Mushroom Risotto

|
By
|
3 comments

Mushroom Risotto

Last week I’d made a delicious roasted chicken for dinner, and being the frugal girl that I am – couldn’t let that chicken carcass go in the trash can without making a batch of chicken stock with it first. When menu planning for that week I took stock of what I had in the pantry before heading to the store to do my weekly grocery stock-up. I had a full package of arborio rice, and a bunch of samples of different varieties of dried mushrooms that the good folks at Marx Gourmet Foods had sent me – so I put mushroom risotto on the lineup.

I ended up making it on a cold, rainy evening…and this filling meal couldn’t have been more perfect. I’ve gone on before about how wonderful dried mushrooms are to keep around. They add so much flavor to whatever dish you use them for, and they never go bad in the pantry. While I’d say porcini is my hands down favorite, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the matsutake. They were lighter in flavor, almost floral. I’d imagine they would be absolutely perfect in a big batch of homemade ramen noodles! But, if you can’t find them – don’t sweat it. The dried porcinis alone, combined with the earthy flavors of the sauteed fresh mushrooms will give more than enough flavor to this dish!

The stirring necessary is a little bit time consuming, but take if you take the time to enjoy a glass of wine (that you’ve been forced to open for the dish!)…it makes it a little more fun, and the time pass quicker. And the result you’ll get in the end is so worth it! A thick, rich, and creamy dish – that is just bursting with flavor. Great for my gluten-free friends, and could easily be made into a vegetarian dish by using vegetable broth instead of chicken stock. I’ve only made one other risotto in the past, but I’m looking forward to trying some different recipes in the future!

Mushroom Risotto

1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/2 ounce dried matsutake mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 shallots, minced
4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup white wine
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (warm)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Cover the dried porcini mushrooms in the boiling water and let sit 30 minutes. Strain through a coffee strainer to remove and grit, reserving the soaking liquid. Pour reserved liquid into chicken stock warming on stove. Roughly chop the dried mushrooms and set aside.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and saute until they turn tender and have released their liquids and are starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and saute until fragrant, about a minute longer. Add chopped dried mushrooms and toss to combine. Remove the mushroom mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Add the rice to the hot pan and toast until it starts to turn translucent, about 1-3 minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze the bottom of the pan, stirring with a wooden spoon until the wine has been soaked up by the rice.

Add the warm stock to the sauce pan 1 cup at a time while stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Repeat process until you’ve used all the stock and the rice is nice and tender to the bite.

Add the butter and Parmesan and stir until it’s combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley just before serving.

Source: adapted from Back to Basics by Ina Garten

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

|
By
|
4 comments

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

Gosh, it’s cold here. And I know our 10 degrees is nothing compared to some of my friends up north, who have been fairing in the negative temperatures this week. In this kind of weather, there’s nothing that’s better than a big pot of soup bubbling away on the stove.

Soups was one of the things I found hardest to “get right” in the kitchen when I was just learning how to cook. My mom made THE BEST vegetable beef soup, and for something that seemed so simple – the hell if I could ever get it right. I finally figured out I was being too fussy with it, it really does come down to simplicity. And time. Time is key too. Unlike chicken soups, beef soups don’t take all day. With the aid of a good store-bough beef stock (I personally love the Campbell’s brand found in the condensed soup aisle) a delicious, hearty, and filling soup can be on your dinner table in just a couple hours.

We usually reserve this meal for when I’ve cooked a roast of beef – either a big fancy prime rib roast, or a more affordable cut like an eye-of-the-round. In fact, I think we all might look forward to the second meal of soup than the first meal of roast beef! Well, I do at least. I can’t speak for the 3 other carnivores in my house. Did I tell you guys we found out Baby #3 is ANOTHER BOY?! It’s a good thing I love to cook, as I’m going to have quite a few bottomless pits to feed in a few years with three growing boys in the house! Big pots of soup will be my savior, and this one is my absolute favorite!

Don’t be afraid to play around with veggie combinations either. This is just usually what I have on hand in the pantry, and in the freezer – so I go with that. But I love to add chopped cabbage if I have that hanging around, or any other veggies that are hanging out in the fridge at the time. You can’t really go wrong with anything in here. I hope it becomes a favorite in your home too!

Vegetable Beef & Barley Soup

1 large onion, diced
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups beef broth
12 cups water
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cups frozen cut green beans
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen baby lima beans
5 cups leftover cooked beef roast (and bones if you have them), cut into small cubes
1 cup dried pearled barley
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper

In a large stockpot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the beef broth, water, and tomatoes. Stir and bring to a boil.

Add the corn, green beans, peas, lima beans, cubed beef, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine, cover, and bring to a boil. When boiling, reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 1 hour – stirring occasionally.

Add barley to the soup, stir, and recover. Cook on low for an additional hour, longer is fine if time permits – stirring every now and again.

Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if desired before serving.

Pork Tenderloin w/Honey-Mustard Sauce

|
By
|
22 comments

Pork Tenderloin with Honey-Mustard SauceA couple of weeks ago I ventured to Annapolis for the day to go to a book signing with Giada De Laurentiis. I met one of my oldest girlfriends up there, and we waiting in line together at Williams-Sonoma for a couple hours. We chatted about the past, and how we’ve transitioned into the future with our families of two little boys. It was a great morning, topped off by meeting Giada – who was just as gorgeous and sweet in person as she is on television.

We of course flipped through the book while we were waiting, which is all healthy recipes – along with lots of health and beauty tips, and there were many recipes I bookmarked to try. The first one I got around to testing out in my kitchen was this delicious pork tenderloin with a honey-mustard sauce. We are big fans of pork tenderloin in this house. It’s a protein that’s lean and healthy, but still juicy with tons of flavor. Then to top it of with a delicious pan sauce? It’s just the icing on the cake!

It’s also pretty quick-cooking, making for an easy weeknight meal. The tenderloin is seared off in the pan, to get a gorgeous brown crust on the outside – then finished off in the oven. A quick pan sauce is made by using the browned bits in the bottom of the pan – along with a spot of wine , Dijon mustard, honey, and fresh herbs. I served with some roasted red potatoes and fresh green beans, and everyone really enjoyed it.

I also picked up a signed copy to share with one lucky reader! Just leave a comment below telling me what is your favorite recipe from the lovely Giada De Laurentiis that you’ve made in your kitchen? Giveaway will run from today, until next Friday at 11:59 PM. 

Pork Tenderloin with Honey-Mustard Sauce

Vegetable oil cooking spray
2 (1-pound) pork tenderloins
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

For the sauce:
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Vermouth)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

Position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400F. Spray a heavy baking sheet with vegetable oil cooking spray.

Season the pork with the salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork and brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the pork to the prepared baking sheet and bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 160F, about 20 minutes. Allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board before slicing 1/4- to 1/2-inch-thick slices.

In the same skillet used for browning the pork, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, salt, and pepper. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 1 minute. Whisk in the honey, mustard, vinegar, and thyme. Simmer until thickened, 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted and smooth.

Top the pork slices with the honey mustard sauce and serve.

Source: Adapted from Feel Good Food by Giada De Laurentiis

Congrats to entry #17, Tracey! She loves Giada’s turkey and artichoke stuffed shells. I’m going to have to try that recipe myself. I hope you enjoy this new cookbook as much as I have been!

Black Truffle Macaroni & Cheese

|
By
|
3 comments

Black Truffle Macaroni & Cheese

This macaroni and cheese has been on my “to make” for years, since seeing a rendition of it on Top Chef Season 1. Dave made it, and I remember just being in awe of black truffles as an ingredient. I’d had black and white truffle oil, and loved the flavor it lent to dishes. But, a whole black truffle? I figured that I’d never have a chance to use them in my kitchen.

Then a few years after that, I discovered Wegmans. If you don’t know what they are (they are regional), it’s a high-end grocery store where you can find pretty much anything. Including fresh black truffles…just hanging out in the produce department like it ain’t no thang! Whenever I visited the store, I’d gawk over them – but due to the high price tag I was afraid to buy one. How much did one weigh? What if I got up there and it was $500? That’s definitely too rich for my blood…

I went ahead and took the plunge a couple weeks ago when my girlfriend and I visited a huge craft fair in the mountains at Thurmont, MD. Came home with all kinds of goodies – apples, fresh pressed cider, and one black truffle. It cost me $15.00 for one  pretty good-sized truffle. While expensive, definitely do-able as a treat once in a while. Was thinking I might like to try infusing my own truffle oil at some point!

So, the macaroni and cheese I’d been dreaming about for 7 years finally transpired. And it was worth the wait. Rich and earthy, yet not overpowering. The combination of white cheddar and Gruyere is a great combo that adds plenty of cheesy flavor, but still lets the truffles shine. Black truffle butter is easier to find than  whole truffles, and more affordable. That in combination with a drizzle of the truffle oil would be a good substitution. Or really this macaroni and cheese is delicious on it’s own – with no truffles!

But, it’s getting to be that special time of year where we love to splurge to make a meal a little fancier, or the ingredients a little more special for the Holidays. My mom always called it “the horn of plenty”, and it’s something that I look forward to every year. Can you guys believe it’s November already? Where has this year gone?

Black Truffle Macaroni & Cheese

8 ounces elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles
8 ounces sharp aged white cheddar, shredded
5 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded
1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp truffle oil (black or white)
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
sliced fresh black truffles for garnish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In large pot of boiling salted water, cook the macaroni to al dente (approximately 7 minutes). Strain and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan.

While the macaroni is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Continue to cook over low heat for 4 minutes stirring constantly. Add the milk, chopped truffles, onion and bay leaf. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Turn off the heat and add 3/4 of the aged cheddar and all of the other cheeses. Add mustard and truffle oil as well. Season with salt and black pepper and fold in macaroni. Pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheddar.

Top with remaining shaved truffles. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven let stand for about 5 minutes.

Source: adapted from Wolfgang Puck