Quick Louisana Risotto

Yummy. I made this from what I had on hand and it was delicious.

Olive oil
4 hot link sausages, sliced in 1/4 inch rounds
1 garlic clove
2 cans Italian tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Baby bok choy, end cut off and separated

1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups of chicken broth

In a heavy-based saucepan that's large enough to hold the rice with plenty of room left over, cook the sausages in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until it's browned on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add Italian tomatoes, basil, oregano, thyme and bok choy (broccoli would be a good substitution). Mix well and allow to simmer as you prepare the rice.

Taste sauce. With the heat and sodium from the sausage you may not need to add any salt or pepper.

In a medium size pot (rice cooker works as well) add rice and broth. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it set for about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork then add rice to sausage mixture. Cook on simmer for 5 minutes and serve. No problem letting it cook longer. The rice will absorb the flavor.

Osso Buco - The perfect winter comfort food

On a cold winter night, when you would like something a little special nothing beats a beautiful bowl of Ossco Buco. Osso Buco (Ossobuco alla milanese )is a dish from Milan, Italy, is braised veal shanks. The veal is usually sprinkled with gremolata, a mix of parsley, garlic and lemon peel, and served with Risotto alla milanese, a risotto enhanced with saffron threads.


The Osso Bucco and risotto recipes are easy to make, but takes time and patience. If you are short on either, pour yourself a good glass of wine, relax then get cooking.

Depending on my mood or what my butcher has on hand I use either veal shanks or lamb shanks. Both work beautifully with this recipe.

Osso Buco

Serves 4

4 large veal shanks or lamb shanks sawed across the bone

Herb Rub

2 tsp. Thyme, fresh or dried, chopped
1 tsp. Fennel seed, crushed
½ tsp. Coriander, ground
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
2 tbsp. Olive oil

White Wine Tomato Sauce

1 ounce Prosciutto or pancetta, chopped
2 cups Onions, thinly sliced
½ cup Carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp. Garlic, minced
1 cup Dry white wine
1½cups Tomatoes, fresh or canned, seeded, chopped
2 cups Chicken stock
1 whole Bay leaf
1 tsp. Rosemary, fresh, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. Lemon zest
3 tbsp. Parsley, chopped

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Combine herb rub and sprinkle generously over the shanks. Brown shanks in olive oil in an oven-proof casserole dish over high heat for 5-7 minutes on stove. Remove shanks and pour off all but 2 tbsp. of fat.

Reduce heat to medium and cook prosciutto or pancetta, onions, carrots, and garlic in covered pot for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper, lemon zest, and parsley. Bring to a boil and return shanks to the pot. Cover pot and bake in oven for 1½ to 2 hours or until lamb is quite tender. Remove shanks to a warm shallow serving bowl and degrease sauce. Boil sauce to thicken slightly and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over the meat, sprinkle lemon zest and parsley over, serve.


Risotto alla Milanese (Risotto with Parmesan & Saffron)
by James Peterson

While it would be unfair to say that this is the risotto after which all others are derived—the Venetians provide plenty of competition—its lovely simplicity is hard to match. If you're uneasy about risotto, this is a good recipe to start with because it's simple and requires so few ingredients. Serves six as a first course.

1 medium onion, very finely chopped
8 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 lb. (2 cups) arborio, vialone nano, or carnaroli rice, or other medium- or short-grain Italian rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups hot homemade or low-salt canned chicken broth; more as needed
1/2 tsp. saffron threads
1 cup finely grated parmesan, preferably Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a heavy-based saucepan that's large enough to hold the rice with plenty of room left over, cook the onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until it's translucent and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the rice and cook it over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the wine, 2 cups of broth, and the saffron. Turn the heat to high until the broth comes to a simmer and then adjust the heat to maintain a steady simmer.

Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring every minute or two (there's no need to stir constantly). Add another cup of broth and keep cooking, stirring, and adding broth until the rice is al dente but not raw or grainy in the middle.

When the rice is ready, stir in the cheese. Add a little more broth to give the risotto the consistency you like (from fairly tight to almost soupy). Off the heat, stir in the remaining 6 tablespoons butter. Season with salt and pepper and ladle onto heated plates or bowls.

Make Ahead Tips

If you try to make risotto ahead completely and then reheat it, it will be overcooked and mushy. Instead, you can cook it until it's about halfway done—the rice should still be rather firm inside—and then spread it out on a baking sheet to stop cooking and cool. Cover the rice and set it aside at room temperature for up to two hours. When you're ready to serve the risotto, return it to the pot and resume adding hot liquid until it's perfectly al dente, a few minutes later.

Leftovers

If you have any leftover risotto, it's delicious made into crunchy Risotto Cakes.

From Fine Cooking 50, pp. 24
April 1, 2002

Christmas Party Appetizer

For the last soccer weekend of the season, the parents on our team brought a beautiful buffet of food to share. One of the best dishes was an Italian Antipasto Appetizer. It is not the most nutritious of appetizers, but you only need one piece and a glass of red wine. Even the guys were asking for the recipe.

It is a very easy dish to make, it just takes some assembly. The crust is made with Pillsbury Cresent Rolls (a Pillsbury Bakeoff winner), but it would be great with puff pastry as well.

Italian Antipasto Squares

Prep Time: 20 Min

Total Time: 1 Hr 25 Min

Makes: 24 appetizers (or 12 main-dish servings)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cans (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or 2 cans (8 oz each) Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet

4 oz thinly sliced salami

4 oz thinly sliced Swiss cheese

4 oz thinly sliced pepperoni

4 oz thinly sliced American cheese

4 oz thinly sliced capocollo (cured Italian ham) or cooked ham

4 oz thinly sliced provolone cheese

2 eggs

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon pepper

1 jar (12 oz) sliced roasted red bell peppers, drained

1 can (2 ¼ oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 egg yolk, beaten

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 13x9-inch pan or spray with cooking spray.
2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll 1 can of dough into 1 large rectangle; place in pan. Press in bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of pan to form crust, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: Unroll 1 can of dough; place in pan. Press in bottom and 3/4 inch up sides of pan to form crust.
3. Layer all meats and cheeses in order listed over dough. In small bowl, beat 2 eggs, the garlic powder and pepper with wire whisk until well blended. Pour over meat and cheese layers. Layer roasted peppers and olives over top.
4. If using crescent rolls: Unroll second can of dough into 1 large rectangle; press into 13x9-inch rectangle, firmly pressing perforations to seal. If using dough sheets: Unroll second can of dough; press into 13x9-inch rectangle.
5. Place over top of layered ingredients. Pinch edges to seal. Brush beaten egg yolk over dough. Cover with foil.
6. Bake 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 15 to 20 minutes longer or until deep golden brown. Cool 15 minutes before serving. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Serve warm.

Let's get cooking!

I have been wanting to start a blog for quite a while to share thoughts with friends on food, restaurants, recipes, kids or what ever crosses my path.

Let me explain. Most of my friends (like most everyone else) lead very busy lifestyles, with every hour of the day budgeted out for work, family, kids activities and an occasional social life. They want to prepare a good meal for their family, but don't have the time and/or interest of doing research to find a good quick meal. It's always easier to ask a friend. So here I am, happy to share what I have tried and tasted.