Thursday, August 18, 2011
These are a few of my favorite things
So I know that every home chef has their top 5 kitchen staples-those ingredients that they just can’t live without. I am no different in that there are certain things that I go through at a rapid rate and just can’t seem to get enough of. My top 5 definitely change as I go through food habits, phases and patterns but my current top 5 are:
- Olive oil-I am not to the point where I bathe in it but I am pretty close. I buy the extra large containers and I still usually go through them in about a 30 day period of time. I use olive oil most of the time in place of butter, vegetable oil and margarine. It is a healthy oil and its easy to cook with.
- Parmesan cheese-This is one ingredient that I am pretty snobby about. You will not see a green Kraft can in my kitchen. I buy high quality parmesan cheese in a block and I love to grate it myself.
- Garlic-I think I put garlic in everything and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING!!! I go between buying bulbs of garlic and peeling and chopping it myself because I think the flavor is better and more fresh and buying it already peeled and in the refrigerator section of the grocery store because convenience is a beautiful thing
- Packaged guacamole-I have a borderline obsession with guacamole as I love chips and guacamole as a snack after work. I also love guacamole on fried eggs or omelets in the morning or on obvious things like tacos or quesadillas. I have found that Fresh and Easy sells 100 calorie guacamole snack packs and those are my new addiction because I can get my guacamole fix without eating too much in one sitting….because yes I can!
- Peanut butter-I am on a peanut butter kick. I seem to be making peanut butter desserts (the whoopee pies) and putting it in sauces (tofu with peanut sauce) and just eating it on toast. It is high in protein and seems to stick with you so you aren’t hungry like 30 seconds after putting it in your mouth. Really enjoying it right now.
Ok so this isn’t an ingredient but I seem to be into experimenting with different risotto recipes as well. This week I made Risotto with Italian Sausage, Caramelized Onions and Bitter Greens. I wasn’t sure how the bitter greens thing was going to turn out as the recipe called for adding 2 cups of arugula after you take the risotto off the stove. However, I have to say it added a nice spicy flavor to the risotto and it was really nice. I also found that this recipe is very creamy and between the sweet of the caramelized onions, the spice of the sausage and the arugula and the creamy texture of the risotto it was a really nice and well balanced dish.
4 cups chicken broth
½ cup water
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion….I actually think this would have been better if they were thinly sliced kind of like what you see in French onion soup however chopped worked fine
2 tsp sugar
8 oz sweet turkey Italian sausage…I couldn’t find turkey sausage at the store I went to so I bought pork and that worked well. I also prefer spicy Italian sausage over sweet and it was really good
¼ cup chopped shallots
1 cup Arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 cups arugula leaves
3 T freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1. Bring broth and ½ cup water to a simmer in a med saucepan (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over med high heat. Add onion and sugar; sauté 7 min or until onion is golden. **For some reason I used a red onion because that is what I had and it worked just as well as a yellow ** Place onion mixture in a small bowl and set aside
3. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage to pan and sauté for 4 min or until browned; stirring to crumble. Add shallots; sauté 2 min. Add rice; sauté 30 seconds. Stir in wine; cook 45 seconds or until liquid is nearly absorbed. **I love the smell of the wine as it hits a hot pot **Stir in 1 cup broth and cook 2 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed; stirring constantly. Add remaining broth; ½ cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed before adding the next (about 20 min total). Remove from heat; stir in onion, arugula, cheese and rind. Yield 4 servings and since this is a Cooking Light recipe each serving is 390 calories
So my next endeavor is to try and find a Chinese food recipe. I have had a blog special request so I am going to try and make this happen. My other request that I received was to make some of my Mom’s recipes from when I was a child. I just had her mail me her cookbook and I will be working on sharing some of those recipes as well. Happy Cooking!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Visit My Website!
Subscribe To
Posts
Comments
I think I have becomed addicted to your blog! Hopefully this is a good thing. I have never tasted a risotto. Can you please recommend a recipe for this risotto virgin?
ReplyDeleteMy Mexican kitchen must always have garlic as well, but also cumin as an ingrident that goes into every dish we make.
Thanks for the shout out on the Chinese dish. I am looking forward to reading and or trying what you come up with.
Glad you are addicted to my blog...that makes 2 of us. Haha
ReplyDeleteI would try the oven risotto recipe I posted...super easy and a pretty traditional style of risotto.
I love cumin!!!
I am still looking for my Chinese inspiration...bought a cookbook so just have to figure out the ingredients...a little scary but I will conquer the fear