Champagne Risotto with shrimp and asparagus

November09 022

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

This is a great meal!
Boil 3 cups of vegetable broth add about 16 stalks of asparagus chopped into 2 inch pieces and let boil for 2 minutes. Remove the asparagus and set aside. Reduce heat on broth to low. I prepared the risotto but chopping two shallots and cooking in olive oil and butter (about a tsp each) until tender. Add 1 cup of risotto and another tsp of olive oil. Cook for about 2 minutes over medium high heat. Add cup of champagne and let simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable and let the liquid absorb, continue adding broth a 1/2 cup at a time until all the liquid is absorbed. When you add the last 1/2 cup of broth also add the asparagus, and about a pound of peeled shrimp. Let the liquid absorb and simmer until the shrimp is done (this should be about the same amount of time). Add 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and stir until creamy – salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. I garnished with a bit more shredded cheese as I believe there is no such thing as too much cheese. This was totally delicious!

First Lasagna of the fall

first lasagne of the fall

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

I had a craving for lasagna but Savannah has had some really warm temps for late – especially for this time of year as October tends to be rather temperate and lovely. So I decided that I would ignore the 85 degree weather and high humidity and make the lasagna I craved. I started with the sauce. I let the marina simmer for quite a while; I added carrot slivers and spinach and let that cook for a while longer. Once the sauce had sufficiently festered I preheated the oven to about 350 degrees and started the layering process. One layer of lasagna noodles, drizzle with sauce, add ricotta, feta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and then start another layer of noodles -what could be easier? I think I ended up with about three layers. I cooked the lasagna for about 30-45 minutes until it was bubbling. Remove from oven and let it cool, slice and enjoy with good friends and a bottle of Chianti.

Shrimp Creole

Shrimp Creole

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

I had a craving on the way home from school for Shrimp Creole. I had recently come into 10lbs of fresh caught GA shrimp so I knew the shrimp would be awesome. I started the sauce with 1 can of chopped tomatoes and 1 jar of marinara sauce – you could make this from scratch if you had the time, but I didn’t and besides, I am way too lazy. I did, however, doctor the sauce. I added quite a bit of red pepper (you can do this to taste) and about a tablespoon of old bay seasoning. I also added a healthy glug of red wine and a bit of salt. (If I had had an onion on hand, I would have also added some chopped onion to the sauce, but it was fine without it). As the sauce was simmering away I steamed a cup of rice and peeled about a pound of shrimp. About 5 minutes before you are ready to eat, turn the sauce up to a boil and add the shrimp – when they are no longer translucent cut the heat to the sauce and serve immediately over rice. There was just enough heat from the red pepper to make the sinuses tingle, but not so much that you couldn’t taste the beautiful shrimp.

Sweet Potato medallions

Sweet Potato medallions

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

This is an easy side and very tasty. I sliced some sweet potatoes and cooked them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle the medallions with sea salt and olive oil and then top with rosemary sprigs. I served this along side wilted spinach and some sort of fish that was not at all memorable, but these sweet potatoes will definitely make it into the rotation. YUM!

Stir Fry

Stir Fry

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

I always forget about stir fry – its so easy and beautiful and a great way to get many vegetables into your meal. This one was from last week sometime and I am re-creating it tonight, but with tofu instead of chicken.
saute the chicken (or tofu) in spicy sauce
remove chicken and add chopped vegetables (I used an orange pepper, snow peas and a tomato)
add chicken with the veggies are done
Toss in the rice and add more sauce – I added a peanut sauce to mine and will do that again tonight….its yummy.

Tuna with Pesto Butter

Tuna with Pesto Butter

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

I am catching up on food blogs since school has started, I remember to take pictures, but it takes me a few days to get them actually posted. Sometime last week, I made these tuna steaks. I simply:
salted and peppered both sides and put in the saute pan
add about a tablespoon of olive oil and a clove of chopped garlic
cook on each side for about 3 minutes
while still cooking, add the butter mixture to the top of the steaks and let it melt into the steak as it finishes cooking.

For the butter mixture;
about 2 tablespoons of butter (a little more or less, whatever feels right to you)
chopped basil (about 6-8 leaves)
1 clove chopped garlic
mix it all together and put in the fridge until you are ready to top the fish with it.

I served this along side some pasta with a simple pesto sauce and some fresh steamed broccoli.

Nachos!

Nachos!

Originally uploaded by lyricalmezzo

So – sometime last week Mimi blogged about nachos and pictured her beautiful nachos with yummy leftovers and yes, they sounded good, but I wanted ooey gooey nachos – yes we differ on our likes and dislikes when it comes to food. Here are my nachos loaded with vegetarian refried beans; colby jack cheese, plain yogurt, and tomatillo sauce. So – while they are ooey gooey, really not too much in here that is bad for you….you could do much worse and I enjoyed the messiness of these nachos very much.

Saturday Dinner

dinner

Originally uploaded by All Things Mimi

This dinner was good. I mean really good.

I’ll start with the roasted cauliflower cuz it was the easiest.

I defrosted a bag of frozen cauliflower florets. Yes- I said frozen. I was skeptical about the outcome, but it was fine. Actually, it was better than fine. After it was completely defrosted, I dried it on paper towels. I spread it out on a foil lined baking sheet and drizzled it with olive oil, then salted and peppered it. It roasted in a 400 degree oven for probably about 30 minutes. I roasted it while I was grilling the chicken. I wanted it to get a really deep, roasted color.

It tasted really good, and I think using frozen cauliflower was easier than cutting up a fresh head. But if you want to use fresh, I’m sure it will be even better!

Now…on to the mac and cheese…

I found a recipe in the Apr/May 2008 issue of “Cook’s Country” magazine for skillet mac and cheese. It did not require boiling the macaroni separately- meaning one pot start to finish. I like that- and Dev likes it even more, since he usually does the dishes.

Here’s the recipe:

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups fresh bread crumbs (I used panko)
salt and pepper
3 3/4 cups water, plus more as needed
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
3 cups elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Sriracha)
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups shredded monterey jack

Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add bread crumbs, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and wipe out skillet.
Bring water, 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt to simmer in skillet over medium high heat. Add macaroni and cook, stirring often, until macaroni is al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
Whisk remaining evaporated milk, cornstarch and hot sauce in small bowl, then stir into skillet. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cheeses, one handful at a time, adding water or milk as needed to adjust consistency. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Serve.

You could get away with much less than 2 cups of bread crumbs. I think a cup would be plenty.

The flavor was really great, especially since I used the sriracha hot sauce. I could really taste the chile/garlic mixture.

Last but not least, let’s talk about the chicken. I defrosted 4 leg/thigh quarters. I put a very simple blackening rub on them and grilled them. Actually, I incinerated them. They were on fire several times. I guess I need to brush up on my grilling skills. Anyhoo…
When the internal temp reached 170 degrees, I glazed them with the following mixture:

2/3 cup hoison sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon veggie oil
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 small piece fresh ginger, skinned and sliced thin
2 medium garlic cloves, rough chopped
6 scallions, rough chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Take everything for a spin in the food processor til smooth.

After brushing the chicken with the glaze, I let the meat coast to 175 degrees before pulling it off the grill.

I put additional glaze on my chicken after it went on my plate. The sauce is excellent! It would also be good over slaw or noodles.

ham and cheese waffles

ham and cheese waffles

Originally uploaded by All Things Mimi

These were Sunday breakfast.

I blogged about my usual waffle recipe earlier this week, bemoaning the work involved. I found this recipe in the September 2009 issue of Rachael Ray’s magazine, and it sounded much simpler- not to mention it added a savory element that sounded good to me. So- I got out my waffle iron again and made a batch this morning.

They came out really well, and I’ll be making them again soon!

Sausage, Potato and Cheese Waffles

1 link sweet Italian Sausage, casing discarded (I subbed ham)
1 baking potato, grated and excess water removed (I used frozen hash browns)
4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 c. flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 c. shredded cheddar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 c. milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage over medium high heat, breaking it up with a spatula, for 5 minutes. Add the potato and butter, lower the heat and simmer until butter melts, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. Stir in the milk and eggs until smooth. Stir in sausage potato mixture.
Using a waffle iron, cook the waffles according to manufacturer’s directions.

I really liked these. I think I will use the leftovers to build breakfast sandwiches during the week.

green chile corn muffins

green chile corn muffins

Originally uploaded by All Things Mimi

I had several projects for Sunday, and this was the first one.

I saw this recipe in the September 2009 issue of Rachael Ray’s magazine. I had all the ingredients on hand, so I decided to give it a whirl. I’m glad I did, because these turned out really well!

Here’s the recipe:

Chile Cheese Corn Muffins

2 1/3 cups flour (I used 2 1/3 cups white and 1 cup whole wheat)
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3/4 c. frozen corn, thawed (I used fresh off the cob)
1 can diced green chiles (I used frozen chiles)
1/2 c. plus 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
1 c. milk
1/2 c. mayo

Preheat the oven to 425. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne. Stir in the corn, chiles and 1/2 c. of the cheese. Stir in the milk and mayo. Spoon the mixture into a non stick, 6 cup jumbo muffin pan (I used my 12 muffin pan).
Bake for 15 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes more.

I needed a little extra liquid, so I used the juice from the frozen chiles.