Butternut Squash "Risotto"

I've read about making risotto out of barley and other grains, but in many ways, I'm a purest. If I'm going to splurge, I really want the real thing.

One really cold night during the holiday break my husband and I decided comfort food was on order and risotto sure sounded like the perfect treat. Off I went to the kitchen to pull it together.

Well, you know that feeling you get when your heart is set on something and you find out you are missing that one key ingredient? .......I was sure I had arborio rice, but when I went to the pantry, the container was empty.

Heading into the family room to break the bad news, I remembered I had barley. Well, why not? The worst that would happen is that we would have an "okay" dinner and I'd make sure to add arborio rice to my grocery list.

So, I kind of mentioned that this time we'd have a twist on risotto. I had stock, wine and some leftover butternut squash from Christmas dinner, pancetta from Parma Sausage and fresh sage. Certainly the flavors would work, but I still wasn't sure about the barley. It's so rich and nutty, would it really work?

It more than worked! Earthy notes from the sage, nuttiness from the barley, with the pancetta adding richness and the squash providing a hint of sweetness, we had the meal we were looking for.

The best part about using barley was that it required so much less "on" time and as a bonus, it's a lot healthier than plain arborio rice. Don't get me wrong, I still love a classic risotto, but this is a definite keeper!

Have you made "risotto" with a grain other than arborio? Suggestions please!

Butternut Squash Barley Risotto

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1 Tbsp Olive oil
2 oz. Proscuitto, chopped
1 cup regular barley
3/4 cup white wine
5 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp. Fresh sage, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Place squash on rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in large sauté pan. Add proscuitto and cook until just beginning to crisp. Add barley and stir for 1 - 2 minutes. When hot, add wine and stir until the barley soaks up the liquid.
3. Stir in the chicken broth, cover and cook for 30 minutes.
4. Add the roasted squash to the barley and broth mixture. Cover and continue cooking for an additional 15 mintues, until most of the broth is soaked up.
5. Stir in sage and serve.

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Christmas Traditions

Holiday Tarts

Christmas dinner is full of tradition. In my family, my Dad always made his special cheese crackers that the grown ups enjoyed with a glass of sherry before dinner while the kids did their best to keep their hands out of the Christmas cookies and tried to settle down after a day of excitement.
Eventually we would all gather in the dining room for dinner:  roast beef with roasted potatoes, peas and onions and a tray of cut up vegetables and olives.  Fancy for us, and special because our grandparents, Aunt and Uncle and cousins often celebrated with us.

My favorite memory was dessert.  Yes, cookies were definitely involved, but two other items that we didn't have any other time of year were served, and to me, were always special.  We followed the English tradition of plum pudding with hard sauce and mincemeat pie.  How this started, as we aren't of British heritage, I don't know, but I looked forward to it every year and this year decided to revive a part of that tradition.

Traditional mincemeat is made of a variety of dried fruits soaked in brandy, nuts, and minced beef or beef suet. It was seasoned with a mixture of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. According to Linda Stradley from, "What's Cooking America" mincemeat began as a way to preserve meat long before refrigeration existed and have quite a long history dating back to the 11th Century.

This year, I decided to make a variation on the mincemeat pie. Made out of dried and fresh fruit and nuts with the traditional spices, these little tarts had a special place at our Christmas celebration this year.

Spiked Holiday Fruit Tarts

Ingredients:
1/2 cup small dice dried pears
1/4 cup diced figs
1/4 cup diced dates
1/4 cup raisins
2 Tbsp. dried cranberries
1/4 cup Wigle Whiskey (I used their aged Rye)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp lemon zest
1Tbsp. orange zest
1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice
1 apple cored, peeled, diced tart apple (Granny Smith)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 Tbsp. Brown sugar

1, 9- inch pie crust

Directions:

1. Mix pears, figs, dates, raisins and cranberries in medium bowl. Add whiskey and toss. Allow to sit, tossing periodically for 4 - 8 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 425F. Roll pie crust into ~11 inch round. Cut 6, 5-1/2 inch circles out and gently place in 4-inch tart ( or individual pie tins). Prick all over with a fork. Bake in preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.

3. While shells cool, mix apple, walnuts, spices, orange and lemon zest, juice and sugar into the dried fruit mix. Mix thoroughly.

4. Fill shells evenly with fruit filling. Bake in 425F oven for 10 - 15 minutes until just warm and filling sets. Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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Eggplant

As I perused the farmers market a few weeks ago, I came across some truly unique eggplants. I spoke with the young lady from the Edible Earth Farm  about her display and the unique varieties of eggplants. Pictured here are the "apple" eggplant,which looks like a large green apple, and two small orange "Turkish" eggplants from the farm. At the time I had no idea there were more than a couple of varieties of eggplant - the smaller, Italian eggplants, Asian or Chinese eggplant and the large American eggplant also pictured below. 

Once called "mala insane" (bad apple), eggplants were thought of as the poisonous fruit from the nightshade family of plants. Eggplant is native to India however the most well known varieties are grown in Europe and North America. The Turkish eggplant is found in Africa and some think slaves brought the seeds with them across the ocean. The green apple eggplant is purely an American varietal. It was bred by plant breeder Eldwin Meader of the University of New Hampshire and is supposed to be a relatively easy variety to grow, especially in northern climates.

The purple hued, large oval shape is best known and easily found in most North American supermarkets and family gardens. This is the fruit most Americans are familiar with. My favorite way to use this eggplant is with zucchini, summer squash, peppers and tomatoes for a summer "stew", ratatouille. I've learned to pick the smaller eggplants as they aren't as tough or bitter and are easier to cook and eat.  For my Ratatouille, I prefer to grill the vegetables before putting them together in the stockpot to finish cooking. I love the grilled flavor the vegetables add mixed into the stew.

The longer, lighter purple fruit is often found in Asian markets. It has a thinner skin than the American or Italian eggplant and a milder flavor. I used this one to make a Thai Green Chicken Curry on Friday night. This was my first attempt at curry and it turned out great!

Here is my recipe:

1 red bell pepper
1 cup green beans, washed and trimmed
1/2 sweet onion
1 Japanese eggplant, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cut into medium pieces
1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. red curry paste
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 can (13.5 oz) lite coconut milk

1/2 - 1 cup chicken stock
Fresh chopped basil (about 2 tbsp.)

1. Sauté the pepper, onion and garlic in a tbsp. canola oil until slightly tender. Add the green beans and eggplant and continue sautéing until the onion is translucent and eggplant and beans are just starting to soften. Remove to plate and cover to keep warm.

2. Add another tbsp canola oil to the skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces and sauté until brown on all sides. Remove to dish with vegetables.

3. Stir in the fish sauce and red curry paste into the skillet and stir for a minute until fragrant.

4. Add the coconut milk, lime juice and chicken broth and stir until the curry paste has incorporated thoroughly.

5. Return the chicken and vegetables to the skillet and cook in the sauce for 5 - 10 minutes, until chicken is done and vegetables are tender but still a little crisp. Serve over brown jasmine rice. We found a nice bottle of Gewürztraminer from the Finger Lakes was the perfect wine for this dish.

Now, a little about the other cool new varieties I found (and the inspiration for this post!). I found the green apple and Turkish to be milder and almost a little sweet. I have to admit, I expected them to be bitter, but they were anything but. They did prove to be a bit more of a challenge for me as I knew very little about them. I found that the green apple variety had a nice firm texture, like the more common American variety. It was perfect for a modified Eggplant Parmesan! The nice thing was that it didn't soak up much oil at all and was a really light dish to complement the pork tenderloin I made.

The Turkish were almost sweet and had a light texture also. The woman at Edible Earth Farm suggested using them in a stir fry and next time I'll follow her suggestion. I just ate these as I was running out of time but am hoping to find them on my next trip to the market!

Now I know a little more about eggplants and all the wonderful ways to use them - and best of all, I found another veggie my husband likes!

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Farmer's Market

I look forward to Thursdays during the summer - one day to Friday and the start of a much looked forward to break from work! But there is another reason - the weekly farmer's market in downtown Pittsburgh's Market Square.

The square was recently redone, paved with cobblestones and cool restaurants all around. From late spring into fall, it is packed with people enjoying the sunshine perusing the wares that local farmers and shops bring in and listening to live music. 

Typically, a few of us from the office trek over the Roberto Clemente Bridge during our lunch hour and spend a half hour admiring the flower vendors, picking up produce and baked goods to take home. In addition to beautiful fresh produce and flowers we often pick up a fresh attitude that helps get us through the next day and half.

On my most recent excursion I picked up some of summers first zucchini and summer squash. I looked around at a few other vendors to see if anything looked interesting or unique and I came across these beautiful red scallions. The girl at the Clarion River Organics said they would have a little more "bite" than a regular scallion but not overwhelming. I just liked the color and immediately started planning how to use them.


 



I decided to saute the zucchini, summer squash and red scallions and added cherry tomatoes and garlic for color and a little more flavor. I grabbed some fresh oregano from my patio herb garden and added it with fresh ground black pepper and a pinch of salt at the end. It was a perfectly good side dish but needed something else and honestly we really couldn't taste the scallions.

Since there are only 2 of us, I had plenty of the scallions, zucchini and squash left over for the next night. This time I cooked up about 2 oz of pancetta (everything is better with pancetta) and added some garlic. I mixed that with the scallions, sliced zucchini, squash and tomatoes and placed it all in a baking dish. I baked it for about 20 minutes on 350, added some shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped fresh oregano and baked for another 5 minutes. I topped it with a bit of grated Parmesan cheese for a little extra bite.

This was perfect! A blend of garden fresh flavors with a savory and slightly salty flavor from the pancetta and cheese and the scallions added just a little bite and beautiful pop of purple to the dish. Perfect early summer side dish!

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Buffalo Burgers

My husband is not an adventurous eater. That's not to say he won't try just about anything I make, but if he is on his own, or out at a restaurant he tends to play it safe. So, when he came home from a business trip and told me about having the "best burger of his life" and it turned out to be a buffalo burger I was more than just a little surprised.  All right, I agree, not a huge stretch, but I know him, and that was pretty out of character. However, it opened the door for me and off I went to search out ground buffalo!

Buffalo is a pretty lean meat. So "low and slow" is what you'll find when reading about how to cook this meat.   Buffalo meat cooks faster than regular ground beef.  Fat typically acts as an insulator but with buffalo that insulation is limited so it will dry out rather quickly if you cook it too fast.

Nutritionally, it's not bad (for a burger anyway). 1/4 pound has about 145 calories, 7 grams of fat, 55 mg cholesterol and 20 g Protein. Compared to ground beef with 175 calories, 10 g fat and 65 mg of cholesterol it's a bit better. Buffalo is also a good source of iron and Vitamin B12.

Buffalo Burgers

1 lb. ground buffalo
1 tsp ancho chili pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 tsp. salt
Garnishes - Applewood smoked cheddar cheese, avocado, lettuce and tomato

What I did:

1. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat. 
2. Combine ground buffalo, chili pepper, onion and salt in a bowl and mix gently until just combined.
3. Form into patties and place on the grill.  Reduce heat to low and cook for 5- 8 minutes per side. 
4. Top with cheese and cook for a minute longer to melt the cheese. 
5.  Place on a whole grain bun and garnish as desired. These are so flavorful ketchup or other condiments aren't necessary, but that is entirely up to you!  I garnished mine with avocado (in season right now) and sliced tomato and broccoli slaw on the side. An easy weeknight meal!

The National Bison Association is a great resource for more information and recipes: www.bisoncentral.com and if you are in Pittsburgh there are a couple of good places for buffalo meat: Strip District Meats and some Giant Eagle Market Districts are the two places I've found.

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Riboletta

My husband and I spent part of our honeymoon in Florence, Italy.  While we loved the scenery, the museums and just wandering through the narrow stone streets of Florence, the food was also something we will always remember.  We didn't eat terribly "fancy" food - just good, fresh, hearty meals that were expertly prepared.  After 4 days in Rome, we had finally learned that we didn't need to order the antipasto, the primi and the secondi and finish up with dessert.  That allowed us to be selective, take everything in and really enjoy our meals (and that glass of Limoncello to finish it off!).  

Later that year for Christmas, my husband gave me a cookbook from Williams and Sonoma: "Florence: Authentic Recipes Celebrating Foods of the World."  The book is full of gorgeous photography from all the main attractions, but most especially of the food and dishes you'll find when you visit.  The first third of the book describes many of the foods that are native to Tuscany, including cured meats, tuscan olive oil (did you know it should smell like freshly cut grass?), wine (of course!), freshly baked bread and the variety of food from the fresh markets throughout the area.  The rest of the book is devoted to recipes that will bring back wonderful memories if you've ever been there.

I found a recipe for Riboletta, which is a twice cooked vegetable stew part way through the book.   It reminded me so much of the food we enjoyed while in Florence that I decided to give it a try.   This recipe uses a lot of fall vegetables and is also a good way to clean out a produce drawer.  While this recipe calls for specific veggies, I think you could use what you have on hand.  The key ingredients seem to be the cavolo nero(kale), carrots, celery, onion and cannellini beans.

NOTE: This recipe takes 2 days to make.  The first day you cook it on the stove top, then you cool it in the refrigerator.  The second day it is baked in the oven.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 yellow onions (I used 1 sweet onion), diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 zucchini, chopped
1 cup diced plum tomatoes ( I used canned as fresh are horrible this time of year)
1 bunch cavolo nero (kale), tough, center strips removed, then sliced
1/2 head Savoy cabbage, chopped
1 bunch spinach, stemmed and chopped
3 cups cooked cannellini beans (I used 2, 15 oz. cans, rinsed and drained)
Thyme
Salt and pepper
5 slices, day old country bread, toasted

To make:

Saute the carrots, celery, onions and potatoes in the olive oil until just tender.  (The directions said to add the zucchini at that time too, but I held off as I thought it would just turn to mush and I'm glad I did.)

Then add the tomatoes and 4 cups of water and stir well. I then added the zucchini, kale, cabbage and spinach and simmered it over low heat for 45 minutes.

I stirred in the beans and cooked it for an additional 10 minutes then added the thyme, salt and pepper and removed it from heat, cooled and stored in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, place the bread in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish and spoon soup over top.  Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to break up the bread.  Continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes without stirring to allow a brown crust to form on the top. We topped it with grated Parmesan cheese when we served it.

While this was a good, hearty meal, I'm not sure this recipe had the flavor I was hoping for.  I don't use much salt as a rule but this was one meal that needed a bit more than I used.  It also just felt like something was missing and I immediately thought it could use a bit of bacon or pancetta.  The smoky, saltiness of those might just do the trick.

I spotted Riboletta on the menu at Bottega, where it was described as "Italian Minestrone".  I decided to order it to compare it to this one.   It was earthy, hearty and had a bit of kick to it and along with the smoky, grilled bread, it was full of flavor.   What I expected but so much more!

The next time I make this recipe I'll saute a bit of pancetta with the onions before adding everything else and sprinkle in some red pepper flakes during the first cooking for a bit of a kick. I might also use chicken broth or vegetable broth in place of the water just to punch up the flavor a bit more. 

Have you been to Tuscany?  What are your favorite food memories?

Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

It's rare that I find an appetizer on a restaurant menu that I have to try. I like to save my calories for the main meal and possibly dessert, so I typically just glance through the appetizers and move on. Once in awhile, something makes me stop and take another look.

On vacation in the Northwest last spring, I spotted Fried Chickpeas on a menu at Anchovies and Olives, one of Ethan Stowell's new restaurants. I was intrigued. I'm not sure my husband was quite as curious but he humored me, and I think he was glad he did.

Recently, I was rummaging through my pantry and found two cans of chickpeas and remembered those wonderful little treats. I decided to try my own version to see if I could replicate that wonderful treat. I think I came close but put my own twist on it and roasted them instead of frying them and tried some different spices.

1. Preheat the oven to 250 F. Drain and rinse the chickpeas well and dry with a paper towel. Place on a rimmed baking sheet.
2. Grind together 1 tablespoon anise seed, 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. I used my mortar and pestle but a coffee grinder would work just as we'll.
3. Drizzle chickpeas with a tablespoon of olive oil and toss well to coat them thoroughly. Sprinkle ground spices over the chickpeas and toss well.

  4.   Place in preheated oven and roast for about an hour and a half. They should be crunchy on the outside and just slightly soft inside.

These are spicy and have a hint of an anise flavor, which is different but complements the chickpeas nicely.
They would be lovely served with a plate of olives, cheese and and bread as an appetizer or in place of nuts in a salad.

How would you use them?

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