I will spare you apologies for the lack of blogs, and will just say that life is lame for the time being. However, in my various endeavors, I did have a chance to make a few things that were pretty damn tasty.
I finally tried my hand at a risotto. I had heard about it a long while ago, and began researching them a few months ago. I had purchased all of the necessary ingredients, and after a few drinks decided to try my hand. Since I had been studying them so intensely I did not use a set recipe, but went with how it all looked as well as the taste.
For this, I will describe the ingredients along with the process, so you can look up your own recipes since your taste will vary (or if you want one like mine comment me). If you are going to recreate this, read this entire entry, as I will go back and forth hap-hazardly and ruin you. I sauteed a frozen chicken breast on both sides in a bit of olive oil with a touch of fresh cracked sea salt and pepper. I then moved it into a 400 degree oven to finish it. While the breast was cooking, I sauteed a chopped onion (a medium yellow onion, for its pungency and sweetness) in a mix of butter and olive oil until they were translucent but not quite carmelized (using med-high heat). I sat those off to the side and started sauteing or toasting (not sure of the term) the arborio rice in that mix of butter and olive oil.
Before I began, I began slowly heating a pan of chicken stock. The amount you will use will vary, but make sure you have enough (read recipes to find out why). Make sure to only put warm or hot ingredients in your main risotto pan. While the rice was toasting, I deglazed the chicken pan with some pinot grigio (about a cup or so worth) and heated it up to a nice warm temperature. When the rice was getting translucent, I put in the wine and let it absorb. I think I either used too much wine, or I used too cheap of a wine, as I will point out later. I then re-added the onions, and went from there.
When the wine had all absorbed/cooked out, I started putting in the stock, a ladle at a time. I consistently stirred the rice as I did this, and kept adjusting temperature to make sure it was staying at a consistent temperature. I kept adding ladles of stock until it could barely hold more. I had pulled the chicken from the oven and cubed it as well. I pulled it just a bit early to cook in the end with the rice. I will mention that I had gotten a small wedge of a Parmesan (not Reggiano, to my dismay). I shredded a half-cup or so into a bowl before-hand. When it was about finished, I added my Parmesan. When that had melted, I added a TBS of butter, and when that was heated, about a 1/4 cup of cream. I turned off the heat then, and kept stirring to make the whole mix super creamy. It was fairly thick and a golden color.
I plated it, with a large portion :). I tried it, and I realized I shouldn't have had the couple drinks while cooking it, as I killed a little of my tasting power. I first felt the texture of the warm rice and the abundant creamyness and resistance of "al dente" rice. I then tasted initially the sharp taste of the wine, then the pungent Parmesan, then the creamy/stock sauce. It was good, except the sweet/sharp tones of the wine were a bit overpowering. The chicken added some good protein and broke it up a bit.
Next time I do a risotto, I will add more vegetables than just the onions. Also, I will feature the protein separately, in this it felt like a cheap rice-a-roni dish and didn't really contribute. As mentioned above, I will not use quite so much wine as well, and a better quality wine. Otherwise, this was a fun and relatively easy dish. The prep time was short, but very important as timing is key in this. Make sure stock is ready and hot, the wine is hot, the cheese is shredded, and that all is cut and ready to go when the time comes.
So, until next time, enjoy!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
A second blog? Wow!
Two blogs in one night? How swell!
As you saw from my previous blog I haven't had a ton of time to make spectacular dishes (har har), but I will share the few notable items with you. Lucky you!
This is an example of the fat amateur being creative. It was 2am, I didn't feel like going to the store, and I didn't have a whole lot of stuff to work with. Now, I know not everyone has this lying around, but... hey, it was fun. This is a casserole style dish, which I rarely do since I live alone. But it sounded amazing. I call it Tortellini Alfredo Bake! WHOOOOOO
I made the alfredo sauce from scratch, which is easy to do if you know how. The basic ingredients are butter, cream, and Parmesan. I started with half a stick of unsalted butter (no substitute will do! It must be real butter). I melted that in a large sauce pan. When that was melted, I slowly stirred in a little over a cup and a half of cream (leftover from my risotto). You must continually stir to ensure it does not separate. When that was hot, I added about 3/4 cup of shredded fresh Parmesan. You must constantly stir this, and it may take a while to melt the Parmesan. When the cheese is fully melted in the cream, you can add spices. You don't want to add the spices until the end, or you may burn them up. I used a very powdery organic garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper/sea salt, and a bit of parsley flake. I was conservative on spicing since this was the first time I used hand-grated Parmesan. When the heat was off, I stirred in a couple teaspoons of all purpose flour to thicken it a slight bit.
I cooked the tortellini for a short time. I did not cook it fully, as I did not want it to overcook while baking. I used the tri-color cheese tortellini. When the frozen pasta was hot, I pulled it, strained it, and put it in a greased baking dish. I added the sauce to it, and incorporated it throughout. I added pre-shredded mozzarella on top and baked it in a 400 degree oven. When it barely started to brown, and the sauce was boiling, I pulled it out.
The flavor was ok. I definitely overdid it on the cheese aspect. I think if a different pasta or tortellini was used it could have broken it up a lot more. The overall experience was good, and it made for great leftovers. It was a good example of how finding a bunch of crap in your place can be put to some good. I didn't have to go to the store or anything :).
My hands are tired. I am done with this, but if you have any questions/comments let me know. Later, y'all.
As you saw from my previous blog I haven't had a ton of time to make spectacular dishes (har har), but I will share the few notable items with you. Lucky you!
This is an example of the fat amateur being creative. It was 2am, I didn't feel like going to the store, and I didn't have a whole lot of stuff to work with. Now, I know not everyone has this lying around, but... hey, it was fun. This is a casserole style dish, which I rarely do since I live alone. But it sounded amazing. I call it Tortellini Alfredo Bake! WHOOOOOO
I made the alfredo sauce from scratch, which is easy to do if you know how. The basic ingredients are butter, cream, and Parmesan. I started with half a stick of unsalted butter (no substitute will do! It must be real butter). I melted that in a large sauce pan. When that was melted, I slowly stirred in a little over a cup and a half of cream (leftover from my risotto). You must continually stir to ensure it does not separate. When that was hot, I added about 3/4 cup of shredded fresh Parmesan. You must constantly stir this, and it may take a while to melt the Parmesan. When the cheese is fully melted in the cream, you can add spices. You don't want to add the spices until the end, or you may burn them up. I used a very powdery organic garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper/sea salt, and a bit of parsley flake. I was conservative on spicing since this was the first time I used hand-grated Parmesan. When the heat was off, I stirred in a couple teaspoons of all purpose flour to thicken it a slight bit.
I cooked the tortellini for a short time. I did not cook it fully, as I did not want it to overcook while baking. I used the tri-color cheese tortellini. When the frozen pasta was hot, I pulled it, strained it, and put it in a greased baking dish. I added the sauce to it, and incorporated it throughout. I added pre-shredded mozzarella on top and baked it in a 400 degree oven. When it barely started to brown, and the sauce was boiling, I pulled it out.
The flavor was ok. I definitely overdid it on the cheese aspect. I think if a different pasta or tortellini was used it could have broken it up a lot more. The overall experience was good, and it made for great leftovers. It was a good example of how finding a bunch of crap in your place can be put to some good. I didn't have to go to the store or anything :).
My hands are tired. I am done with this, but if you have any questions/comments let me know. Later, y'all.
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