3 new recipes

Every so often, Dan and I go all out and make something real for dinner, which means it's not directly from a box or the freezer.  Or better yet a box in the freezer.  Truth be told, I've actually only made two of these recipes (you can take a girl out of something, but you can't take the ready made food out of the girl?? hmm), but I think the third would be a great addition.

First up, risotto, Martha Stewart style.  We've actually made this recipe twice: the first time as Martha directs, the second time we used 2 oz of rehydrated wild mushrooms (I can't remember which kind, whatever the grocery store had) instead of peas.  We substituted parmesan for the asiago and thyme for the marjoram.  Personally, I liked it better Martha's way.  Go figure. One heads up, if you're going to make this the wild mushroom way---when adding the mushrooms, hold off on the chicken stock for a bit.  Since you have to re-hydrate the mushrooms in water first, they are quite waterlogged and I think they made my risotto overcooked and mushy.

(There it is the first time around with peas and a piece of steak the size of my head.)

Risotto with peas, marjoram and asiago

From Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2003

6 to 8 cups of homemade or low-sodium canned chicken stock (can you guess which I used?)

3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil

2 shallots, minced

1 cup Arborio or Carnaroli rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 1/2 lbs fresh garden peas, shelled or frozen

3 tbs unsalted butter

1 cup freshly grated Asiago cheese (about 4 oz)

1 tbs coarsley chopped fresh marjoram leaves, plus more for garnish

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; reduce heat, and keep at a low simmer.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large heavy-bottom saucepan over medium heat.  Add shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add rice; cook, stirring frequently, until it is thoroughly coated and slightly fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes.  Add wine, and cook, stirring constantly, until completely absorbed.

Using a ladle, add 3/4 cup hot stock to rice mixture; stir constantly with a wooden spoon until mixture is thick enough to leave a clear wake behind the spoon.

Continue adding stock 3/4 cup at a time, stirring constantly, a total of 18 to 20 minutes (mine took more like 35 to be only slightly al-dente); after 12 minutes of cooking, stir in peas.  As rice nears doneness, watch carefully to make sure it doesn't overcook, and add smaller amounts of stock (you may not need to use all of the stock). The final mixture should be thick enough to suspend rice in liquid that is the consistency of heavy cream.  The rice should be al dente but no longer crunchy, and the peas tender and bright green.

Remove from heat.  Stir in butter, cheese, and chopped marjoram, and season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately, garnished with marjoram sprigs.

We served it with a recipe from Stonewall Kitchen's Favorites cookbook, roasted vegetable platter with green sauce.  And by "served it," I mean served it to ourselves.  Did you think we had friends? Haha, sadly no. 

Roasted Vegetable Platter with Green Sauce

Adapted from Stonewall Kitchen Favorites

I very losely followed the vegetable guidelines here...but I did use a (only one) head of fennel for the first time.  I shocked myself by liking it.  Dan, not so much of a fan. 

1 1/2 lbs baby potatoes, scrubbed

2 small heads fennel, trimmed, bulb cut into quarters

1 lb medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (aka buy baby carrots)

1 lb parsnips

3 to 4 small leeks, cut in half lengthwise and then into 1 1/2 inch pieces

1 large red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2 inch thick strips

8 ounces brussels sprouts (if they are large, cut in half)

1/4 cup plus 2 tbs olive oil

2 tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried

salt and freshly ground black pepper

(if you're like me add approx 2 tbs honey to make the veggies a bit sweeter)

Green Sauce (recipe follows)

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Put all of the chopped vegetables into a big bowl and mix with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and honey (if desired).  Spread them onto parchment lined baking sheets.  Roast for 30 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Carefully flip the vegetables over.  Roast for another 30 minutes or until everything is tender when tested with small, sharp knife and golden brown. Serve hot or at room temperature with Green Sauce.

My vegetables only took 40 minutes to roast (luckily I peeked into the oven just as they were starting to burn!!)...so pay attention to them!  But if you're cooking risotto, aka the bratty, needy child of the food world, at the same time you should never be far from the oven anyway. 

Green Sauce

From Stonewall Kitchen Favorites

2 cups packed fresh parsley leaves (a use for the herbs from my garden!! aka an item crossed off of my summer list)

3 scallions (white and green parts), chopped

1/4 cup chopped chives (another garden item)

one 3 1/2-oz jar nonpareil capers, drained

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor or blender, pulse the parsley and scallions until coarsley chopped.  Add the chives and pulse four to five times until chopped.  Add the capers and pulse again until the sauce is quite thick but not fully blended.  Add a bit of salt (the capers will add a lot) and a generous grinding of peper and pulse again.  Add the oil and pulse four to five times.  The final sauce should be thick and chunky--a coarsely chopped, very green sauce.

For some reason, this reminds me of when I was probably 8 years old and tried to make soup.  My friend and I each took a saucepan with water and competed to see who could make the best soup.  We proceeded to raid my mom's spice cabinet and dump approximately 99.9% of her spices into our "soups."  Needless to say, the final result was quite inedible.  Although I'm sure my mom ate some just to humor me.  The things moms do.

The final recipe is the one we didn't make.  It's for pork loin with honey-thyme glaze.  I wanted to make this recipe, but unfortunately my grocery store only sold pre-marinated pork loin and I didn't think that garlic and herbs or sun-dried tomatoes would necessarily blend well with honey. However, I must add that the pre-marinated variety was very good and moist, so I'd recommend that as well. Plus, this was probably a blessing in disguise, because had I had to juggle another recipe that involved work, I'm not sure my amateur cooking skills could have hacked it.  With the pre-marinated pork loin, I had my very own Cher from Clueless moment, of just dropping the loin on a baking sheet and popping it in the oven. 

Roast Pork Loin with Honey-Thyme Glaze

From Stonewall Kitchen Favorites

One 2 1/2 lb boneless pork loin roast

2 tbs olive oil

Fine sea salt and freshly ground peper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tbs chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/4 cup honey

Place a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place the pork roast fat side up in a roasting pan large enough to fit the roast comfortably.  Drizzle the olive oil over the roast and then season liberally with salt and pepper.  Scatter the garlic and 1 tbs of the chopped thyme over the roast, pressing the seasonings into the roast with your hands.  Mix the remaining 2 tbs chopped thyme with the honey in a small bowl and set aside.

Roast the pork for 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven, and spoon or brush the honey-thyme glaze evenly over the top of pork.  Return the pan to the oven and roast and additional 15 to 30 minutes, basting occasionally with pan juices, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees and the top has turned a golden brown.  Let the pork rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing.