pieces
- 6 oz cooked langostino
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1 cup shredded parmesan
- salt & pepper, to taste
Add butter to a large risotto pan. Stir in leeks, mushrooms, and speck and cook, stirring often, about 3-4 minutes. Add rice and stir well to coat rice grains with butter. Cook about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until rice begins to get translucent.
Add marsala/water mixture and stir until liquid is almost gone. Add hot broth one ladle at a time. Stir continually until liquid is almost fully absorbed before adding next ladle. Repeat untilyou have used about 3/4 of the liquid.
Add the asparagus and peas and mix in well.
Continue adding broth until rice is cooked. I usually will use all of the broth. Sometimes you may not need it all.
When everything is looking good, add the langostino and stir until they are heated through.
Stir in the cheese and parsley, and taste for seasoning.
This is Italian comfort-food. Rich and creamy with an incredible flavor. You can add and number of vegetables, change the wine, add different seafood, sausages, chicken, beef, or pork, make it completely vegetarian... the sky's the limit.
This makes a lot - easily dinner for 4-6. I have lots of leftovers and Victor will probably have some for lunch tomorrow and I'm planning on making risotto patties tomorrow night!
Yum!