Primavera Risotto Nests with Fried Eggs

I got this recipe from the Bon Appétit Web site and paired it with their choice of salad, Fennel and Celery with Pumpkin Seeds (pictured here on the left side of the photo) -- it was all better than I could've expected!

Cooking this was fun because I got to also pick a good wine to go into the risotto and into my glass, while I was making it. Hey, cooks need a break from time to time, too, you know? ;)

But more importantly, this recipes is great because, if you don't already know, it teaches you when it is usually a good time to add each ingredient to most meals you cook. For example, you sauté the mushrooms at the start of the process, but then you remove them after just 5 minutes and only add them at the end, after everything has finished cooking. This is helpful to know if you wanted to make, say, mushroom pizza: don't settle for canned mushrooms -- instead, buy fresh ones because it only takes 5 minutes to sauté them before adding them to the pizza! Also, garlic and onions usually go in first because (I think) their flavors keep transforming the more you cook them, and hard veggies like carrots and asparagus take a long time to cook thoroughly. 


So, you see, just by cooking this ONE recipe you can learn so much about flavor blending and cooking times in general. I love it. It was also great as leftovers! 


Well, since I talked so much here, I will link the recipe, instead of pasting it in here. After all, it is from Bon Appétit and all their recipes turn out exactly as they say they will. 

I hope you'll enjoy Primavera risotto Nests with Fried Eggs and Fennel and Celery Salad with Pumpkin Seeds.  It was my first time trying Fennel - hey, who knew it tastes like... Absinthe?? :P

Lentil Hazelnut Burgers (vegetarian)

You know how some things that taste great don't always look great? Yeah, these burger patties fall right into that category.  Hence, my owl mug is strategically placed in the foreground to distract from the poor look of the patties in the background. Boo! :)

Looks aside, these patties were DE-LISH! Believe it or not, they actually have a meaty taste. They weren't, however, easy to make, as they do have a tendency to crumble (which annoyed the living crap out of me). I have some suggestions to make your life easier if you attempt to make these. Here's the original recipe with the changes I made in parenthesis:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups dry lentils
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (I doubled this, but you can add even more. The more parsley, the more flavorful)
• 3 eggs (I'd suggest 5... otherwise, they will crumble in the pan)
• 1 cup finely chopped roasted hazelnuts or walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
• 1-1/2 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• 1 to 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil (Are you kidding me?? I won't even go into how much oil these soaked up... but, basically, keep adding as much as needed to get them to cook thoroughly and hold together. Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil if you must, but remember not to be too hard on yourself... you are, after all, eating a vegetable high-fiber, high-protein, meatless dinner.)

Preparation:

Cook lentils according to package directions; drain and cool (This took about 45 minutes. Drain to the best of your ability, but I'd say not to worry about excess liquid - the bread crumbles will soak that up.)

Combine lentils, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, and hazelnuts or walnuts. Stir in thyme, basil, salt, and pepper. Mold into burger-sized patties. (The smaller you make them, the lower the risk of them crumbling. The first batch I put consisted of burger-sized patties and they all fell apart. After that, I made them small and flat and got rid of the problem. **COOL TIP: dip your hands in water before each time you make a new patty - this way, they won't stick to your hands **)

In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, heat vegetable oil. Add four patties at a time and brown. For best results, wipe out frying pan and add new oil for each new batch. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Transfer onto a serving platter to serve.

(Recipe Source: What's Cooking America by Linda Stradley and Andra Cook (Falcon Pub)
Reprinted with permission.) Here's the link to the original blog post. 

Overall, they were worth the trouble. I consider these to be a super food. One cup of lentils has 18 grams of protein and 16 grams of fiber. Whoazaa! In comparison, a meat burger patty only has about 13 grams of protein and a handful of saturated fats. Moreover, hazelnuts... a super food themselves: with about 17 grams of protein, 11 grams of fiber, and a whole bunch of omega fatty acids and Vitamin E per every 100 grams or so of hazelnuts, these guys are one of the best foods for heart health. 

Lentils and hazelnuts - I have yet to find a tastier, healthier or more nutritious combination when it comes to getting plenty of fiber, protein and vitamins. 

(Hazelnut photo courtesy of Bon Appétit Magazine Online)

The Dirty Dozen, The Clean 15

This title you have read, I'm sure, many times over the last few years, as the Food & Drug Administration and environmental groupies or health fanatics have scrabbled to put together some guides to help consumer make educated choices when it comes to the produce they eat.

And, if you're like me, you struggle a lot with the concept of "organic" vs. "conventional" (and whoever determined that "conventional" should be the opposite of "organic," as if it is out of the ordinary to eat fruits and veggies the way they were meant to be, without pesticides and other substances harmful to people and the environment.. *phew* this is a really long parenthesis!)

So at the end of the day, when it's just you and those piles of brightly-colored, mouth-watering strawberries and, say, grapes, cherries, avocados, tomatoes and cucumbers,... and the only thing standing between you and them is your shopping cart, what do you choose to put in it? Do you always reach for the organic? Organic produce is often 100% more expensive than regular produce.  If you can't always afford organic, where do you compromise? But, most importantly, does organic matter or make a difference?

Last week I got in the mail a pamphlet that somewhat answered some of these questions. Turns out, organic does matter, although not always. I do not claim to know or understand these things very well, as I am still struggling myself with all the terms used (organic, natural, conventional, etc.) and what they really mean. For example, "natural" is not a term verified by the FDA; it is used loosely and does not mean organic. And yet, it certainly sounds more appealing than "conventional," doesn't it? :)

But the reason I am posting this is because reading it has changed the way I eat and think about food (well, that and the movie Food, Inc.) and I'm hoping that by sharing it, I can at least provoke some thought in others as well.

Please read more on this topic from sources that seem reliable to you - or read all sources you can find and decide what you think is the truth.  Information about the "Dirty Dozen, Clean 15" is available on many Web sites - all you have to do is google it. Read about the methodology of research and who conducted the research. Read about what farmers have to say. Learn as much as you can and care about what you put in your body. At the end of the day, you are your best doctor and the best way to stay healthy is to prevent disease in the first place. And believe that, even when you make little choices such as picking between organic or conventional strawberries, you are still playing a huge part in how our economy is shaped. Believe that you can change what becomes affordable and what doesn't by choosing what is right to eat and not necessarily what is cheap.

All this wisdom talk has made me really hungry! I'm off to make some vegetarian Lentil Hazelnut Burgers! :)

(List courtesy of the Environmental Working Group; broccoli mugshot :P courtesy of Oregon Live.com)

Grandma's Chocolate Pie

In the spring, I always crave more fruits and veggies than usual, and so my cooking right around this time relies heavily on these two categories of ingredients. But we'll save those recipes for some other time... because some days call for CHOCOLATE recipes only ;)

I stumbled upon this recipe a year ago around this time, actually, while I was having a couple of girlfriends over for some lounging in the sun on my back porch. I had a strong craving for chocolate AND pie crust... and what better way to satisfy that than with Chocolate Pie? I've never settled for store-bought "pie filling," but I'm also not experienced enough to make my own, homemade pie crust... and this recipes combines the best of both worlds. What's even better, the chocolate filling has NO corn starch or shortening in it, and I don't know about you, but that's always a plus in my book.

Oh, and, hey, I bought a CHOCOLATE GRATER just for this occasion. :) I felt so fancy. Now I use it all the time!

The recipe comes from a very talented person's blog. Not only does she have great taste when it comes to food, she also takes amazing photos. I omitted the meringue because I'm not a fan... so in case you are wondering, it's tasty without it as well.

Here is "Grandma's Chocolate Pie," word-per-word courtesy of Homesick Texan Blog:

Filling ingredients:
4 tablespoons of cocoa or 1 1/2 squares of baking chocolate
3/4 cups of sugar
5 tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
2 egg yolks, beaten slightly
1 tablespoon of butter

Meringue ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of sugar

Your favorite pie crust

Method:
Mix your sugar, flour, salt, cocoa, eggs and milk (all except vanilla and butter) with a whisk.
Cook while stirring on medium until it bubbles and thickens, about five to 10 minutes. If it becomes lumpy, just beat out the lumps.
Remove from heat and stir in your vanilla and butter.
Meanwhile, poke holes in your pie crust with a fork and bake it at 350 until it’s brown, about 20 minutes.
Beat your egg whites with salt and when they start to get fluffy add the sugar.
Pour the chocolate custard into the baked pie shell and top with the beaten egg whites.
Add 2 T of sugar for every egg white. Bake it until it the peaks on the meringue are lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Grandma’s says: “It’s real good hot, wonderful cold and you can even eat it frozen—then it’s like a popsicle!”


These photos are my own. For the author's original photos, visit her blog. 

Sea Scallops with Cilantro Gremolata and Ginger Lime Beurre Blanc

I had a craving for scallops the other day - that's a first! I've always loved them, but never actually craved them. So I decided to break the bank and give in to my craving. After all, maybe my brain was trying to tell me I'm low on omega-3 fatty acids or vitamin B12, right? :)

While looking for a recipe (and I always start on Epicurious, where else?), I found the one that brings together my favorite flavors: garlic, shallots, ginger, cilantro, lime, white wine... ahhh, how can you go wrong with this one? You can't. Here it is, courtesy of Epicurious.com, along with my special notes:

You will need:

For gremolata
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro

• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• Finely grated zest of 1 small lime (3/4 teaspoon)

For beurre blanc
2 tablespoons minced shallot

• 1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup dry white wine ( I used a 2008 Sauvignon blanc, Domaine de Montmarin because it went well with the meal, too; Epicurious is great because, at the bottom of the recipe, they usually have some good wine suggestions as well.)
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
• White pepper (I used black and didn't notice a difference)

For scallops
24 sea scallops (1 1/2pounds), tough muscle removed from side of each if necessary

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Make gremolata:
Stir together cilantro, garlic, and zest in a small bowl. (I covered it and refrigerated it while cooking, so the ingredients wouldn't dry out. Making the scallops took longer than expected.)

Make beurre blanc:
Simmer shallot and ginger in lime juice and wine in a small heavy saucepan until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons (keep heat medium to low, so you don't burn the ingredients).

Whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has completely melted and occasionally lifting pan from heat to cool mixture. (Sauce must not get too hot or it will separate.) 

Pour sauce through a fine sieve into a bowl (discard solids), then return to cleaned pan. Season with salt and white pepper and keep warm while cooking scallops.

Sauté scallops:
Pat scallops dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté scallops, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes total.

Sprinkle scallops with gremolata and serve with sauce. (**important: if your scallops are not fresh, but have been defrosted, there will be water draining from them that will make it difficult for the scallops to turn golden. I suggest discarding the liquid periodically, as needed, to get close to achieving the browning. If they don't turn brown, don't worry: they will still be delicious. Don't cook them for longer that 4-5 minutes or they will turn hard/stringy).

Read More: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Sea-Scallops-with-Cilantro-Gremolata-and-Ginger-Lime-Beurre-Blanc-106359#ixzz0ho83qRIv