Parmesan Risotto with Roasted Vegetables

This is one of our standard recipes, it makes an appearance on our menu at least once a month, if not every other week.  I can't believe I haven't posted it to the blog before now, but we're about to fix that!  This recipe is from The Best Light Recipe by America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated.  It never fails us and it's incredibly versatile.  We typically make up the base parmesan recipe, but we will throw in other cheeses if we have those lying around.  One of our favorite variations is to add in some of our homemade mozzarella cheese at the end instead of the parmesan.  Another great version is saffron risotto, which turns out a beautiful golden color (second picture), and I've included the directions for it as well.

We top this with any number of toppings -- seen here is roasted brussel sprouts, but any roasted veggie works just as well, asparagus, carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash.  Sauteed zucchini or summer squash make a great summer meal as does grilled shrimp or chicken.  Halved cherry tomatoes or diced regular sized tomatoes, and chopped basil fresh from the garden with mozzarella makes a great caprese version.  Risotto can be a great vehicle for leftovers as well.  Mix in some leftover steak cut into bite-sized pieces, veggies, pork chops, really anything!

Parmesan Risotto

from The Best Light Recipe

serves 6

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth

3 cups water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup dry white wine

2 ounces grated parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

ground black pepper

Directions:

• In an electric kettle heat the chicken broth and water to boiling.
• In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cook over medium heat until the onion is softened.
• Add the rice, stirring to coat all pieces with the oil.  Toast the grains until the edges start to turn transparent, about 4 minutes.  Stir in the wine and cook until completely absorbed, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in 3 cups of the broth/water mixture.  Stir occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Continue to cook the rice, adding 1/2 cup of the broth/water mixture at a time and cooking until completely absorbed, about every 4 minutes.  Taste the rice starting after 10 minutes, cooking until al dente, with just some bite in the center.
• Add in the butter, cheese and then season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Variation:  Saffron Risotto

• Follow the recipe but omit the parmesan and add 1/8 teaspoon of saffron threads when you add the rice to the onions/oil.  

Spice Rubbed Pork with Quinoa

This is another Food Network Magazine recipe.  I love their weeknight meals section, and I love it even more since they started including the nutrition information along with the recipes.  That makes it really easy to plan the rest of your day, or to find ways to cut down on the calories/fat, as I did with Wednesday's Barcelona Burgers recipe.  This recipe was pretty good as is -- around 500 calories, which is right on target for a typical weeknight meal.  Plus, it's built on lean protein and quinoa is generally considered a whole grain (yes I know it's technically a seed, but for nutrition purposes it is classified as a whole grain).  Add an extra veggie as a side and you're all set! 

I loved the spice mix on the pork chop, because as we determined previously, I love smoked paprika.  I really liked the quinoa too; we hadn't had it before and this was a great preparation.  We even repeated the side dish with other meals since it's super easy and fairly quick as well.  The key to quinoa is to rinse it really really well.  It can have an outer coating that will turn bitter when cooked.  I adapted it only slightly -- changing up the called for pork tenderloins with pork chops and the frozen corn with canned.  The only other change I made is to cook my quinoa as directed on the package, not as listed in the recipe.  I have made these changes in this rendition of the recipe.  

Spice Rubbed Pork with Quinoa

adapted from Food Network Magazine

serves 4

Ingredients:

kosher salt

1 cup quinoa, rinsed

2 teaspoons smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons cumin

4 pork chops, center cut and boneless

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can (15 oz) canned corn, drained

2 scallions, thinly sliced

pepper

salsa verde, for serving (optional)

Directions:

• Put a medium pot with 2 cups of water, a few good pinches of salt and the 1 cup quinoa over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and keep it at a simmer until water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl mix smoked paprika, red pepper flakes, cumin and 2 teaspoons salt.  Once combined, use as a rub on the pork chops.  Coat all sides of the pork chops with the spice rub.  
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the olive oil, heat until shimmering.  Place the pork chops in the heated oil coated skillet.  Let sear on the first side, and cook for 3-4 minutes, until a golden brown crust forms.  Flip and cook for 3-4 minutes on the opposite side. 
• Once quinoa is cooked, turn off heat and add corn and scallions.  Stir to combine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve one pork chop per person with quinoa.  Top pork chop with salse verde, if desired. 

Summer Squash, Chicken and Rice Casserole

I know, it's another zucchini recipe when the prime zucchini time has probably passed for most people.  They might be hanging out at many local farmer's markets though, so I wanted to get this up for those end of the season stragglers.  It calls for one yellow summer squash and one zucchini, but you could use two of either one, depending on your local supply.  This recipe makes a great side dish, or can be a main dish with a nice side salad.  It's a quick and easy way (even quicker if you use a to use up a decent amount of squash at once, and would make a great potluck dish or something to take to a sick/recovering friend or family member.  It's cheesy and creamy and comforting.  Yum.

Summer Squash, Chicken and Rice Casserole

adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 8 ounces)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth (about 1 can)

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces), halved lengthwise then thinly sliced

1 medium yellow summer squash (about 8 ounces), halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced

2 cups cooked long-grain rice (I used brown)

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups low-fat milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the oil to the pan, swirling to coat.  
• Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.  Place chicken in the pan.  Cook, turning once, about 6 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from pan and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Add chopped onion to skillet, using a touch more oil if necessary and reducing the heat to medium.  Cook until softened and turning golden, 5-7 minutes. 
• Add broth to pan and increase heat to medium-heat, bringing broth to a simmer.  Simmer until reduced by half.  
• While the broth is simmering, shred the chicken and place in a large bowl.  When the broth is reduced add the broth and onions to the bowl with the chicken. 
• Return pan to heat and melt butter.  Add zucchini and yellow squash to pan, sauteing until softened and just starting to brown, about 4 minutes.  Add squash to bowl with chicken.  Also add rice and rosemary to the bowl.  Stir to combine.
• In a medium saucepan over medium heat stir flour.  As you stir the flour, slowly pour in milk, making sure to stir or whisk until smooth.  Bring to a boil.  Cook one minute, until thickened.  
• Remove from heat and add in 1/4 cup of the cheese.  Stir until smooth and add in 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper.  Add milk mixture to the large bowl of the chicken mixture.  
• Transfer chicken mixture to the prepared 8x8 baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place in the oven.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  
• Remove from oven and turn on broiler.  Broil casserole until golden, about 5 minutes. 

Summer Succotash: Secret Recipe Club

For this month's Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Sweet Flours written by Allison.  Allison is a young mom with a sweet tooth!  Her lovely blog (such a great, simple, elegant design -- you should really check it out!) is filled with tempting sweets and treats.  So many that it was impossible to decide on just one, so I went the other direction and chose one of her savory dishes.  When I picked this recipe Zach was shocked.  I don't do lima beans, one of the typical main ingredients in succotash.  Limas and succotash were always one of my sister's favorite sides growing up (as were peas -- ick!) so I only ever thought of it as lima beans and corn.  I love that Allison's recipe got me to open up my mind about succotash!  


It was such a great recipe for summer -- it highlights the veggies at their best, barely cooked and so fresh.  We used corn that Zach bought that day at a farmer's market and the farmer said it was picked that morning.  Unless you're lucky enough to grow corn in your backyard it can't get much fresher than that!  It was delicious and quick.  The leftovers made a satisfying lunch.  I'm already envisioning a mexican version -- swapping in black beans and spices like cumin, paprika and fresh cilantro.  I did make a few changes -- I switched out cannellini beans for the butter beans, throw in some peppers, use an extra ear of corn, used all yellow summer squash and to double up on the seasoning since I had added in the extra veggies.

Summer Succotash
slightly adapted from Sweet Flours

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
5 ears sweet corn, cut off the cob
2 large yellow summer squash

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 can (15 oz.) canellini beans, drained
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped basil

Directions:

• Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
• Add the onion, corn, squash, salt and pepper to the pan.  Saute until tender, 5-7 minutes.  
• Add the beans and cook until heated through, 2-3 minutes more.
• Remove pan from heat and stir in the tomatoes and basil.
• Serve and enjoy!

Check out these links to see what other fantastic recipes were posted today in the Secret Recipe Club!

Salt and Pepper Oven Fries: Secret Recipe Club

Last month I read on one of my favorite blogs, Beantown Baker, about The Secret Recipe Club.  Basically, you join up and at the beginning of the month you are randomly assigned a different blog.  You peruse that blog and pick a recipe from it to make.  Everyone in the Secret Recipe Club posts their chose recipe on the given date and time.  It sounded like a great way to see a few new blogs and try a few new recipes.  So, I joined!

This month I was assigned This Mama Cooks!  There were lots of great recipes to chose from, but I chose something fairly simple, yet I can never get quite right -- oven fries.  Sometimes mine turn out crispy, but sometimes mushy, sometimes burnt even!  I think it's because I don't really rely on a recipe, I just wing it hoping it will turn out okay, but it doesn't always.  So, I figured this was a good chance to follow a recipe, hoping it would give me a foolproof result and it did!  These were crispy and crunchy and delicious!  They would be a great side dish to just about anything -- what doesn't go with fries really??  I cut the recipe in half since there are only two of us, and leftover fries really aren't that great, but otherwise I kept it almost the same.  I did up the amount of pepper, since we like black pepper, and omitted the parsley since we were out of it.

Salt and Pepper Oven Fries
slightly adapted from This Mama Cooks!


Ingredients:

1/2 pound potatoes, cut into wedges
2 Tablespoons oil (canola or olive, I used olive)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground


Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  On a medium baking sheet, spray cooking spray to coat the bottom surface.
• Cut potatoes into long wedges.  In a medium bowl, toss potato wedges with 1 tablespoon oil.  
• On prepared baking sheet, lay out potato wedges in a single layer.
• Bake for 15 minutes, flip the wedges over and bake for 15 more minutes.  Potatoes should be golden brown and crispy.  
• When you turn the wedges over, heat the remaining tablespoon oil in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook over medium-low heat until golden, about 4 minutes.
• Pour the garlic oil over the wedges, adding in the salt and pepper.  Toss to coat and serve.  

Potato Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinager

I came across this recipe while looking for something to make with the new potatoes from our CSA box.  Cooks Illustrated was the first place I turned since they always have reliable and delicious recipes, not to mention a great amount of knowledge on ingredients.  I read through a "Primer on Potatoes" to see what I could learn about new potatoes.  They recommended using new potatoes as you would any waxy potatoes, and so I decided on potato salad.  I didn't want to make a traditional mayonnaise potato salad since that style has never appealed to me, and Zach doesn't like mayo all that much.  We both love balsamic vinegar though, so we quickly decided on this recipe; plus, it had bacon.  Finding bacon as an ingredient pretty much seals the deal for me.  This was quite tasty.  It had a nice bite from the vinegar, and it paired very well with the new potatoes.  A nice change if you are bored of the same old potato salad.

German-Style Potato Salad with Bacon and Balsamic Vinegar

from Cooks Illustrated, July/August 1994

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 pounds new potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

6 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips

1 medium onion, cut into medium dice

1/2 cup beef broth

1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced

Directions:

• Place potatoes in a 4 to 6 quart pot; cover with water.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer, until tender (15-20 minutes for new potatoes).  Drain, cool potatoes slightly and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
• Layer warm potato slices in a medium bowl; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons vinegar and the salt and pepper as you go.  Let stand at room temperature while preparing dressing.
• Fry bacon in a medium skillet over medium heat until bacon is brown and crisp, 7-10 minutes.  Transfer bacon pieces to bowl of potatoes.
• Add onion to bacon drippings and saute until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add beef broth and bring to a boil, add remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar.
• Remove from heat and pour mixture over potatoes.  Add parsley and toss gently to coat.  Serve warm. 

Couscous with Spring Veggies

We made this as a side dish for our parmesan and sage crusted pork chops.  We got the beautiful summer squash in our CSA box this week and I thought it would make a nice side for the pork.  We also decided on couscous, and then I thought, well why not mix the two together?  So often couscous can be bland and plain, which is nice as a base for a dish with a spicy sauce, but the pork did not have that quality.  So I decided to saute up the veggies and then mix the couscous in at the end to give it a little more flavor.  I like to cook couscous in chicken broth instead of water, again it helps add another layer of flavor.  I used to use the boxed couscous mixes, you know kinda like rice-a-roni, or the packets of noodles and sauce.  But, once I realized how much cheaper it is to just buy a larger container of couscous, those boxes were history.  Also, we like to eat whole wheat options when possible, and you can get whole wheat couscous in bulk, but they don't use it in those box mixes!

Couscous with Spring Veggies

an original recipe!

Ingredients:

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 small summer squash (or zuchinni), quartered and sliced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Bring chicken broth to a boil.  When boiling, add couscous, stir.  Cover pot and remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes and then fluff with fork.  
• While waiting for the broth to boil heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet.  add in onion, bell pepper and squash.  Saute 1-2 minutes, add salt, pepper and oregano.  Saute 4-5 minutes more. 
• When the veggies are tender-crisp, add couscous to the pan along with butter.  Stir to combine and serve!

Pickled Radishes

Zach doesn't like radishes, I'm flexible about them - I don't despise them, but I don't seek them out either.  But, because of his dislike for them I knew we'd have to find a creative recipe to use up the bunches we kept getting in our CSA boxes.  He does like pickles, so I thought this might be a good way for him to like radishes too.  It was super, super easy and they were quite good!  They reminded me of salt and vinegar chips -- that initial lip-puckering sourness, but then a few seconds later you're reaching back for more. 

Pickled Radishes

from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

4 bunches radishes, washed and spit down the middle with a little stem (about 1/2-inch) still attached
 

Pickling mix:
1 quart champagne vinegar
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup pickling spices
2 cloves smashed garlic
 

Directions: 

• Take a large deep dish and lay the radishes out in it. 
• In a large pot add the pickling ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and pour the boiling mix over the radishes in each dish. 
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap immediately and set aside. Once cooled to room temperature, strain and serve.  Store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a month.

Fabada Asturiana

This was the side dish we chose to make from our Spanish cooking extravaganza.  Okay, so I just called it a Spanish cooking extravaganza in my head, we didn't actually refer to it that way, but that's definitely what it was.  :-)  This was very delicious, the beans cook up buttery and creamy and the accent of the pimenton is rich and flavorful.  We did have to use butter beans however, as fabes are not widely available in the US, and if they can be found (LaTienda.com) they are fairly expensive ($16/pound).  After much googling about a suitable replacement, I decided on butter beans.  

The second change I made was not to use slab bacon, but to just slice up bacon and use that instead.  While it turned out okay, I think I would make one more change to this next time.  I'd probably pan fry the bacon to get it started, and then cook the onion, garlic and spices in a mixture of bacon fat and olive oil.  The bacon was delicious (as all bacon is) but, did not have the greatest texture after being boiled in the soup.  I think this would help it be even better.  

Fabada Asturiana

Asturian Bean Stew

From Made in Spain

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1/2 pound dried butter beans

1/4 pound bacon, cut in 1 inch pieces

4 cups chicken stock

1 head garlic, papery outer skin removed

2 medium Spanish onions, 1 halved and 1 minced

1/4 cup Spanish extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet pimenton (Spanish smoked paprika)

pinch of saffron, crushed

Directions:

• The day before you plan to cook the stew, place the beans in a bowl and cover with cold water.  Soak the beans overnight at room temperature.  The next day, drain and rinse the beans.
• Combine the drained beans and chicken stock in a large pot.  Remove 1 garlic clove from the head and set aside.  Add the bacon, the head of garlic and the halved onion.  Bring to a slow boil, skimming and foam that rises to the top.  Simmer for 15 minutes.  
• Meanwhile in a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the minced onion and cook until it is translucent and begins to caramelize, about 15 minutes.  Peel and mince the reserved garlic clove and add it to the onion.  Cook for 2 more minutes, then stir in the pimenton and saffron.  Spoon the onion mixture into the large pot and stir well until combined.
• Continue to cook the beans, uncovered, at a very low simmer for 2 hours.  Occasionally add a little cold water to slow the simmering and to keep the beans covered with liquid.  Do not stir the beans while they cook, this could cause them to break apart.  
• Remove the pot from the heat, cover and set aside to cool for one hour.  Remove and discard the onion halves and head of garlic.  
• Ladle the beans into soup bowls and serve.

Lighter Scalloped Potatoes

This is another selection from the Cookbook of the Month, The Best Light Recipe.  I mainly picked this one since I knew we had an abundance of potatoes sitting in our pantry, and some fresh thyme leftover from a previous dish.  When it comes to fresh herbs, I like to be able to use every last sprig, especially in the winter when we have to buy them at the store and they tend to be on the expensive side.  Zach was excited for a chance to use our mandolin, which made awesomely thin, uniform potato slices.  I know, I know, that's the point of a mandolin, but it's one of those kitchen gadgets that sits way in the back of the cupboard above the fridge and we forget we have.  So, it was nice to break it out and use it.  We also added ham to the dish.  We just cubed up a ham steak and threw it into the sauce when we added the potatoes.

INGREDIENTS

1 Medium onion . minced

1 teaspoon Vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon Table salt

1 Medium garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon Minced fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon Ground black pepper

2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8 inch thick

2 cups 2% milk

2 Bay leaves

2 teaspoons Cornstarch

1 tablespoon Water

3 tablespoons Light cream cheese

2 ounces Grated Parmesan cheese (about 1 cup)

Preparation

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine the onion, oil, and salt in a Dutch oven. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Add the potatoes, milk, and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until partially tender, and a fork can be slipped into a potato slice with some resistance, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Whisk the cornstarch and water together, then add to the pot and bring to a simmer. Off the heat, stir in the cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, being careful not to break up the potatoes.

4. Transfer the mixture to an 8-inch-square baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the potatoes are completely tender, a fork can be slipped into the center of the dish without resistance, and the top is golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Cheese Souffle: Barefoot Bloggers

I made one change to this recipe, the type of cheese.  Neither Zach or I like blue cheese, not at all.  So, I read through the reviews of the recipe, and also looked up an alternate recipe and subsequent reviews for a cheese souffle from one of my other favorite Food Network personalities, Alton Brown.  From these sources I got the idea to change the cheese to Emmanteler.  I gotta say, I did not love this recipe.  I am glad I made it, since souffles are one of those things that you hear about being tough to master, but I didn't think it was hard to make at all, I just did not like the texture for this type of savory flavor.  I will try a chocolate souffle sometime in the future, but probably not a cheese one again.  It just wasn't that appealing to me.

Ina's Blue Cheese Souffle

Sage Polenta

We planted some sage in our mini herb garden this summer.  We just moved into a new apartment in the middle of August and decided now that we live farther south it would be a decent time to start a pot of herbs.  In Upstate New York we would have only gotten a few weeks before a hard frost would kill the herbs, but in Virginia we're hoping to keep them going until early to mid November.  So, sage was one of the herbs we planted.  Then we were left with tons of sage and not a lot of recipes that use it!  So, this was a result of one of Zach's sage recipe searches.  It was very yummy and a definite keeper recipe!  It would be great as a side dish, or as we used it, in exchange for mashed potatoes as the base of a sauteed sausage, peppers and onions mix.  We left out the roasted corn as we had everything else on hand, and it was fine without it.  Since we used it as a base for the sausage mix I think it was better without it in this purpose, but the roasted corn would be great if you were using the recipe as a straight side dish.

Creamy Polenta with Roasted Corn and Fresh Sage

allrecipes.com


Serves 4
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 1 hour


Ingredients

• 2 ears corn
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cups water
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup cornmeal
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Grill corn in the husks, or roast in the oven; cut kernels from cob.
• In a heavy 4-quart saucepan heat oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic and onions; reduce heat to low and cook until onions are translucent.
• Stir in water and milk and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Slowly stir in cornmeal, whisking thoroughly. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking and burning. Season with salt and pepper; simmer 15 minutes more.
• When cornmeal is tender, stir in corn, sage and Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a large bowl to serve.

Red Wine Risotto

Zach wanted to try switching up our standard risotto recipe by making a red wine version.  He searched foodnetwork.com and this Giada recipe was the first on the list.  We omitted the peas since I don't like them.  It was yummy and had a nice flavor.  I liked it, I would make it again and play around with it a bit.  I think it was missing something, I just don't know what.  I think more black pepper, maybe a different wine, or even a different cheese to play off the spicyness that red wine brings as opposed to a white. 

Red Wine Risotto
Giada DeLaurentiis, via foodnetwork.com

Ingredients

    * 3 1/2 cups canned low-salt chicken broth

    * 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

    * 1 cup finely chopped onion

    * 2 garlic cloves, minced

    * 1 cup arborio rice, or medium-grain white rice

    * 1/2 cup dry red wine

    * 1/3 cup frozen peas, defrosted, optional

    * 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

    * 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for garnish

    * Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Bring the broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep it warm over very low heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the rice and cook for about 2 minutes until the rice is toasted. Add the wine and stir until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3/4 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 6 minutes. Repeat, adding 3/4 cup of hot broth 2 more times, stirring often, about 12 minutes longer. At this point, the risotto can be made 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate the risotto (the rice will still be firm) and remaining broth, uncovered, until cool, then cover and keep them refrigerated until ready to proceed.

Bring the remaining broth to a simmer, then cover and keep it warm over very low heat. Stir 3/4 cup of hot broth into the partially cooked risotto over medium heat until the broth is absorbed and the risotto is hot, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining broth and simmer until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the peas and parsley. Add the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls. Sprinkle additional cheese over and serve.

Mac and Chee -- Baked Macaroni and Gouda

This is by far our favorite mac and chee recipe. I picked up 'mac and chee' from my sister. She says that the macaroni gets abbreviated to mac so the cheese should get abbreviated too. I can't argue with her logic. This came from a Rachel Ray magazine. It was one of those recipes that I read and that day went to the store to buy the ingredients to make it that night. So good! We like to use fun shaped pastas instead of macaroni, and whole wheat when possible. This particular version we left out the italian sausage, but it's excellent with it as well. We've also done bacon instead of the sausage and it's phenomenal! Also, we always use smoked gouda and it's awesome. I dream about this mac and chee -- mmmmmmmmmmmm!

Baked Macaroni and Gouda

from EveryDay with Rachael Ray

8 Servings

Prep 40 min

Cook 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound macaroni

1-1/2 pounds uncooked sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1-1/2 cups caramelized onions

1 quart whole milk

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons flour

3/4 pound aged Gouda cheese, grated (about 4 cups)

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, about 11 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl and wipe the saucepan clean.

Add the pasta and 1 cup caramelized onions to the sausage and stir to combine. In a medium saucepan or a microwave oven, heat the milk until steaming.

Return the large saucepan to the stove, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 3 minutes. Whisk in the hot milk, 1/4 cup at a time, and continue whisking until the sauce is smooth and thick and comes to a simmer. Add 2-1/2 cups cheese, remove from the heat and whisk until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cheese sauce to the pasta mixture and stir to combine.

Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and add the pasta mixture in an even layer. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup caramelized onions and 1-1/2 cups cheese on top. Bake until golden and bubbling, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.