Risotto

This will be part 1 of 3 posts...each leading into the other

I recently picked up a Fagor Lux Multi-cooker which I will discuss more about in part 3.  The first dish I prepared with the Multi-cooker is a risotto which takes roughly 12 minutes

8 ingredients is all that stands between you and a nice creamy risotto

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 shallot diced

1 cup Arborio rice

2 cups chicken stock

1/4 cup white wine

1 teaspoon saffron threads

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon minced parsley

When using the Multi-cooker you just use the saute setting to brown the rice and onion, then toss the rest of the ingredients in the pot, lock the lid, set the timer and walk away for 7 minutes, once it's done you open the lid, stir in the cheese and parsley and you are done!

In part 2....I will cover Arancini 

Homemade Hamburger Helper

I'm always checking out recipes for homemade versions of the boxed and processed meals that come from the grocery store that are easy to make and use real food ingredients!  I'm sure almost everyone at one time or another has had Hamburger Helper...the most popular and my favorite was always the Cheeseburger Macaroni.  So here is a good tasting version that takes about the same amount of time to make the boxed counterpart.

12 ingredients is all you need....the milk didn't show up for the photo op!

Brown the beef...

Add Milk, spices and dried pasta....

Cover and simmer until pasta is tender....

All that is left to do is eat!!

Here is what you'll need

• 1 pound lean ground beef (93/7 works well)
• 1/2 of a small onion diced (optional)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayeene (optional)
• salt and pepper
• 1 1/2 cups Milk
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups uncooked large elbow macaroni
• 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese (not pre-shredded)

And this is how you make it all come together...

• Large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, brown the beef, onion, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne, salt and pepper.
• Add the milk, beef broth, macaroni and tomato sauce and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cover until pasta is tender...usually about 10-12 minutes (be sure to stir is occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan)
• Stir in the shredded cheese until melted

Chicken and Dumplings

Now that the garden is all in it's time for me to get back into the swing of things and start posting again.  I have a few things I've made over the last month or so that have been sitting on the camera so I should be able to have a good stream of posts coming out.

First up is Chicken and Dumplings!

Chicken and dumplings is one of those classic comfort food dishes we all grew up eating at least one version of.  This recipe go together quickly with the help of a rotisserie chicken, some stores even save you the trouble of picking it off the bone which saves even more time!

Start off with some carrots and onions, and celery if you like it

Adding in some chicken stock and flour to help thicken the sauce up a bit

Add your shredded chicken and frozen peas

Mix up your dumpling dough

Drop spoon fulls of the dumpling mix into the chicken mixture

Stick it in the oven for 15 minutes

All that is left to do now is eat it up!

Here is the recipe....

This is what is in the chicken mix

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• Half of an onion diced
• 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
• 3/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
• 1/2 cup celery diced (optional)
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 3 Tablespoons AP flour
• 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
• 1 1/4 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix up this stuff in a bowl until just combines to make your dumplings

• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup milk

Here is what you are gonna want to do with all that stuff:

• Get a large skillet and heat up the oil over medium high heat
• Add carrots, onion and celery if you are using it and cook until veggies are tender
• Whisk the flour into the cold stock and then add it to the skillet, stir to prevent lumps
• Cook over medium heat until the sauce thickens
• Add chicken, peas, salt and pepper, stir it up
• Pour everything into an oven safe dish
• Drop spoonfuls of the dumpling mixture into your oven safe dish
• Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes

Farm to Table Dinner Gentle Breeze Honey

On Saturday I joined some friends for a dinner event in Mt. Horeb at Campo di Bella Winery.  The theme for the dinner was honey from Gentle Breeze.

 
Here is a run down of the 5 courses we were served....

Round 1 was a honey tasting plate feature 3 types of honey.  Spun (my favorite), Honey comb and wild flower honey

Round 2 was a family recipe Pasta e Prosciutto, an Emilia-Romagna classic with a little Tuscan flair.  This is a dish that I will most certainly work on recreating...fresh pasta, ham, cheese and a nice parmesan cream sauce....its the type of stuff dreams are made of!

 Round 3..the main course was Chicken Picatta with Agrodolce Onions and Radicchio

 Round 4, our cheese course was Baked Brie with clover honey and almonds on a homemade rustic crostini...Brie cheese isn't something lots of people enjoy, but when done right it's awesome.

Round 5..our dessert.  Clover honey ice cream with caramelized walnuts and a pizzelle cookie.  This was certainly a fitting end to a great meal highlighting some excellent local sourced products.

I strongly encourage everyone to go check out one of their dinner events.
Campo di Bella - Winery

Also check out the Madison farmers market and several local stores to pick up some of the fine local honey from the family run Gentle Breeze Honey

Shrimp Pasta Primavera

It's spring break this week so why not try out some lighter entrees.  This take on pasta Primavera  comes together in a half hour so it is quick enough for a weeknight.

Here are your ingredients;

• 1 box of pasta (I used farfalle)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1 pound shrimp
• 1 head of broccoli chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup sundried tomatoes packed in oil (drained, chopped)
• 1/2 cup peas

And here is how you put the dish together:

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions (reserve about a half cup of the pasta water)
2. In a large skillet over medium heat add butter, garlic and onion for about a minute
3. Add shrimp, broccoli, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
4. Cook for 3 minutes until shrimp are cooked through and pink
5. In a small bowl whisk milk and flour and add to skillet along with the cheese, stir to combine
6. Add sundried tomatoes and peas continue cooking until sauce thickens (about 3 minutes)
7. If you skillet isn't large enough transfer everything to a large mixing bowl, add pasta and stir.
8. If sauce is too thick just add a little of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up a bit

Ultra Easy Mac&Cheese

Another quick vacation is over and now I'm heading back into the kitchen with everyone's favorite Mac&Cheese!  Mac&Cheese is the ultimate comfort food but anything from a box contains a bunch of processed items that we can all do without.  So here comes a great tasting recipe that uses real food.

There you have it...6 ingredients is all that you need!!

Simmer the milk and noodles until tender

Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and you are done.

Here is what you will need:

• 2 cups dry pasta
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese (do not use pre-shredded cheese)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Here is what you are gonna do with that stuff:

• Add milk and pasta to a sauce pan over medium heat until milk simmers (not boiling)
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until pasta is tender (mine took 12 minutes) - stir frequently
• Turn off heat and stir in rest of ingredients until cheese is melted.
• Add additional milk until you reach your desired level of creaminess 

Equipment Talk: Ice Cream Maker

As the weather gets warmer it's a perfect time to talk about another piece of kitchen equipment that I use...and this one actually gets used a lot....my Cuisinart Ice Cream, Sorbet, Frozen yogurt maker.  Sure its easy to just swing by the store and pick up some ice cream, but there is also something to be said for making it yourself so that you know exactly what is going into the stuff that you eat and feed your family.  The process is pretty simple, you just store the cylinder in your freezer so that its ready whenever the urge to make up a batch of ice cream hits.  You start with a base mix that consists of Milk, Cream, Sugar, Salt and Vanilla (extract or bean), you chill that for a few hours or overnight and you are then all set to make plain vanilla ice cream.  if you want something a little different you just add it to the mix...fresh berries...chocolate....butter toasted pecans, the possibilities are pretty limitless, I have also make a moscato sorbet.  Making frozen yogurt is much the same process, but you swap in yogurt and you are set.  The churning process takes about 20 minutes and you get a soft serve consistency...if you want it firmer, just pop the mix into the freezer for a few hours.

I store my ice cream in these little containers from Tovolo that I picked up at my favorite toy store Sur La Table for around $8...each one holds just under a full batch, the little extra i just toss into a small twist lock container.

So there it is, if you want more control over the ingredients and the freshness of your ice cream then I recommend getting yourself one.