Sunday, May 31, 2009

Podcast! Risotto 'Organico'

Will it ever get warm outside? There’s just a little chill in the air every day, it seems, and a nice way to chase away the rain or the cold is with a hearty bowl of Risotto. This dinner takes about 30 minutes to make and is full of wonderful flavors!



You'll find the ingredients on sale on the Picky Produce Page

RISOTTO ORGANICO – serves 2-3

Olive Oil
1 Shallot or ½ sweet Yellow Onion + 1 medium clove Garlic
½ C Arborio Rice (regular rice won’t do)
1 C White Wine (not sweet – optional)
4 C Broth
1 Tb Butter
¾ C grated Parmesan Cheese

2 Broccoli Crown cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Red Pepper cut into bite-sized pieces

4 pieces of boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs (1/2 of a package from TCF)
1 Egg
Salt, Pepper
Flour to dredge

Heat 2 Tb olive oil in a large, shallow pan. Saute the shallot or onion + garlic until fragrant (do not brown). Add the rice to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat until the rice begins to smell nutty. Pour in the wine, turn the heat to high and stir constantly as the wine absorbs and evaporates. When the wine is well absorbed, begin adding the broth about 1 Cup at a time and stir constantly so the rice doesn’t stick. For this part, adjust the heat so that the rice is between a rapid boil and a good simmer.

Heat another sauté pan and add 2 Tb. olive oil over medium high heat. Add the broccoli and red pepper. Cook until al dente, then remove to a bowl.

Pound out the thighs a little bit. Salt and pepper them, put them into a bowl with the beaten egg, then dredge in flour and cook in a little olive oil over medium high heat.

Test the rice. It should be soft and flavorful. When it is, remove the pan from the heat, add 1 Tb butter and stir it in to melt. Sprinkle in the Parmesan and allow that to melt into the rice, stirring well.

To serve, spoon Risotto into a bowl. Garnish with veggies and chicken. MMMMMMmmmm!

A Note about Chicken Quantities: The 4 pieces of chicken thigh that I used in this recipe represent 1/2 a package bought from TCF. You won't get exactly 8 thigh pieces in a package, but you'll the the approximate equivalent in volume.

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Monday, May 11, 2009

Podcast! Italian Wedding Soup

You might be wrong if you thought this would be a heavy soup…if you use turkey, it’s light, warming and sooo delicious! Escarole is bitter if eaten raw, but when you heat it, the bitterness softens a bit, and the flavor is wonderful.



Italian Wedding Soup


1 head Escarole washed, dried and chopped

Approx 1 lb. Ground Turkey, Beef, Pork or any combination

3 Tb. Parmesan Cheese

2 Tb. Parsley, chopped

1 Egg White

1 clove of Garlic, put through a press

2 tsp. Salt

Good grinding of Pepper

8 C Chicken Broth

1 can Canellini Beans, rinsed and drained.


Prepare escarole and set aside. Mix the next 7 ingredients well and make tiny meatballs. If the mixture starts sticking to your hands, dip your palms in cool water, and continue. Heat the broth on the stove, add the meatballs and the beans. Allow to heat at medium, covered for 5 minutes. Remove the top, add the escarole and cover again. Allow to heat for 10 min more. Check to see that escarole has wilted and will mix into the soup. The meatballs should be floating at the surface. Serve with a good grating of Parmesan cheese, and some good bread, toasted with olive oil and salt drizzled on top.


OTHER NOTES:


Make the meatballs ahead, freeze on cookie sheets, then drop into a zip top bag for an easier meal in the future. Set the meatballs out to thaw before you put them into the soup


Check out the ingredients for this recipe on sale on the Picky Produce Page!


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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhQHdMJ2SnE