Cook Daily

Mushroom Risotto

I usually make risotto with fresh mushrooms, but it's great to have those little packets of dried ones on hand when you don't have any fresh and you must, must have mushroom risotto for dinner. This recipe comes from a book called eat drink live that I found at Anthropologie. It was shortly before I left San Francisco, shopping with my friend Jamie. I spent so long salivating over the pictures in the book while she was trying on clothes that she ended up buying it for me. Sweet friend that she is. So often I meant to cook for her, but since she has always lived within delivery distance of some of San Francisco's best Chinese food our many dinners were ususally about wine, hot and sour soup, seaweed chicken and TiVo.

I love making risotto. It was one of the first things I learned to cook as an almost full-time babysitter of a very discerning two year old, many moons ago. It was her favorite thing to eat so I made it for her all the time.  I'm sure it will make its appearance in different flavors many times over here, but here's one recipe:

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 oz dried mushrooms (chanterelle, morel, shiitake or porcini)
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, crushed and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups risotto rice
1/3 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus a bit extra, to serve
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the stock and dried mushrooms in a saucepan and let soak for 10 minutes. Then slowly heat the stock to simmering point. Strain the mushrooms and return the stock to saucepan to keep hot.

2. Melt the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan. Add the garlic and onion and cook over a medium heat until softened but not browned. Add the rice and stir until all the grains are coated with butter and oil.

3. Add a ladle of hot stock to the rice and mix well. When the rice has absorbed the liquid, add another ladle of stock and stir well. Repeat with the remaining stock, cooking the risotto for 15-20 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed. Meanwhile, chop the mushrooms into smaller pieces as necessary.

4. Add the soaked mushrooms, white wine or vermouth, the remaining butter, and the grated Parmesan to the risotto. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix gently over the heat for 2 minutes. Serve with a separate dish of the shaved or grated cheese to sprinkle over the top.

The Perfect TV Dinner

So, over on Floss Daily you can read about my new habits as an aspiring film editor's widow.  While I am still cooking, becuase things just don't feel right if I don't have a million full tupperware containers in the fridge, this is one of my all-time favorite dinners to eat solo. And trust me, we eat plenty of this together too. It's just particularly fun to make this plate that I get to eat all by myself.

You too can have this dinner:

The Best TV Dinner Ever

1 hunk of Manchego cheese
a scoopful of the pickled veggie mix from the olive bar at Gelsons
1 Gelsons baguette
A few slices of salami (obscured by a shadow in the picture)
1 bottle of red at the ready

And if you're really lucky, you'll have some leftover artichoke dip from the sort-of-last-minute dinner party you had the night before. (totally easy: 1 cup sour cream, 1/2-3/4  cup mayonnaise, 1 can artichoke hearts chopped up, parmesan cheese, tabasco, more parmesan cheese mixed all together in an ovenproof dish, more parmesan on top, baked at 350 until bubbly)

Fried Rice with Vegetables

This was one of the first cookbooks I ever bought. Published (and purchased) in 1995, it's not exactly a classic, but it preceded my addiction to the Internet by at least 2 years. And The Food Network and Rachael Ray's 30-Minute Meals by a few more than that. Back when I was first dabbling in the kitchen, I used this book quite a bit. Now that my collection has expanded, my recipe binders are so full that turning the pages can be a challenge, and I have sunk so far into my food TV addiction there's no salvation, I don't cook from it as much, but there are a few staples in here that I make over and over again. (Fried rice isn't exactly complicated, but back in 1995 I had no idea.) And I love a good reason to use up leftover rice. I don't follow this recipe exactly--it all depends what I have on hand as far as veggies go.

Fried Rice with Vegetables

4 tablespoons peanut oil
1 egg
2 teaspoons water
1 1/4 cups sliced fresh shiitake or button mushrooms
1 1/4 cups small broccoli florets
1 1/4 cups chopped red bell pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups thinly sliced green onions (about 5)
3 cups cold cooked long-grain white rice (about one cup uncooked)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
additional soy sauce

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy, large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Beat egg with water until blended. Pour into skillet, tilting to spread egg to thin 10-inch round. Cook until golden and flecked with brown spots, about 1 minute. Release edges and turn "pancake" over. Cook until second side is done, 30 seconds. Transfer egg pancake to work surface and cut into 1/2 inch wide, 2 inch long strips.

2. Heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil in same skillet over high heat. Add mushrooms, broccoli, red pepper and ginger. Stir until vegetables are just tender, about 3 minutes. Add green onions and cook 1 minute longer. Add rice and soy sauce to skillet. Cook until mixture is thoroughly blended and heated through, stirring almost constantly. Mix in egg strips and season with salt and pepper. Serve with additional soy sauce.

Cook's Notes

1. It's very important to use cold rice. Warm rice won't work as well. If you make the rice same day, refrigerate it to chill before proceeding with the recipe.

2. While measurements for the egg strips have been kindly provided, I usually just chop it up any which way. Stephen Aspirinio would hate me.

2. I sometimes add a little sesame oil (not too much - about a teaspoon) and/or some hoisin sauce (about a tablespoon or 2) when I add the soy sauce.

Bonus recipe from this book

This post prompted me to rifle through this book and check out all the flagged pages. I found one of my other favorites. One that I'm going to include the recipe for while it's on my mind since I'm not likely to make it much. Since moving in with David, (who is Jewish), pork doesn't come under my knife very often. As far as possible, we try and sit down to a shared meal most nights of the week and of course I've fallen into a pattern of eliminating the things he prefers not to eat (pork is really it for him. He eats everything else) and he's had to sacrifice some of the things I never eat (like lamb). Baaaaaah! 

(On a side, yet related note, David is not terribly observant when it comes to his religion, and eats shellfish with carefree abandon. But pork is a no-go. He's tried it prepared in various forms (including one that I believe came out of his own mother's oven) and even admitted to liking it one of those times (it was at my sister's house, so maybe he was just being polite) but he won't eat it at home. I'm not trying to force the issue. I'm not that attached to pork, but it's interesting that it's the one thing he's fairly adamant about.)

(On another note, also related, his feelings about pork do not apply to bacon, which can make him cave. It's rare, but it has happened. Isn't he weird?)

Back to the recipe: almost everyone I've cooked this for has asked for it. It's so yummy.

Pork Cutlets with Mustard Maple Sauce

4 boneless pork loin chops (cutlets)
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage, (or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled)
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon coarse-grained mustard

1. Place pork chops between sheets of plastic wrap and pound to thickness of 1/3 inch. Sprinkle with 1/1/2 teaspoons sage, salt and a generous amount of pepper. Set aside

2. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook until brown on both sides and cooked through, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to plate, leaving drippings in skillet.

3. Add broth, maple syrup, mustard and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons sage to skillet. Boil until syrupy, scraping up browned bits, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Return pork and any accumulated juices to skillet and cook until just heated through, about 1 minute. Serve.

Green Chile & Zucchini Quiche

I was going through the backlog of photos of things I've cooked and found one from a few weeks ago that I forgot to post about. The recipe is from Sara Moulton's new cookbook, "Sara's Secrets for Weeknight Meals", but it's also available on foodtv.com.

Even though quiche seems like something a monkey could make successfully, I have managed to make many a disappointing, and sometimes even plain unacceptable-for pot-luck-consumption-quiche. (I won't even begin to recount the disaster that was the South Beach Cookbook Fennel Quiche).  This one was delicious. Maybe it was because there was no pot-luck anxiety about it (one whole half was all for me!), or maybe it was the addition of cottage cheese, which seemed unusual for quiche. All I can say is, if you come to my house for brunch anytime soon, you might just be eating this.

Here's the recipe:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
24 whole grain wheat crackers (Triscuits) ground in a food processor (about 1 cup) or 1 cup dried bread crumbs
1 medium zucchini (about 6 ounces)
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3 large eggs
1/2 pound freshly grated Monterey jack cheese (about 2 cups)
1 cup whole-milk cottage cheese
1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
Bottled salsa, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir 2 tablespoons of the melted butter into the cracker crumbs. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the side of a 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake the crust in the center of the preheated oven until it begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Remove the crust from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

2. Meanwhile, grate the zucchini, preferably using the grating attachment of a food processor. Toss the zucchini with 1/2 teaspoon salt and let drain in a colander for 10 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat until hot. Reduce the heat to medium; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini well with your hands to remove excess moisture. Add the zucchini to the onion and cook over high heat for 3 minutes.

3. Stir together the flour, the baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until combined. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs until thick and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the Monterey jack and cottage cheeses, the flour mixture, and remaining melted butter to the eggs and beat well. Stir in the zucchini mixture and chiles and pour the mixture into the crust. Bake the quiche in the center of the oven until the top is puffed and golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside at room temperature 5 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve with salsa, if desired.

Spaghetti with Asparagus, Shiitake Mushrooms, Lemon and Chives

This one's from my latest issue of Bon Appetit (April 2006), and can also be found on Epicurious.com, over here. Quick, very easy and so good.

Cook's Notes:

1. I ended up not having any spaghetti, but did have a slightly fatter noodle, pericatelli I think?  It was still good, but I think that the sauce would coat spaghetti better.

2. I grated the cheese, rather than shaving it. I prefer it that way over pasta.

Pan-Roasted Halibut with Roasted Butternut Squash and Cherry Tomatoes

Just as I was getting ready to rename this blog, "500 Ways with Chicken", I made fish. At last. This is another recipe from my new favorite Sara Foster cookbook: Fresh Every Day. You can't go wrong with halibut, no matter what you do with it. This is definitely a recipe that will be revisited.

1 small butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeds removed
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, or other small heirloom variety, washed and stems removed
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 halibut fillets, cut 1-inch thick, skin on
2 tablespoons fresh marjoram leaves
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place squash, cut side down on a baking sheet with sides. Pour 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the pan around the squash and roast for 40-45 minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife. Check on the squash while it's cooking and add more water if the baking sheet is dry. Remove from oven and let cool.

3. While squash roasts. place tomatoes in a small baking dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast the tomatoes alongside the squash for about 20 minutes, until they are slightly brown and wrinkled. Remove from oven.

4. Reduce oven temp. to 300

5. Meanwhile, rub halibut with t tablespoon of the olive oil and season with 1 tablespoon of the marjoram and some salt and pepper. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat, until just before the smoking point. Place the fish, skin side down, in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and cook the fish without moving it until it is opaque halfway up the side, about 4 minutes. Carefully turn fish over and squeeze the lemon juice over it. Cook 2-3 minutes longer until it is tender and flaky when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife. Transfer to a platter covered loosely with foil and place in the oven to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

6. Pour wine, broth, and remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar into the pan you cooked the fish in, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, until the sauce is bubbly and thickens slightly.

7. Remove the skin from the squash and cut into bite-size chunks. Add squash, tomatoes and remaining marjoram to the pan with the sauce, and simmer, stirring gently, to warm. Season with salt and pepper, spoon the squash and tomatoes over and around the fish and serve immediately.

Cooks Notes

1. I cheated and used pre-cut squash. I questioned whether I still needed to roast with the liquids, but did anyway. Everything got absorbed and the squash was perfect.

2. I shelled out the $5 for a bottle of sherry vinegar. It doesn't smell that much different from balsamic vinegar, maybe a little milder. If you don't have sherry vinegar, I'm pretty sure you could substitute balsamic.

3. 300 seemed high for a "keep warm" oven, especially my psycho oven, and I was worried it would dry the halibut out.  I reduced to 250.

4. I used just two pieces of fish, kept the other quantities the same, but used slightly less olive oil and marjoram to rub the fish.

5. I served this with leftover mashed potatoes from the night before.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken

I have a new chef love affair going on. With Sara Foster. I took one of her books, The Foster's Market Cookbook out of the library, and bought another, Fresh Every Day when I was in San Francisco last weekend. Before long I will have worked my way through both books.

I've posted before on Floss Daily about roasting chickens, and how frequently it sets off the smoke alarm in our apartment. It was turning me off roast chicken entirely. I decided that the next time I wanted to hear that deafening beep (beep is really not the right word), I wanted it to be alerting me to real, dangerous smoke. We found a solution, and that is to do them on the barbecue. It still goes on a rack in a barbecue-friendly roasting pan (not my $75 one from Crate and Barrel), just like in the oven.   We've roasted chickens outside a few times since getting the Weber a few months ago, but I've never posted about it, either because I didn't take a picture, or I kind of made up a rub for it, and then forgot exactly what I did. This time I used one of Sara Foster's recipes, and it was perfect.

In the pan, along with the chicken, I roasted some brussels sprouts. And adapted her recipe for basic mashed potatoes as another side.

Balsamic Roasted Chicken

1 chicken (3.5 to 4 pounds)
6 sprigs fresh marjoram or sage
1 lemon, cut in half
1 yellow onion, cut in half
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry white wine or apple juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried
sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven (or in my case grill) to 400 degrees
2.  Remove the giblets and loose fat from the cavity of the chicken (this is my hardy boyfriend's job)
3.  Wash chicken and pat dry. With your fingers, carefully loosen the skin from the chicken breast and place several sprigs of marjoram or sage between the skin and breast. Do the same where the breast meets the thigh.
4.  Place the chicken breast side up in roasting pan and squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken. Place the lemon halves along with the onion halves and any remaining marjoram into the cavity of the chicken.
5. Pour the vinegar and wine over the chicken. Rub the breast with the olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper and turn the chicken over breast side down.
6. Roast 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, 50-55 minutes longer, until the skin is golden brown and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a sharp knife. Exact timing does depend on the size of the chicken.
7. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and cover loosely to keep warm. Let rest 10-15 minutes before carving.

Classic Mashed Potatoes:

4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut in half (about 6 potatoes)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
3/4 cup whole milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water (by 2 inches). Bring to a low boil, and cook, uncovered 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
2. Drain potatoes and return to the saucepan while still warm. Add the butter and milk and mash with a potato masher until all the butter and milk is incorporated and the potatoes are creamy. Season with salt and pepper.

Cook's Notes:

1. Sara suggests drizzling chive oil over these (1 cup chopped fresh chives, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, 1 cup olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt, blended and strained through a sieve) over these, but I just stirred in some parsley.

2. I halved this recipe, but still only used about 3 tablespoons of butter instead of 4

3. I used 2% milk instead of whole milk. My potatoes probably weren't as delicious as her original recipe, but still pretty good.

Easy Thai Green Chicken Curry

I had been craving Thai food all weekend. Such cravings don't usually turn into a homemade version of whatever I'm craving, but sometimes I surprise myself. (Or I do some damage in the Nordstrom shoe department and feel I need to make up for it by eating at home).

This recipe is sort of made up (oh great, not another questionable made-up recipe, I hear you say...), but it's based on the recipes of the likes of Tyler Florence. Sara Moulton, Bon Appetit, and my mom. Ok?  I mix this up depending on the ingredients I have on hand, but here's the basic recipe:

(Note: this is not a very traditional Thai green curry, as noted by the absence of things like lemongrass and Kaffir lime leaves, but you could certainly add them. It would only make it better, but it tastes pretty good without these things too).

Easy Thai Green Curry

3 tablespoons canola (or any vegetable) oil
2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
Salt and pepper
1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 inch piece of ginger, finely minced or grated
1 small serrano (if you like it hot) or jalapeno (for not so hot) pepper, minced
2 zucchini, sliced down the middle, and then in half again
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 can of coconut milk
1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste (a little more if you like it hotter)
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup frozen peas

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large skillet (non stick is better, but my favorite skillet is not non-stick and it works fine)
2. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Add to pan and brown on all sides, 4 minutes or so.
3. Remove chicken to plate and reserve
4. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet
5.  Add peppers, onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, broccoli and zucchini to skillet. Cook, stirring frequently for 4 minutes or so, until vegetables soften a bit
6.  Add coconut milk, chicken broth and curry paste to skillet. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
7.  Add chicken back to skillet and simmer for 3-4 more minutes.
8.  Add lime juice, cilantro, scallions and frozen peas. Simmer a few minutes more to heat the peas
9.  Taste and season accordingly, if at all (I usually add a little salt, because I am a salt freak).

Cooks Notes

1. I've never made this with tofu, but I'm sure it could be done, using vegetable stock instead of chicken.
2. I only used two chicken breasts, since I hate reheated chicken and usually don't care whether it's included in my leftovers or not.
3. This is really good with Jasmine rice, but regular long grain white rice is fine.
4. f you wanted to add lemongrass and lime leaves, I'd do it in Step 5,  but I might consult a more traditional recipe before heeding this advice)

Sunday Lunch

Ok, the only thing on this plate that I can take any credit for is the Israeli Couscous salad. The rest of it comes from Eliki Olive Oil, a regular at the West Hollywood Sunday Farmer's Market. They have a 3 for $10 special, and I almost always get the dolmas, the giant bean salad and the hummus. The feta with herbs is amazing too, but it's usually gone if you show up late. This week I was very late, and so close to lunchtime, that it took everything in me to not cave and get one of the heart-attack- in-a-bun grilled sausages. Well it didn't take that much. I simply had to be reminded of the heartburn-induced coma that was the sequel to my last brush with said sausages.

So I turned to more esophagus-friendly fare. Like Mediterranean food. Not a sloppy second choice at all. And Israeli couscous was the perfect add-on.

I first had Israeli couscous at my friends Heidi and Jim's wedding almost a year ago. Not only was it a fun wedding, but the food was some of the best I've ever had. The highlights that have remained imprinted on my palate ever since, were the halibut, and this amazing couscous salad. I don't remember exactly what was in it and have never tried to truly recreate it, but I have added Israeli couscous to my list of pantry staples. Sometimes it can be hard to come by. Whole Foods usually has it, but this weekend I found it in bulk at Erewhon, (an establishment I find a bit overrated, actually).  Anyway, this recipe is just a concoction of things that happened to be in the vegetable drawer that I thought would go well with the couscous.

Israeli Couscous Salad

1 1/2 cups of Israeli couscous, cooked in a pot of boiling, salted water, then drained, rinsed with cold water and cooled
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Kirby cucumber, chopped (you could use any kind)
1/2 cup parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1/3 cup feta

1.  Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Stir to combine.

Dressing: (you could use any vinaigrette you like, here's my standard homemade version. Caution: I never really measure this, but this is about right)

Juice of 1 lemon or two tablespoons of balsamic or red wine vinegar to taste, depending how you like your salad dressing. You could even use both.
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 -3/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1.  Combine lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and mustard in measuring jug
2.  Whisk in olive oil to taste
3.  Add salt and pepper to taste
4.  Pour as much dressing as you like over the salad and toss to combine. I actually used this quantity of dressing for two salads this weekend).