Risotto Torte with Broccoli, Spinach, and Sweet Italian Sausage

After having quite the fun time (NOT) trying to update my blog while my laptop was out of commission, I decided to shelve it until I could get things running again. I'm happy to say that as of today, March 12th, 2009 @ 3:15 pm CST, I have my laptop back up and running again!

I had quite a few leftover vegetables and I was looking for a delicious way to use them. I stumbled across a recipe for a Risotto Torte online, and decided to add in some vegetables for me, and some protein for my husband in the form of italian sausage. You can use mild or sweet, but I just happened to have sweet italian sausage on hand. The result is a light, fluffy risotto, with many satisfying flavours.

Risotto is one of those dishes you can cook whichever way is more comfortable to you. The intensely laborious constant stirring while gradually adding stock method, of which, I'm a big believer, and the make certain your measurements are right on and just let it sit with occasional stirs, of which, I'm not a big believer as I'm terrified I'll burn the bottom. So, I wrote this dish for those of you who are not paranoid, but me, I'm a gradual stock adder. :)

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. broccoli, cut into small florets
• 4 oz. spinach
• 4 oz. sweet italian sausage, casings removed
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 1/2 and onion, chopped
• 1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
• 4 1/2 cups stock
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 4 oz. Parmesan, coarsely grated
• 4 eggs, separated
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper
• 4 Tbs. butter
• oil for greasing
• chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
• 1 1/4 cups Arborio rice
  

Directions:

Blanch the broccoli and spinach for 4 minutes, then drain and reserve.

Brown the sweet italian sausage in a skillet. Drain the grease and set on a paper towel to absorb any additional grease/

In a large saucepan, gently fry the onion, garlic and pepper in the oil and butter for 5 minutes until they are soft.

Stir the rice, cook for a minute then pour in the wine. Cook, stirring the mixture until the liquid is absorbed.

Pour in the stock, season well, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until risotto is tender, stirring occasionally.

While that is simmering, grease a 10 in. round deep cake pan and then line the base with a disc of waxed paper. Preheat the oven to 350.

Stir the cheese into the rice, allow the mixture to cool for 5 minutes, then beat in the egg yolks.

Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and carefully fold into the rice. Add the spinach, broccoli, and sausage. Turn into the prepared pan and bake for about 1 hour until risen, golden brown and slightly wobbly in the center.

Allow the torte to cool in the pan, then chill if serving cold. Run a knife around pan and shake out onto serving plate.

Garnish, if desired.

Creamy Oven Baked Macaroni and Cheese

If you're like me, Macaroni and Cheese is the ultimate comfort food. A boxed childhood lunch, this creamy made-from-scratch recipe will prompt you to toss out every box of Kraft Mac and Cheese you have in your pantry!




Ingredients:

• 1 8oz. box of elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar and Mozzarella
• 3 tablespoons Ricotta
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare macaroni by directions on box and drain well.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk to remove lumps.

Slowly pour in milk and cook, while whisking, until thickened. Pour in heavy cream slowly.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add cheeses and stir until melted.

Add macaroni and stir.

Pour mixture into 2 qt. casserole dish.

Bake for 20 minutes.

Lasagna Bolognese

Weston and I had a lovely trip throughout Italy last year for our 2nd anniversary, from Rome to Positano, from Monte San Savino to Florence, from Pisa to Maranello. The focus was heavily on food, and nowhere did we find better food than in tiny walled towns in Tuscany.

Our trip was a huge eye opener for me, especially when it came to Lasagna. My Mother's recipe for lasagna included cottage cheese and loads of Mozzarella, so I had always made it with cottage cheese and loads of Mozzarella. But, then I discovered what Lasagna in Tuscany really is like. It's not as heavy and cheese laden, the pasta is always best when it's fresh, and there wasn't a trace of cottage cheese anywhere, just a lovely nutmeg flavoured Béchamel (Besciamella) sauce.

Since we had a new pasta machine, I decided to try and recreate what we ate in Italy, and Mario Batali's recipe for Lasagna Bolognese was my guide through the whole process. I plan to add this to our repertoire more often. There's nothing like a delicious lasagna to make you feel comforted!




Ingredients

Ragù:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium onions, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 pound veal, ground
• 1 pound pork, ground
• 4 ounces pancetta, ground
• 1 8-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Béchamel:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Lasagna:

• 3/4 to 1 pound fresh pasta sheets, about 7 by 4 inches, or dried lasagne noodles blanched for 6 minutes and refreshed
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Oil for brushing
  

Cooking Instructions:

Ragù:

In a large heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the olive oil.

Add the diced onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and sweat over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are translucent.

Add veal, pork, and pancetta to the vegetables, and brown over high heat, stirring to keep the meat from sticking together.

Add the tomato paste, milk, wine, thyme, and 1 cup water, and simmer over medium-low heat for 1 to 11/2 hours (if the ragù becomes too thick, add a little more water or wine).

Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from heat.

Béchamel:

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan, add the flour, and whisk until smooth.

Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture turns golden brown, about 6 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until it is just about to boil. Add the milk to the butter mixture, 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until the sauce is very smooth.

Bring to a boil and cook for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat and season with salt and nutmeg.

Assembly: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish with melted butter or oil, and layer in the following order from the bottom: ragù, pasta, béchamel, and grated cheese (saving about 1 cup béchamel for last topping), making 3 to 4 layers of pasta, finishing with ragù, béchamel, and 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano sprinkled over the top. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the casserole is bubbling. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 20 minutes, slice, and serve.

Fresh Pepperdalle with Broccoli and Cheese Sauce

My husband, Weston, is the dough maker in our household - bread, pie crust, cookies. In a recent episode of Jamie At Home, Jamie made this delicious dish with fresh pasta and sprouting broccoli.

As we'd just received a pasta roller for Christmas, he decided to try his hand at making some Pepperdalle. He originally intended to make tagliette, but later realized the pasta was too thick, and thus it was dubbed Pepperdalle. :)

Either way, it was fresh and delicious and every bit as nice as the fresh pasta we'd had in Tuscany in March of last year. I don't think we'll ever buy boxed pasta again!

Now, how do we get rid of the 5 lb. of spaghetti we bought from Costco a few months ago?

Ingredients

For the pasta:

• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• 2 cups pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
• Sea salt

For the cheese sauce:

• 3/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream
• 1/4 cup whole milk ricotta
• 5 ounces sliced fontina or other nice melting cheese (I used Jarlsberg)
• 5 ounces freshly grated Parmesan
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound broccoli
• 2 large free-range or organic egg yolks
• 1 small bunch fresh marjoram, oregano or thyme tips, leaves picked (I used thyme)
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving
• Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Crack the eggs into a food processor and add the flour. Pulse frequently and listen for the sound changing to a rumble - this means the dough is coming together nicely. When the dough is the consistency of bread crumbs, turn the power off and test the consistency by pinching the dough. If it's a bit sticky add a little more flour and pulse again.

Tip the dough mixture onto a floured surface and shape it into a ball using your hands. Give it a little knead until smooth, then divide your dough into 4 equal parts. Start on the thickest setting of your pasta machine and run the first bit of dough through 4 or 5 times, moving the rollers closer together each time until the pasta is silky, smooth and about as thick as a CD.

Flour your finished sheet generously, then fold it up and cut across into 1/2-inch strips. Gather all the slices together and toss them through your fingers, with a little flour, to open them up and make your pile of tagliatelle. Place to 1 side and repeat with the rest of the dough.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. In a bowl large enough to rest on top of the pan, put your creme fraiche or sour cream, fontina or other melting cheese and your Parmesan with a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the bowl over the pan for the cheeses to slowly melt. It won't take long.

Meanwhile, trim any dry ends off the broccoli, then finely slice the stalks diagonally and leave the florets whole (cutting any larger ones in half).

At this point the cheese sauce should be lovely and oozy, so remove the bowl from above the pan and drop the pasta and broccoli into the boiling water. Boil hard for 2 to 3 minutes, until the pasta is just cooked through.

Whip up the 2 egg yolks and the marjoram, or other chosen herb leaves, into the sauce. Drain the pasta and broccoli, reserving a little of the cooking water, and quickly toss them with the sauce - the heat from the pasta will be enough to cook the eggs through. If the sauce is a little thick, add a few splashes of cooking water to make it silky and loose. Taste and season, if necessary.

Serve as quickly as you can, with some extra Parmesan sprinkled over the top and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Creamy Chicken Thighs and Mushrooms over Mini Penne

I was given Dave's Dinners as a Christmas gift last year, and I love so many of the recipes it contains. This one is incredibly easy, just brown the chicken thighs, toss all of the ingredients together and wait a couple of hours until the meat is falling off of the bone.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 lbs. chicken thighs, skin and fat removed
• Salt and fresh-ground pepper
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 c. white wine
• 4 c. chicken stock
• 1 c. heavy cream
• 2 large bay leaves
• 12 oz. mushrooms (I used Criminis and Baby Bellas)
• 1 lb. cooked penne
• Handful of chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper.

Add chicken and brown on both sides, remove, and set aside.

Add onion and celery, and saute for five to seven minutes until softened.

Stir in flour until evenly distributed, then add wine, chicken stock, cream, bay leaves, chicken, and mushrooms.

Bring mixture to a simmer, reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer for two hours.

Serve over cooked penne or other pasta.

Garninsh with chopped parsley.

Spaghetti Alfredo with Roma Tomatoes

My husband was working late tonight, and I needed something quick, simple, and easily portioned to make for dinner. So, after tearing through my crisper looking for veggies, I decided upon some nice looking Roma tomatoes in an Alfredo sauce. I wrote the recipe to serve 4-6.



Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sweet butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup half and half
• 2-3 fresh roma tomatoes, cored, seeds removed, and diced
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/2 cup grated fresh parmagiano reggiano
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
• 1 box of spaghetti, or 12 oz of pasta of your choice

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the garlic, cream, pepper, and bring to a simmer, while stirring often. Add the parmagiano and simmer sauce for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and is smooth. When the sauce has thickened, add the mozzarella and stir until smooth and creamy, constantly stirring. Add the chopped tomatoes until warmed through.

While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions. Toss and serve.

Peanut Noodles with Chicken, Cabbage, and Peppers

From my friend over at Jennifer's Cooking, Jennifer has recently received a new DSLR, and her pictures are just gorgeous! I drew inspiration from her newly posted Sesame Peanut Noodles, and decided to make some Peanut Noodles with Chicken, Cabbage, and Peppers.





Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 8 oz of chicken breast, chopped into bite size pieces
• 8 oz of cooked spaghetti, drained
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 1/4 head of green cabbage, finely sliced
• 1 bell pepper (I used an orange bell pepper), chopped
• 3-4 tbsp creamy peanut butter
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp walnut oil
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• Cilantro leaves to garnish
  

Season the chicken breast cubes with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of the oilve oil in a pan and brown the chicken over medium heat until cooked through.

Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add the other tbsp of olive oil to the pan, and add the chopped shallot, and pepper to the pan. Saute until the shallot is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage to the pan and heat and turn until wilted.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, add the peanut butter, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, walnut oil, soy sauce and red pepper flakes, and whisk together until smooth. Toss the noodles and the sauce with the chicken and the cabbage mixture.

Garnish with cilantro leaves.