Mushroom Risotto

When there's a nip in the air, nothings better than something nice, warm, and creamy to comfort your appetite.  The other day at the grocery store, they had some beautiful mushrooms: snow white button mushrooms, large firm portabello mushrooms, and even some fresh shitakes.  So why not make a lovely risotto?

Mushroom Risotto
Adapted from AllRecipes.com

Ingredients
3 cups vegetable broth
2 TB olive oil
1 lb mixed mushrooms, sliced (portobellos, baby bellas, white, shitake, enoki, etc.)
1 shallot, minced
1 1/4 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
2 TB butter
1//3 cup grated Parmesan
salt to taste
black pepper to taste
Chopped chives
Julienne basil for garnish

Directions 
1. In a saucepan, warm the broth over low heat. 
2. Warm 1 TB olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the mushrooms, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and their liquid, and set aside. 
3. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, and stir in the shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add rice, stirring to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. When the rice has taken on a pale, golden color, pour in wine, stirring constantly until the wine is fully absorbed. Add 1/2 cup broth to the rice, and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in mushrooms with their liquid, butter, chives, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with basil and more Parmesan.

Homemade Baguettes!

I tried to make baguettes the other day and look what happened.

The photo is turned vertical, but as you can see-way too round, way too chubby.  It is adorably cute, though, I have to say and now I'm thinking of writing a comedy series called Mr. Fat Bread.  But I cannot be daunted!  So I scoured the Internet and found another recipe from King Arthur and look at the wonders of this great brand of flour:

Oooh, it looks so good you can almost smell it right through the computer, right?  I was so happy when I saw these lovely, crackly loaves of goodness.  So, 1st and foremost, I would always use King Arthur flour for everything.  Great tasting products always come from them.  And secondly, patience is your friend.  Don't rush the starter or the relaxing stages or fermentation.  You want those yeast to really do their job to develop bubbles and flavor.  So you can find the recipe and directions here.  And now more beautiful photos.

 This is the dough loaves relaxing before they go into the oven.  Be sure to spray the loaves with water prior to baking to recreate the steaming effect.

 That steaming effect gives that classic crackly crust while still have a nice pillowy interior.

 And this is the stack of baguettes when they catch the sunlight just right in the morning before you devour these for breakfast!

Kale Chips

Kale chips.  They're simple.  They're easy to make.  And they're delicious.  Enough said!

Kale Chips
From the Meat Lover's Meatless Cookbook

Ingredients
1 bunch kale (approximately 5-6 cups)
1 TB olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Remove the stem and middle rib of each kale leaf.  I usually just tear off the leaves with my hands to make it easier.  Wash the leaves thoroughly and dry thoroughly with paper towels.  If the leaves are too large, you can tear them into 3 inch long pieces.

Put dry leaves in a bowl and toss with remaining ingredients.  Once thoroughly coated, spread on a lined baking sheet.  Bake at 350F for about 8-10 minutes until crispy.  Remove from oven and enjoy.  You can eat them alone as snacks, sprinkled on salads, or even on top of soups!  Store in air tight container for about 2 days.

Zuppa Toscana

My little brother invited me and our sisters to have dinner with his new girlfriend.  We were all in a tizzy because he's our baby brother and this was his first girlfriend.  Of course, this was a big event for all of us!  Sometimes, I have to remind myself that having three older sisters could be daunting for him, but then I remember, we're so fun though!!

So he told us that her favorite was Italian food and we didn't want to scare her and take her to a fancy-schmancy place with $20 plates, so we decided on somewhere non-intimidating where the food was decent-Olive Garden.  Not my first choice, but this night was definitely not about me.

Needless to say, his girlfriend was a doll and very sweet.  We saw my brother and her holding hands under the table and it made us all sigh, young love!  So this post is dedicated to my little brother and this continual journey of finding your soul mate. 

Even though my entree was nothing to sing about, I did really enjoy Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana (and how can you not like the endless soup and bread sticks thing!)  So I was able to find a copycat recipe and I have to admit it was delicious and a soup I'll probably be making for a long time to come.

Olive Garden's Copycat Zuppa Toscana
Adapted from restaurant.food.com

1 lb Italian sausage or ground meat
2 large russet baking potatoes, sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups kale or 2 cups swiss chard, chopped
2 (8 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 quart water
1 cup heavy whipping cream
 

1) Take sausage out of casings (if there are any). Brown sausage in your soup pot.   Alternatively, if you just have some ground pork or chicken, you can use this and season with 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp chili flakes, and 1 tsp fennel seed.

2) Add chicken broth and water to pot and stir. 

3) Place onions, potatoes, and garlic in a separate pot.
4) Cook on medium heat until potatoes are done.
5) Add to your soup pot with sausage.
6) Salt and pepper to taste.
7) Simmer for another 10 minutes.
8) Turn to low heat.
9) Add kale and cream.
10) Heat through and serve.

Optional:  I added some spinach too for some extra veggies.  Wonderful!

Shrimp and Eggplant in Spicy Chili-Garlic Sauce

In Austin, my family and I have a favorite eatery for authentic Chinese food, Hoa Hoa.  The staff practically know our faces and greet us with warm, knowing smiles.  One of my favorite dishes is their eggplant in garlic sauce.  I'm still trying to tweak my recipe to get it just like Hoa Hoa, but this is a close one with my own little additions.  Feel free to throw in anything that you desire to appease your palette.  You can add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, spinach, etc.  The world is your stir-fry!

Shrimp and Eggplant in Spicy Chili-Garlic Sauce
Adapted from Saveur.com

5 Indian eggplant, about 1 lb. (substitutions: 1 round American or 3 Japanese)
1 zuchinni, diced or cut in thick matchsticks
2 tbsp. chili-garlic sauce
2 tbsp. thin soy sauce
2 tbsp. Chinese red rice vinegar
2 tbsp. shao hsing (rice wine)
1 tbsp. sugar
7 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
2 tbsp. finely minced garlic
2 tbsp. finely minced ginger
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallions

1) Trim the stem and ends from the eggplant and cut eggplant into 1/2'' x 2 1/2'' strips.   Prepare zuchinni as indicated.

2) In a small bowl, combine chili-garlic sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, rice wine, sugar, and 2/3 cup cold water.

3) Heat a 14'' flat-bottomed wok or skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add 3 tbsp. oil and half the eggplant and stir-fry 2 minutes, or until some of the eggplant begins to brown and soften. Transfer eggplant to a plate. Repeat with remaining eggplant, zucchini, and 3 tbsp. oil, transferring to the plate with first batch.

4) Add remaining 1 tbsp. oil, shrimp, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry about 1 minute, or until golden and fragrant. Return the eggplant to the wok.

5) Restir the chili sauce mixture and swirl into the wok. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 5-8 minutes or until eggplant is just tender. Stir in scallions and serve immediately with white jasmine rice.

6) Optional: If you like a nice sauce, you can mix 1 TB cornstarch and 4-5 TB water.  Add this to the final stir fry to get a nice sauce.

Columbian Chicken Soup ("Sancocho")

A few summers ago, Mr. Man and I took a hiatus from life and threw our backpacks on and traveled to South America for three months.  It was an amazing experience, to say the least.  Each day was filled with adventure, meeting new friends, and eating delicious food.

Many of the little eateries that we'd dine in for "almuerzo" (lunch/dinner), consisted of a delicious soup followed by a plate of rice, beans, salad, and meat.  This delicious soup we found out was "sancocho."  It was a heartwarming bowl of light broth with potatoes, yucca, corn, and either chicken or beef.  To this day, we still talk about it.

Finally, I decided, "Hey, why don't we try to recreate it here!" Duh!  Thank goodness for the Internet.  There were dozens of food blogs bursting with recipes.  After scouring them all to see which one hit the most authentic note of what we remembered, I gathered all of the ingredients and had a trip down delicious memory lane.

 

Sancocho De Pollo
Adapted from Skinnytaste.com

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, diced in 1" pieces
1 tbsp oil
5 scallions, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2 inch pieces
3 pieces of yucca (about 2 cups)
3 ears corn, cut in half
1 tsp cumin
2 chicken bullion cubes
lime wedges (for garnish)
avacado slices (for garnish)
salt to taste

1) In a large pot, saute scallions, onions and garlic in oil.
2) Add tomatoes and saute another minute.
3) Add chicken pieces and season with a little salt.
4) Saute a few minutes, then add yucca and plantain and fill pot with water.
5) Add chicken bullion, cumin and half of the cilantro and cover pot. Simmer on low for about 40 minutes. 6) After 40 minutes, adjust salt and add potatoes, cook and additional 15 minutes.
7) Add corn and cook an additional 7 minutes or until corn is cooked.
8) Serve in large bowls, and top with cilantro and fresh lime wedges.

This taste even better the next day when all of the flavors have melded together.

The "I Love Lemon Loaf" Lemon Loaf

Sweet tooth?  We've all got one.  I have a sweet FANG, if anything!  Citrus is a favorite flavor when it comes to my sweet cravings.  It's mild, subtle tones that blend tangy and sweet is a winner in my book.

My Mr. Man is a sucker for a good lemon loaf cake.  He grew up on store bought lemon loaves: unnaturally yellow dense butter cakes with a thick, hardened glaze of too-sweet sugar.  I showed him what a real, homemade lemon loaf cake was all about.  This recipe is so super moist and bursting of lemon flavor.

I found this recipe on Annie Eats which is one of my favorite food blogs.  I adapted it a bit, since I didn't want to incorporate the syrup that I think may make it a bit too "wet" since the cake is already so moist.  This recipe is divine and is perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon when you have a hankering to switch on the oven.

Lemon Cake
Adapted from  www.annies-eats.com

Makes 1 9-inch loaf

¾ cup cake flour
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 tbsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
16 tbsp. (1 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the glaze: 
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1) Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
2) Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan (I like using my glass Pyrex loaf dish).
3) In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Whisk to blend and set aside.
4) In the bowl of an electric mixer (you can also use a hand mixer), combine the sugar, eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice.  With the mixer on low speed, blend in the melted butter.
5) On low speed, mix in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated.  Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until combined.  Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, again just until incorporated.
6) Pour batter in loaf dish and bake for 30 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325F and bake for another 45 minutes to an hour.  The baking times may depend on the strength of your oven.  I would check about every 20 minutes with a toothpick to check the doneness.
7) When the cake is completely cool, combine the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk to blend until smooth.  Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake.  Let stand briefly until the glaze sets.  Slice and serve.  It's so good served warm!

I couldn't even get a chance to take a picture of the whole loaf because we started eating it right away!