Post by cyberobb99 on Feb 18, 2013 20:57:35 GMT -5
So, continuing my previous posts regarding Sunday Dinner, we also had sauteed Italian Vegetables and Risotto. The veggies first.....
Ingredients:
summer squash (preferred mix of one each; yellow, zuke and pipianne), sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 large, ripe tomato,diced
olive oil
garlic, chopped
parsley, chopped
oregano, chopped
salt
pepper
-Start out by scalding and peeling the tomato, then dice it.
-Lightly sweat the onions in 1 tbspn olive oil, then mix in the chopped garlic and heat it through.
-Add tomato...saute and med temp until softened.
-Add squash, toss thoroughly
-Add remaining ingredients to your taste, and keep on cooking until the squash is tender. You can speed up the process by covering it, but that will also cause the colors of your food to fade more.
- I prefer to serve this with shredded Parm on top. (Btw, I also added a little fresh spinach to this one, which I don't normally do.)
Now the Risotto;
- first, a few tips about risotto;
1) You DON't have to use expensive arborio rice for this dish... any sushi rice will work nicely, but NOT long grain, basmati, brown or jasmine rice.
2) This is where a homemade chicken or veal base is worth it's weight in gold-pressed latinum. (A little geek reference for ya there.) Avoid using boullion cubes for the stock....buy Swanson if you just can't make your own.
3) Stir your product almost constantly...if it sticks it may brown and add an unpleasant flavor to your dish.
4) Use shredded Parm, not grated, for a creamier result with more flavor
5) When you add liquids to the rice during cooking, those liquids must be at or near boiling point or they'll cool the rice and turn your risotto gummy.
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups or more chicken broth, canned or homemade
1/4 cup white wine...preferably dry, but your choice
1 cup Arborio rice (available in many supermarkets or specialty food stores)
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
-Peel and finely chop the onion.
-Melt the butter in a 2 to 3 -quart saucepan over medium heat, but don't allow the butter to brown.
-Add the onion and sweat, continuing to stir, until it turns soft and translucent. Turn the heat down if the onion starts to brown.
Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth to boiling in your Microwave or a separate pan. It MUST remain hot...so if you nuke it give it 30 seconds now and then to keep it near boiling.
Once the onion is soft, add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, without allowing the rice to brown.
Add about 1/2 cup of broth. Pour it in the pan with the rice, stirring constantly with a spoon. After the first addition of broth, the rice mixture will look a bit soupy.
As the rice begins to cook, stir it constantly, making sure that you scrape along the bottom of the pan so that it does not stick. You should see little bubbles popping up on the liquid from time to time. If it bubbles more vigorously than this, turn the heat down to medium-low.
When most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice and the rice begins to look a bit dry, add your wine. Repeat again, and add another 1/2 cup broth, repeat again, at which point you should have about 1/2 cup broth left.
Continue to add the broth in 1/2-to-3/4-cup batches and stir the rice until you have used most of the broth (this will probably take about 20 minutes). It is now time to test whether the risotto is cooked. Spoon up a grain of rice and bite into it -- it should be tender without being too mushy. If it is still crunchy and tastes a bit starchy, you will need to continue adding liquid and cooking further. If you run out of broth, use boiling hot water.
When the rice is tender and the risotto has a creamy consistency it is done. Do not let it sit too long as the rice will continue to absorb liquid....serve it soonest!
If you've never tried home-made risotto, you're in for a real treat....so if you make nothing else from my Sunday dinner, at least give the risotto a try!
Ingredients:
summer squash (preferred mix of one each; yellow, zuke and pipianne), sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 large, ripe tomato,diced
olive oil
garlic, chopped
parsley, chopped
oregano, chopped
salt
pepper
-Start out by scalding and peeling the tomato, then dice it.
-Lightly sweat the onions in 1 tbspn olive oil, then mix in the chopped garlic and heat it through.
-Add tomato...saute and med temp until softened.
-Add squash, toss thoroughly
-Add remaining ingredients to your taste, and keep on cooking until the squash is tender. You can speed up the process by covering it, but that will also cause the colors of your food to fade more.
- I prefer to serve this with shredded Parm on top. (Btw, I also added a little fresh spinach to this one, which I don't normally do.)
Now the Risotto;
- first, a few tips about risotto;
1) You DON't have to use expensive arborio rice for this dish... any sushi rice will work nicely, but NOT long grain, basmati, brown or jasmine rice.
2) This is where a homemade chicken or veal base is worth it's weight in gold-pressed latinum. (A little geek reference for ya there.) Avoid using boullion cubes for the stock....buy Swanson if you just can't make your own.
3) Stir your product almost constantly...if it sticks it may brown and add an unpleasant flavor to your dish.
4) Use shredded Parm, not grated, for a creamier result with more flavor
5) When you add liquids to the rice during cooking, those liquids must be at or near boiling point or they'll cool the rice and turn your risotto gummy.
Ingredients:
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups or more chicken broth, canned or homemade
1/4 cup white wine...preferably dry, but your choice
1 cup Arborio rice (available in many supermarkets or specialty food stores)
Salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
-Peel and finely chop the onion.
-Melt the butter in a 2 to 3 -quart saucepan over medium heat, but don't allow the butter to brown.
-Add the onion and sweat, continuing to stir, until it turns soft and translucent. Turn the heat down if the onion starts to brown.
Meanwhile, heat the chicken broth to boiling in your Microwave or a separate pan. It MUST remain hot...so if you nuke it give it 30 seconds now and then to keep it near boiling.
Once the onion is soft, add the rice and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes, without allowing the rice to brown.
Add about 1/2 cup of broth. Pour it in the pan with the rice, stirring constantly with a spoon. After the first addition of broth, the rice mixture will look a bit soupy.
As the rice begins to cook, stir it constantly, making sure that you scrape along the bottom of the pan so that it does not stick. You should see little bubbles popping up on the liquid from time to time. If it bubbles more vigorously than this, turn the heat down to medium-low.
When most of the liquid is absorbed into the rice and the rice begins to look a bit dry, add your wine. Repeat again, and add another 1/2 cup broth, repeat again, at which point you should have about 1/2 cup broth left.
Continue to add the broth in 1/2-to-3/4-cup batches and stir the rice until you have used most of the broth (this will probably take about 20 minutes). It is now time to test whether the risotto is cooked. Spoon up a grain of rice and bite into it -- it should be tender without being too mushy. If it is still crunchy and tastes a bit starchy, you will need to continue adding liquid and cooking further. If you run out of broth, use boiling hot water.
When the rice is tender and the risotto has a creamy consistency it is done. Do not let it sit too long as the rice will continue to absorb liquid....serve it soonest!
If you've never tried home-made risotto, you're in for a real treat....so if you make nothing else from my Sunday dinner, at least give the risotto a try!
