Friends Food Family

Cioppino-Style Seafood - Shrimp and Mussels

 
Last week we had some friends for dinner. Actual term is Guinea Pig Dinner - no idea of what we are serving, hence, they become the guinea pigs for dinner. We decided we would have seafood so we went to New Bedford to get some mussels, shrimp and swordfish from Kyler's Catch Seafood and some golden yukon fingerlings at Sid Wainer & Son. Jeff had found a recipe for mussels and shrimp and we were eager to try it. What we liked about the recipe was that it had some citrus in the broth and it peaked our culinary interest. The only downside to this recipe is that we don't know where we got it. It was in a magazine under a special advertising special. I love to give credit to the author or chef.

The prep time was pretty quick once we got the shrimp peeled and deveined. The house smelled heavenly as the mixture was simmering and the final product was delicious. The shrimp and mussels were tender and nicely flavored. The broth was light and flavorful (with that little bit of lemon and orange zest and hot pepper kick!) and the bread was perfect for sopping up the remains after the shrimp and mussels were gone. 

We're looking forward to trying this again, especially as we begin to hit the warmer weather and we can sit outside enjoying this like a mini clambake.

Basic Description: Tender mussels and shrimp are cooked in a golden saffron tomato broth, which is enhanced with fresh citrus flavor.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

1/4 teaspoon saffron threads

2 (14.5 oz) cans of Hunt's Petite Diced Tomatoes - undrained

1 cup of water

1 tablespoon drained capers

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 teaspoon red hot pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 pound jumbo shrimp in shell, peeled and deveined

2 1/2 pounds of mussels, scrubbed well and beards removed (if attached)

1 loaf artisan Italian bread cut into slices

Heat oil in a large skillet of dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes.

Add saffron, undrained tomatoes, water, capers, lemon zest, orange zest, lemon juice, orange juice, hot red pepper flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally.

Add shrimp, return to a simmer and simmer until shrimp is just cooked through, stirring occasionally about 3-4 minutes. Transfer shrimp with slotted spoon to bowl and set aside. Add mussels to skillet and return liquid to simmer, cook and cover, just until mussels open wide, about 4-6 minutes. (Discard any mussels that remain unopened after 8 minutes.) Return shrimp to the skillet.

Serve the stew in shallow soup bowls with bread on the side for dipping.

Chicken Marsala - Emeril Lagasse Style

  
Sometimes you need one of those recipes that you can use on a regular basis, knowing it is easy to make and always delicious when served. That would be Emeril Lagasse's Chicken Marsala. This is a family staple for us. When you have a package of boneless chicken breasts and you don't have a clue of what to do with them, pull this recipe out. The time it takes you to boil water and cook either egg noodles or rice, this dish is ready to serve.

My suggestion is to make the Emeril's Essence ahead of time and place it in an air-tight container. That way, it's always ready to go. There are a few basic ingredients, which are probably sitting in your cabinets, and before you know it, dinner is served. 

The chicken always comes out tender and the sauce is a wonderful topping for the chicken as well as the noodles. My kids love it and sadly, no left-overs for lunch.

 
Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows

2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons butter

3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)

3/4 cup Marsala

1 cup chicken stock 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped chives, for garnish

Directions:

In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

Emeril's Essence: Creole Seasoning

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup

Giada's Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti

  
I have a new favorite cookie, Giada's Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti. Though it looks like a cookie, it crunches like a biscotti. And this is the final recipe, in our week long dinners and desserts from Giada De Laurentiis', Giada's Kitchen- New Italian Favorites.

The thing I liked the best was the crunch from both the cookie and the nuts. The other thing I did was chop some hazelnut chocolate (about 1/2 cup) and added it to the cookies. I happened to find the chocolate at Sid Wainer & Son, a gourmet food outlet in New Bedford, MA. Knowing I was making the cookies, I picked up a chunk of the chocolate. It was sweet with a mild chocolate flavor, perfect with a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate.

I'll end with, treat yourself to something wonderfully tasteful, bake yourself a batch!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup chocolate hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
• I added a 1/2 cup of hazelnut chocolate (which I found at Sid Wainer and Son)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In another medium bowl combine the butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, sugar, and brown sugar. Using an electric mixer, cream the ingredients together, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir in the flour mixture until just combined. Add the hazelnuts and stir until just combined.

Using a tablespoon measure, spoon out the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet, spacing the mounds about 4 inches apart. Use the tines of a fork to flatten the cookie dough. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool.

Linguica and Steamers for Two

  

 

I am fortunate to work with some great people. One of them is Tammi Jacobsen. We are blog partners. When I started Friends Food Family about 6 months ago, Tammi started Gracie's Bark. Starting a blog wasn't easy and it was nice to have someone working on the same blogging system as you. We have been able to work through many successes and frustrations. Tammi has talked about this recipe for a while and I bug her every time she makes it. I asked her to be a guest blogger and she was kind enough to send this recipe.

 

Read on...

 

Rob and I are always looking to spice up our cooking in different ways. The weather this weekend hasn’t exactly felt like spring time, so we were looking to cook a summer meal to keep our spirits up. We stopped at the new Fisherman's Market in New Bedford and picked up some steamers. We decided to make a smaller version of a clam boil for dinner and it was delicious! We wanted to share this recipe with Trish and Jeff at Friends Food Family.

 

Ingredients:

 

1-½ pounds of Steamers

1 pound of spicy (hot) Linguica (slice into 1 inch sections)

1-2 tablespoons of butter

2 -3 cups of water (depending on size of steamers)

 

 

Spices:

 

Weber Grill Creations Zesty Lemon Seasoning (sprinkle to your desire)

Paprika (about 1 tablespoon)

Minced Garlic (about 1 tablespoon)

Crushed Red Pepper to taste

 

 

Preparation:

 

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil; add Linguica, butter and spices. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes, and then add the steamers. Once steamers have been added, you may need to add the 3^rd cup of water. You want to be able to boil the steamers, but not have them all completely submerged in the water.  Boil until steamers shells open up (about 10-15 minutes).  Turn off heat and let the pot sit for about 5 minutes with the cover on to absorb all the flavors.

 

It was an easy tasty dish that reminded us of summer. We really enjoyed it.

 

Tammi & Rob

 

Thanks, Tammi and Rob. We are looking forward to making this ourselves!

 

Also, look for their new blog, EyePictured showcasing Rob's photography.

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Giada's Lemon Ricotta Cookies with a Lemon Glaze

 

I will admit, I had fun picking recipes from Giada DeLaurentiis' cookbook, Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites this past week. But like anything, I can only make so many dinner recipes when I finally need dessert. So for today and tomorrow, you will get the dessert finale from the book. I chose the Lemon Ricotta Cookies with a Lemon Glaze and the Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti.

I wanted to try the ricotta cookies because I have a recipe, which I highlighted in December, called Angie's Ricotta Cookies. Angie's has a little more butter and no lemon juice or lemon rind. There is a little bit of a difference between the two, but the lemon flavored cookie takes it hands down. I loved Giada's because they were light and lemony. Angie's are still one of my favorites, there is definitely a heaviness to hers, but the cake like "melt in your mouth" quality is there. (It could be the butter!)

I served the cookies to friends who came for dinner last night. Both cookies (the Lemon Ricotta and Chocolate Hazelnut) went over extremely well. So well, I had them for breakfast. The lemon cookies definitely go better with tea, the chocolate with coffee...but, then again, it's just my preference. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice 
• 1 lemon, zested

Glaze:

• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 lemon, zested

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Cookies:

In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the large bowl combine the butter and the sugar. Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Add the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Beat to combine. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon the dough (about 2 tablespoons for each cookie) onto the baking sheets. Bake for 15 minutes, until slightly golden at the edges. Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 20 minutes.

Glaze:

Combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Spoon about 1/2-teaspoon onto each cookie and use the back of the spoon to gently spread. Let the glaze harden for about 2 hours. Pack the cookies into a decorative container.

Giada's Salmon in Lemon Brodetto with Pea Puree

  

As promised, here is the last of the recipes from Giada DeLaurentiis - Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites...this week. The best part of Giada's recipes is that they are easy to prepare and many of the ingredients can be found in your cabinets or pantry.

We love salmon and when I came across this recipe I figured it would be another variation to try. Peas, mint and salmon always compliment each other, and adding it to a lemony broth sounded delicious.

We started by mixing the brodetto together and allowing that to simmer as we got the pea puree ingredients into the food processor. Cooking the salmon was quick and before we knew it, dinner was served.

We are still trying to figure out if we put too much broth in the dish because as you begin to eat it, you'll find that the pea puree and lemon brodetto become mixed like a thick soup. I found myself running the salmon pieces through the broth. It really was a delicious dish, just a little odd to figure it out. We finished it with a side dish of pearl couscous, which ended up in the broth, too.

Overall, a great dish, just a little different in presentation and consumption! 

Ingredients:

Lemon Brodetto:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, diced
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 1 lemon, zested
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves

Pea Puree:

• 2 cups frozen peas, thawed (about 10 ounces)
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Salmon:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

To make the Lemon Brodetto, warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Bring to a simmer, and keep warm, covered, over low heat.

To make the Pea Puree, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.

To make the Salmon, warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon until a golden crust forms, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the fish and continue cooking until medium-rare, about 2 minutes more depending on the thickness of the fish.

To assemble the dish, add the tablespoon chopped mint to the Lemon Brodetto and divide between 4 shallow dishes. Place a large spoonful of Pea Puree into the center of each bowl. Place a salmon piece atop each mound of Pea Puree. Serve immediately.

Giada's Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns

 

As I began Monday, this week is made up of a few recipes from Giada DeLaurentiis - Giada's Kitchen, New Italian Favorites. Last night we made Rigatoni with Squash and Prawns. I had remembered this recipe from one of her shows. I had been meaning to look for the recipe but just forgot.

The recipe worked in three parts, cutting the butternut squash, boiling the water and preparing the shrimp. We found each process worked into each other and at the end of 45 minutes, we had a great meal.

The butternut squash mixture had a smooth, almost creamy consistency. I loved the mild flavor which had a hint of cheese. The shrimp was juicy and complimented the pasta and butternut squash. When we started making the dish, my son kept saying he didn't really like butternut squash. At the end of the meal, his plate was empty and he said, "That was pretty good." We'll take that as a big compliment from a 15 year old.

If you are looking for a meal that is out of the ordinary, try this rigatoni dish. You will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
• 1 pound butternut squash, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1 pound prawns, peeled and de-veined
• 3/4 to 1 cup whole milk 
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

  Preparation:

  Warm 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butternut squash, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Saute until the squash is golden and tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is very soft, another 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer the squash mixture to a blender or food processor and puree.

  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

  Meanwhile, warm the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the prawns with the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper. Add the prawns to the pan and cook until just pink, about 3 minutes.

  In a large pot over low heat combine the cooked pasta, pureed squash mixture, and 3/4 cup milk. Stir to combine. Add the remaining 1/4 cup milk if the sauce needs to be moistened. Add the cooked prawns, basil, and cheese. Stir until warm and serve. 
   

Giada's Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs

 

Sunday morning I was taking inventory of our many cookbooks. Each week we try and pick out recipes for dinner and create the grocery list according to the ingredients. The past two weeks have been hectic at the house and I feel like we have eaten out more than in.

I was looking at all of our Giada DeLAurentiis cookbooks and realized I haven't made much from one of her newer cookbooks, Giada's Kitchen New Italian Favorites I flipped through the book and immediately found some recipes I liked as well as some recipes she recently prepared on her show. Last night we started with Orecchiette with Mini Chicken Meatballs. Be prepared, this could be "Giada Week" as we have two more meals from the book and a dessert. What's a week of delicious meals without dessert!

This was a fairly easy recipe to put together and it finished in one big pan. I love anything that has chicken meatballs because they are very mild and juicy. They always remind me of Italian Wedding Soup. The combination of ingredients were delicious with the three cheeses and fresh cherry tomatoes. I also liked the fact that it fed a family of six, no problem. My only suggestion for this recipe is to add some additional bread crumbs to the meatballs. They are very wet to work with. Even with the additional bread crumbs (maybe 1/4 cup more), the meatball mixture will still remain wet.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound orecchiette pasta 
• 1/4 cup plain bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 3/4 cup grated Romano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock, hot
• 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 8 ounces bocconcini mozzarella, halved
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

• Preparation:

  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

  In a medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, parsley, eggs, milk, ketchup, Romano cheese, and the salt and pepper. Add the chicken and gently stir to combine.

  Using a melon baller (or a teaspoon measure), form the chicken mixture into 3/4-inch pieces. With damp hands, roll the chicken pieces into mini meatballs.

  In a large (14-inch) skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meatballs and cook without moving until brown on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and brown the other side, about 2 minutes longer. Add the chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown bits that cling to the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are soft and meatballs are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of the pasta water. Transfer pasta to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan. Toss to lightly coat orecchiette, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Add the meatball mixture, mozzarella cheese, and 1/2 cup of the basil. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with the chopped basil.

Mini Golden Yukon Potatoes with Dill

These are probably the best potatoes we have had in a long time.

We were at Sid Wainer & Sons in New Bedford and came across mini golden Yukon potatoes. They were about the size of grape tomatoes. We bought two pounds and figured we could find a new recipe to use them in. As we looked for recipes to jazz up these potatoes, we realized that maybe just a pan saute would be fine. We boiled the potatoes first and then I threw them into the frying pan with a little butter. We had some fresh dill from the weekend before and figured we'd add it to the dish.

They were great. Browning them in the frying pan gave them a crunchy skin and soft centers. The dill was perfect and didn't overpower the potatoes. We enjoyed our potatoes with a porter house steak. Nothing better than steak and potatoes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of mini golden Yukon potatoes

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoon of fresh dill

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Place potatoes in a pot of water (generously salted) and bring to a boil. Boil for 15-20 minutes.

2. Remove from pan and cool slightly.

3. Heat a saute pan over medium heat and melt the butter, place potatoes and dill in the pan and saute until sides of the potatoes are slightly golden brown (approximately 10 minutes).

4. Salt and pepper to taste.

Chocolate Peanut Butterscotch Crispies

When I was younger, I remember there was a recipe on the side of the Rice Krispies box that made chocolate crispy treats. Whenever I mention them, people think I am crazy. I remember there being chocolate chips, peanut butter and butterscotch chips in the recipe. I was craving peanut butter and chocolate on Saturday and decided to re-create a childhood memory.

I did some guess-timating and they came out great. As much as they are very sweet, the butterscotch mellows the taste of the peanut butter. The Rice Krispies bring a crunchiness which is addictive...as you grab your second piece. It's a great "little" dessert that satisfies a sweet tooth after any meal.

Ingredients:

2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup of butterscotch chips

1 cup of crunchy peanut butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

A pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of butter

5-6 cups of Rice Krispies

1 cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 package of mini cupcake liners

Preparation:

In a double-boiler over simmering water, melt the 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, peanut butter, vanilla, salt and butter. Stir until smooth. Begin adding Rice Krispies, one cup at a time. Make sure the chocolate mixture covers the rice krispies evenly. Use Rice Krispies as needed.

Add the mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. Spoon one tablespoon into each mini cupcake liner. Refrigerate to set the chocolate mixture. Once the chocolate mixture has set, serve and ENJOY!

Saveur's Spaghetti alla Carbonara

 
With 18 people coming for Easter dinner, Saturday was a long day of food preparation. By 5 PM, we were exhausted and the thought of making dinner was overwhelming. We were looking for something that was easy, quick and tasty. Jeff had found a recipe for Spaghetti alla Carbonara in April's Saveur Magazine. Seeing as he had picked up a 1/2 pound of pancetta from the North End on Friday, what better way to use it. In the time it took us to cook the spaghetti, the sauce was completed and just waiting to be mixed.

Over the past few month's we have been doing quite a few recipes that call for pancetta, I am really enjoying the taste that pancetta brings to a dish. I can best describe it as "better than bacon". The sauce was thick and coated the spaghetti. It was a perfect blend of pasta, pancetta, parmesan and pepper. I liked how the pepper was cooked in the pan with the pancetta, it gave the dish a fragrant tone.

We sat down and enjoyed generous helpings of this traditional Italian dish. I actually went back for seconds...it was good, really good!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. thinly sliced guanciale or pancetta cut into 1⁄2" pieces
2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
1 3⁄4 cups finely grated Parmesan
1 egg plus 3 yolks
Kosher salt, to taste
1 lb. spaghetti

Preparation:

1. Heat oil in a 10" skillet over medium heat. Add guanciale and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Add pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, 2 minutes more. Transfer guanciale mixture to a large bowl and let cool slightly; stir in 1 1⁄2 cups Parmesan and egg and yolks and stir to combine; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until al dente, 8–10 minutes. Reserve 3⁄4 cup water; drain pasta and transfer it to guanciale mixture. Toss, adding pasta water a little at a time to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper; serve with remaining Parmesan.

La Cucina Italiana's Sausage Risotto with Cranberry Beans

 

Risotto is a staple at our house. Similar to having pasta, we eat risotto almost once a week. We found this recipe in La Cucina Italiana. We love this magazine so much we won't cut out any recipes, we keep the entire booklet intact. The recipes are authentic Italian, real comfort food. 

Many people feel risotto is difficult to make, but once you get the technique down, it is easy.

Here are a few quick tips when making risotto:

- heat the stock and keeping it at a slow simmer

- keep the heat of the pan consistent, as much as it says to keep on medium heat, once you add the rice, we cook our risotto on medium low

- risotto cooks slowly, don't rush the process

We liked this Sausage Risotto with Cranberry Beans because it had beans in it. Most risottos have meats and/or vegetables but very rarely beans. It was a perfect dish, the chunky pieces of sausage brought a nice balance to the beans and rice. Try making a risotto recipe, you'll realize your time is worth the end result.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ medium onion, chopped
• 8 ounces Italian sausage, casings removed, cut into ½-inch pieces
• 1¼ cups arborio rice
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• 6 ounces canned cranberry beans, drained and rinsed (or small red pinto beans)
• 4 cups vegetable stock, boiling  
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ cup freshly grated paramigiano-reggiano
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation

In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sausage, and sauté until the onion is translucent and the sausage is cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the rice, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Deglaze with the wine, and stir well, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cranberry beans and ½ cup stock, stirring until the liquid is absorbed before adding more. Continue adding stock in ½-cup increments, stirring frequently, until the rice is fully cooked but still al dente, about 15 minutes. (You may not have to use all of the stock.)

Remove from the heat, and stir in the butter and grated Parmigiano. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and let rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Bon Appetit's New York-Style Crumb Cake (with Blueberries)

 

Easter, like any holiday, means lots of relatives and lots of good food. We spent most of Saturday baking cookies, a chocolate cake, Parker House rolls and homemade raviolis. Sunday was the lamb, ham, sweet potatoes and rice, carrots and green beans, finishing with an array of desserts. Say it with me "food hangover".

Our guests normally arrive about 2 hours before we eat and snack on breakfast tidbits. I normally make Tilly Draisen's Toffee Treasure Cake, but today I wanted to make something different. I was craving blueberries.

I found this New York-Style Crumb Cake in the April 2010 edition of Bon Appetit. It was right next to the Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake which I will feature later this week. I was so excited to find a coffee cake with a thick crumb topping. When cooked correctly it melts right into the top of the cake. The cake was amazing, very rich and sweet. I loved the blueberries because of their slight sourness. The cake melts in your mouth, then again, it would have to...lots of butter.

This is a great breakfast cake and can work just as well as an afternoon tea cake. Oh, and don't hold back, sprinkle a little confectioner's sugar on top.

Ingredients:

Crumb Topping

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted, warm

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

Cake

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/3 cups sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries (I added) 

Preparation for Topping:

Mix both sugars, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add warm melted butter and stir to blend. Add flour and toss with fork until moist clumps form (topping mixture will look slightly wet). Set aside.

Cake Preparation:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat room-temperature butter in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Add sour cream and vanilla extract and beat just until blended. Add flour mixture in 3 additions, beating just until incorporated after each addition. Fold in the blueberries. Transfer cake batter to prepared baking dish; spread batter evenly with rubber spatula or offset spatula. Squeeze small handfuls of topping together to form small clumps. Drop topping clumps evenly over cake batter, covering completely (topping will be thick).

Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean and topping is deep golden brown and slightly crisp, about 1 hour. Cool cake in dish on rack at least 30 minutes. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Cover and let stand at room temperature.

Cut cake into squares and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Quito's Baked Scrod with Lemon-Garlic Crumbs

  
At least twice a week our family enjoys seafood. It can be anything from shrimp to salmon to scrod. When we are at a loss for how to prepare the seafood, we have been grabbing The New England Clam Shack Cookbook. Written by Brooke Dojny, she highlights restaurants around New England whose specialty is seafood. The Baked Scrod with Lemon-Garlic Crumbs is a recipe from Quito's Restaurant in Bristol, Rhode Island.

We love this recipe because of the unique flavors. There is creamed sherry in the base which is a wonderful blend with the buttery crackers. It is quick to make and compliments the dish without being overpowering. My son, who doesn't care for fish, sat down and finished off the last few pieces. I always believe that more people would enjoy fish if it was prepared with ingredients that create balance.

Try this recipe, you'll end up with a group of fish lovers!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of fresh scrod, cod or haddock

12 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup creamed sherry

Juice of one lemon

3 cups of finely crushed Ritz Crackers (2 sleeves)

3 tablespoons of chopped parsley

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Lemon wedges

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Generously butter a baking dish large enough to hold fish in a single layer and arrange the fish in dish.

2. In a medium sauce pan combine the butter, sherry and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until butter is melts.

3. In a bowl, toss the cracker crumbs with the parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add the melted butter mixture and mix well. Sprinkle the crumbs thickly over the fish.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-45 minutes until the fish tests done and crumbs are golden brown. Serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4-6.

Alice's Chocolate Chip Cookies

 
I am a big chocolate chip cookie fan. You could put cakes, candy, pies and any other imaginable dessert in front of me and if I have the option to eat a chocolate chip cookie, I choose the chocolate chip cookie. I decided to put "the best chocolate chip cookies" in the Google search and see what happened. Up came "The Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER". OK. If it's the best chocolate chip cookie recipe EVER, I need to try it.

On Monday night I decided to make them for a function I was attending. I made the cookies according to the directions and they just weren't looking like Alice's. I creamed the butter with sugar, and beat it. My baking powder and soda were new and I weighed the flour. Mine were spreading thin as they cooked and were slightly dark around the edges. (My guess is that I needed more flour.) But, they did taste pretty good. They were sweet, there was just enough chocolate and the sea salt does give a sweet and salty taste to the cookie. Jeff kept saying, these don't look like cookies you baked but they taste great.

On Tuesday night they were a huge success at the function I attended. People loved the soft and crunchiness of the cookie. They also liked the salt, which really does balance the cookie. I think sometimes, I am more critical of what I bake than anyone else. But, I finally got the answer I was looking for when I sent a few cookies to school with my son, who is in high school. I asked him how he liked them and he said, " They were good but I was full so I gave one to my friend. He said they were the best chocolate chip cookies he EVER had." I was sold, but the next time rather than weighing the flour, I may sift and measure. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Thank you, Alice, from Savory Sweet Life for providing me with the Best Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe EVER!

Alice’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes approx. 45-48 cookies using a sm-med 2 tablespoon cookie scoop

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks)  salted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups (12 oz) all-purpose flour *If at all possible, please weigh the flour

1 tsp. smallish-medium coarse sea salt *please do not use table salt, the sea salt gives the cookies a nice flavor and hints of texture. If you only have table salt, use 1/2 tsp. *When using sea salt, you will get small crunchy flecks of salt when you bite into the cookie.  If you do not like this taste, go with 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.

1 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

2 cups/16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips *I use Nestle Toll-House

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 360 degrees. Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar until it is nice and fluffy (approx. 5 minutes on medium speed on a K-5). Add both eggs and vanilla and beat for an additional 2 minutes.  Add baking soda, baking powder, salt, and flour until cookie batter is fully incorporated.  Finally add chocolate chips until well distributed.  The cookie batter should be somewhat thick.  Drop about 2 tablespoons of dough or use a medium cookie scoop and plop the batter onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are nice and golden brown. Remove from heat and allow the cookies to stay on the cookie sheet for an additional 2 minutes.  Pick up the parchment paper with the cookies still on top and transfer to a cool non-porous surface.  Allow the cookies to cool on the paper for at least 3 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

*Troubleshooting*

-If you’re cookies are coming out flat and not like the pictures there are probably 3 reasons for this.

#1) Baking powder and Baking soda is old.  If your baking powder and soda is older than 1 year and has not been in a sealed (preferably air tight) container, it has lost some of it rising qualities.

#2)  Creaming.  It is not enough to just cream the butter and sugars until it has come together.  This recipe requires you to beat it with a mixer for at least 5 minutes until the texture of the butter and sugar turns to light and fluffy-just like the picture.

#3) Flour.  Flour should be weighed.  This can make or break the recipe because just scooping flour into a measuring cup will never yield ideal or consistent results.