Roasted Tomatoes with Ricotta

08Jul09

Tomatoes look cute all dressed up, don’t they? This dish might be an appetizer, but it became an entrée last week when we had an unexpected snag in the kitchen. I came home from work (planning to make grilled fish and these tomatoes), and smelled gas leaking.

We called the gas company (around 6 pm), who arrived hours later (at 8:30 pm) and munched on cereal while waiting for them to arrive. The fish was saved for another day, but I decided to put these together and keep them in the fridge so we’d have something more savory to eat as a late night snack. As soon as the front door closed (gas problem fixed!) I popped these into the oven, and we devoured them almost before I had a chance to take their picture.

For the recipe, head over to The Pioneer Woman.

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Pasta with Braised Short Ribs

01Jul09

You know how much I love short ribs. Especially when they’re braised, tender, and falling off the bone. This cut of meat, sometimes labeled “great for soups” in the grocery store, is anything but humble when you let it braise for hours.

Of course, when I was watching Giada at Home and saw that this recipe was featured in her 30-minute show, I didn’t have to think.  I just needed to make my way to the computer and print this mouth-watering recipe. Next, I needed an excuse to make it. I say excuse because this is the kind of meal, while nice for two, is too impressive not to share. Luckily, one of our wonderful friends came to visit us from San Diego, so the menu was easy to plan.

Penne with Braised Short Ribs
Recipe courtesy Giada de Laurentiis

Ingredients

4 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
5 Roma tomatoes, cut into eighths
1 cup red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

Place an oven rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. In a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or ovenproof stock pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In batches, add the ribs and brown on all sides, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, wine and mustard. Bring the mixture to a boil and scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the ribs to the pan. Add the beef broth, cover the pan and place in the oven for 2 1/2 hours until the meat is fork-tender and falls easily from the bone.

Remove the ribs from the cooking liquid. Using a large spoon, remove any excess fat from the surface of the cooking liquid. Using a ladle, transfer the cooking liquid in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is smooth. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and keep warm over low heat. Remove the meat from the bones. Discard the bones. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into small pieces. Stir the shredded meat into the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and place in a large serving bowl. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat from the sauce and add to the pasta. Pour 1 cup of the sauce over the pasta. Toss well and thin out the pasta with more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle the pasta with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley before serving.

Filed under: Meat, Pasta   |  1 Comment

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

28Jun09

I don’t remember when it was that I first fell in love with butter pecan ice cream, but I know it was my grandmother’s favorite flavor, so maybe some flavors just choose you.

The first time I tried a recipe, though, I followed the directions precisely and used salted butter. Oops. That was at least two years ago, a mistake I finally remedied this month and am so glad I did. Brown butter, as you well know, usually doesn’t let you down in the flavor department, and while it might seem like the ice cream will come out rich and heavy, it’s lighter than you might think. Although, I will warn you, a small scoop goes a long way.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Recipe courtesy Simply Recipes

Ingredients
6 large egg yolks
6 Tbsp butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup pecans

Method

1. In a medium sized heat-safe bowl (metal, ceramic, or glass), whisk together the egg yolks until well blended. Set aside.

2. Pour the cream into a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and set a medium-mesh sieve on top. Set aside.

3. In a medium thick-bottomed saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter cook it, stirring constantly, until it just begins to brown. Add the brown sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar completely melts.

4. Slowly add the milk, stirring to incorporate. It will foam up initially, so make sure you are using a pan with high enough sides. Heat until all of the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not let boil or the mixture may curdle.

5. Whisk in hand, slowly pour half of the milk and sugar mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to incorporate. Then add the warmed egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk sugar mixture.

6. Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a wooden or heatproof rubber spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula, about 5-7 minutes.

7. Pour the custard through the sieve and stir it into the cream. Add vanilla and stir until cool over the ice bath. Chill mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator.

8. While the mixture is chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay out the pecans on a roasting pan in a single layer. Bake for 6 minutes, until lightly toasted. Let cool. Once cool, roughly chop the pecans and set aside. Note, if you want an extra punch to this ice cream, brush the pecans with melted butter and sprinkle with salt before roasting.

9. Once the ice cream mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

10. Once the ice cream has been formed in the ice cream maker, it will be fairly soft. Fold in the chopped pecans. Put in an airtight plastic container and place in the freezer for at least an hour, preferably several hours. If it has been frozen for more than a day, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften it before serving.

Makes 1 1/2 quarts.

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Arancini (Fried Rice Balls)

25Jun09

I’ve been waiting to make these for a long time. It’s not that I don’t make enough risotto. The real problem is that when I do make it, we never have any leftovers. So you can imagine my surprise when we actually had some risotto left on the stove after a lovely meal last weekend. I was so excited!

Arancini, or fried rice balls, can be made with any risotto you have. And if you think leftover night is less than appealing, think again. These little morsels are anything but boring. Especially when you melt some goat cheese with heavy cream to make a decadent dipping sauce to go alongside.

Fried Risotto Balls

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

2 large eggs, beaten to blend

2 cups Risotto, cooled

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1 1/2 cups dried Italian-style bread crumbs

Salt

Directions

Pour enough oil in a heavy large saucepan to reach the depth of 3 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.

Stir the eggs, risotto, Parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs in a large bowl to combine. Place the remaining breadcrumbs in a medium bowl. Using about 2 tablespoons of the risotto mixture for each, form the risotto mixture into 1 3/4-inch-diameter balls. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs to coat.

Working in batches, add the rice balls to the hot ail and cook until brown and heated through, turning them as necessary, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rice balls to paper towels to drain. Season with salt and Parmesan cheese. Let rest 2 minutes. Serve hot.

Filed under: Appetizers, Rice and Grains   |  Leave a Comment

Roasted Beet Risotto

22Jun09

I have a habit of ordering risotto at almost every Italian restaurant I visit. You see, it began with butternut squash. Years ago when I first discovered how delicious this vegetable can be (and made even more amazing when paired with sage), I stumbled across a risotto recipe that has stuck with me since. It’s the risotto I love to make most often, and likely spurred all my other experiments with this cooking method.

Risotto wasn’t always my go-to meal when dining out. Things actually started with bruschetta, in college, when my husband and I  made some in my first apartment and then proceeded to order it in every restaurant that featured it on the menu. We had to find out favorite, of course. Now that I think about it, this was also the time when our restaurant bills climbed from say, $30 for two at Elephant Bar to almost $100 with appetizers and maybe a glass of wine.

Last month my parents came to town for my birthday and wanted to take us out to lunch. We chose Il Pastaio, a restaurant in Beverly Hills that looked busy whenever we walked by. That, we reasoned, must mean the locals know something we don’t. I wouldn’t exactly say I was amazed with the restaurant overall. I’m all for communal, trattoria dining, but the tables were a bit too close for comfort, especially on a warm Saturday afternoon. And the service was more noses-turned-up than friendly. But, they did have risotto. Red beet risotto with Goat cheese, to be exact. I was feeling adventurous, so it’s no surprise that about twenty minutes later my plate arrived, pink as your grandmother’s lipstick, staring me in the face. Hmmm. Was I about to have my first risotto regret?

The goat cheese was already melting into the rice, and our server came around with Parmesan cheese just as I was lifting the fork for my first bite. It’s a fact that I’ve only recently discovered beets. You might remember me ooohing and aaahing over a certain soup several weeks back. I couldn’t believe how good it tasted. The goat cheese, especially, added a tartness against the earthy beet flavor, and the parsley was the perfect bite of freshness. My mind instantly beamed with ways I could create this whimsical dish at home. And when I strolled through the Thursday farmer’s market outside my office and saw a bunch of beets selling for $1, dinner was decided.

Roasted Beet Risotto

In reading reviews for other beet risotto recipes, one of the most common complaints was lack of flavor. I believe this can be remedied by using appropriate amounts of salt, infusing the puree into the stock (instead of adding beet chunks at the end of cooking), and the extra bonus of goat cheese, plus a bit of Parmesan for good measure. And don’t forget to garnish it with parsley. The freshness really adds a lot, and isn’t just for looks in this dish.

Recipe inspired by Il Pastaio

Ingredients
3 medium beets (1 1/2 lb with greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (28 fl oz)
3 cups water
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups Arborio rice (14 oz)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 oz finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
4 oz. goat cheese
Garnish: Parmigiano-Reggiano and finely minced parsley

Directions
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

Tightly wrap beets in a double layer of foil and roast on a baking sheet until very tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Cool to warm in foil package, about 20 minutes.

When beets are cool enough to handle, peel them, discarding stems and root ends, then quarter.
 Reserve one quarter, chopped,  for garnish. Place the rest of the beets in a food processor and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring broth and water to a bare simmer in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Keep at a bare simmer, covered.

 Add beet puree and stir to combine.

Cook onion in oil in a wide 4- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

Add wine and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until absorbed, about 1 minute. Stir in 1/2 cup broth and simmer briskly, stirring constantly, until broth is absorbed. Continue simmering and adding broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and letting each addition be absorbed before adding the next, until rice is just tender and creamy-looking, 18 to 22 minutes.

Toss in butter and Parmesan and stir vigorously until butter is melted and rice is extra creamy. Stir in reserved beets and beet puree. Turn off heat.

To serve, ladle risotto into low bowls or plates. Add a thinly sliced piece of goat cheese in the center of dish, lightly pressing down so it begins to melt. Sprinkle with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Also, a little drizzle of olive oil won’t hurt anybody.

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