the constant hunger

Mushroom Risotto

What do you do when you buy a bunch of mushrooms on special at the market? Why, you make risotto, of course! I love risotto. It's rich and creamy and quite easy to make, if you don't mind hanging out by the stove for 20 minutes stirring.

It's been a little difficult lately to plan meals and find recipes I want to try out for a few reasons. First of all, I recently started a new job and I am working longer hours. I am in no way complaining because I am really happy about the position, but I have less time to do everything from searching for recipes to executing them, although my husband has started to pitch in.

Second, with the weather getting slightly warmer, I can no longer make large batches of soups and stews which really helped me get through the winter. When it's warm out, I don't necessarily crave a hearty stew. But how easy it is to make one and eat it a couple of times throughout the week! I'll be spending some time over the weekend searching for "spring" soup and stew recipes.

I looked around quite a bit to find a risotto recipe I liked which, believe it or not, was no easy task. I decided to go with this recipe and made a couple of adjustments. I grated about one cup of Parmesan cheese and used about 3/4 cup in the risotto and reserved the rest for sprinkling when I served it. I also used regular old button mushrooms. I plan on making this again because it was delicious and very satisfying, but I will definitely make it with a different variety of mushroom or use a couple of different kinds. Make sure to serve this dish with a big glass of red wine!

Happy cooking! 

Pork, Rice and Beans

Last week my husband was away on business and that usually means I eat out. You can read more about my love of dining alone here. But this time around I wanted to a) finish up all the leftovers in my fridge and b) not spend money on dining out. I had some pork chops in the fridge that I had marinated the same way I did my pan chicken (click here for recipe) and simply grilled them stove-top on my grill. I poked around in my pantry and found a bag of dried black beans and some basmati rice. Pork, rice and beans. Perfect! 

Now a little word on the pantry. Most of us buy groceries on a weekly basis and our list usually includes items we need to create recipes for the week. However, our pantries are probably full of items we can use and turn into healthy meals and all this without spending a dime. Sure, once in a while, you'll have to re-stock your shelves, but once you have the essentials, meal-planning will be a cinch. For tips on stocking a pantry, click here. 

Since I prepared the pork chops the same way I did the chicken, I have not included that recipe again. I adapted the rice and beans recipe from Epicurious. The original recipe used red beans and bell peppers, none of which I had in my fridge. The result was still full of flavor and quite easy to make.

 

Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

1 cup black beans soaked over night in water

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, properly rinsed in cold water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

In a large pot, bring black beans to a boil in salted water. Let cook until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain beans and set aside, but reserve 2 1/2 cups of bean water. 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, cilantro, cumin and oregano and sauté until onions are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and reserve.

In a large pot, bring bean water to a boil. Add rice and cook till all water has been absorbed and rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

Turn heat on to medium under the large skillet and add rice and beans to onion mixture. Incorporate ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Cook till heated through, about 5 minutes. 

Serve with pork chops. 

Happy cooking! 

 

Simple and Delicious: Chicken and Rice with Saffron

Lately, I've been having less and less time to cook dinner during the week. The fact that I no longer work freelance from home may have something to do with it. I may have to start planning my meals on a weekly basis if I want to eat properly and avoid the whole take-out Chinese or pizza thing. This week was not one of those plan-ahead weeks. I got lazy about researching recipes and writing a shopping list and instead spent my weekend figuring out the perfect lighting scheme for the apartment, with the help of Ikea. 

But I need to eat and I want to blog about it, so there was one day this week where my husband and I ate out at Porsena, Chef Sara Jenkins' pasta-centric restaurant. She is the one that took a pork sandwich and made it into a work of art at Porchetta. I didn't take photos of the meal, going there directly from work and having no camera on hand. Yesterday morning, however, I remembered to take something out of the freezer for dinner. My options were limited. Pork tenderloin or chicken. The pork tenderloin my husband makes is more of a long and leisurely-type meal, so not the quick weeknight meal I was looking to make. For the pork recipe, click here.  

I took out a pack of bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks and decided against a complicated recipe with tons of ingredients. Simplicity would be the route I would take. I remembered a dish I often ate as a kid. Chicken and rice. There is a version of chicken and rice in every culture and the one that I recall is chicken and rice prepared with hints of aromatic saffron. Saffron has long been the world's most expensive spice. About 50,000-75,000 saffron crocus flowers yield about one pound of the spice which is the stigma of the flower. It can go for as much as $5,000 a pound.

Preparing rice in my culture is not taken lightly. Basmati rice is rinsed till all starchiness is washed away and then steamed till perfection. I have a rice cooker which always make perfect rice. I will outline a method that does not require a rice cooker. I roasted the chicken in the oven with the most simplest ingredients that you certainly already have in your kitchen, minus the saffron maybe.

 

Chicken and Rice with Saffron

Ingredients:

4 bone-in chicken thighs 

4 drumsticks

Juice from 1 lemon

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Pinch of quality saffron

2 cups Basmati rice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

 

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Put saffron in a small cup, like an espresso cup, and fill with boiling water. Let steep. 

Pour the rice in a bowl and rinse by filling the bowl with water and emptying it out. Do this until the water becomes clear, about 6-7 times. Refill with water and leave on the counter.

Generously season the chicken with salt and pepper and arrange pieces in a lightly oiled roasting pan.  Drizzle with olive oil and the lemon juice. Once the saffron has steeped enough and the water has turned a beautiful bright orange, spoon a little saffron water over each piece of chicken. You will have leftover saffron water. Reserve it for the rice.

Put the chicken in the oven and let roast for about 45 minutes. You may want to check the chicken after 30 minutes since cooking times may vary depending on your oven.

While the chicken is cooking, you can get started on the rice. In a large non-stick pot boil two cups of water. Make sure to salt the water.

Once the water is boiling, drain all the water from the rice that was resting on the counter. Add the rice to the boiling water. Drop in the butter and stir. 

Let the rice boil over medium-high heat until most of the water is absorbed. Wrap the lid of the pot with a large dish towel and place the lid on the pot tightly. Bring down the heat to low and let the rice steam for about 20 minutes. You may want to check the rice during the steaming and fluff it up with a fork. You can even place the cup of saffron water in the pot to let it continue steeping. Taste the rice after 20 minutes. It should be cooked through. The rice will not be sticky, but light and fluffy. There will inevitably be some rice that sticks to the pan. That's okay. Eat it, it's nice and crunchy.

Spoon the rice into a serving dish and pour over the saffron-infused water. Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with the rice.

Happy cooking!

 

French Bistro Classic: Steak au Poivre

There is something soul-satisfying about throwing a steak in a hot saute pan and frying it up for a few minutes on each side. Just keeping it on enough to form a golden brown crust, yet maintaining a pink interior. It's quick, easy and satisfies my carnivore desires. The only way to improve upon the simple pan-fry method of steak cooking is by creating a pan sauce with all the lovely bits of flavor left behind by the meat. Here is how the French do it.

Steak au Poivre adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 tbs. coarsely ground pepper

2 New York steaks, about 10 to 12 oz. each

Salt, to taste

2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs. minced shallot

1/4 cup cognac

1 cup low-sodium beef stock

4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

 

Method:

Let steaks reach room temperature. 

Season the steaks on both sides with a generous amount of salt. Season with pepper and press the pepper into the steaks, coating both sides. 

In a deep sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Arrange the steaks in the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, a little longer for well done. Transfer the steaks to a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. 

Pour off the excess fat from the pan and set the pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent. Add the cognac and cook, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan, until most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the beef stock and cook until reduced by half. Reduce the heat to low and add the butter one piece at a time, whisking constantly. 

Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve immediately. 

I enjoyed these steaks au poivre with an onion and garlic rice and made sure to spoon some sauce over the rice.

Well, this wraps up this week's classic French recipes. Next week I'll be attempting to tackle a Mexican dish. Hopefully, the results will be better than the last time. 

Happy cooking!

Poulet au Paprika

It's Monday night and you have no idea what to cook. This recipe from Laura Calder of French Food at Home takes ordinary chicken to new heights. Poulet au paprika, or paprika chicken is a mix of fennel, onions and peppers cooked with chicken legs. The key ingredient is, of course, paprika. Make sure to use Hungarian paprika, especially the hot variety. It adds tons of flavor. A simple rice is the perfect side dish as it will soak up the sauce. I suggest doubling up the recipe so you have leftovers all week. Trust me, it's that tasty.

Poulet au Paprika adapted from French Food at Home

Ingredients

4 chicken legs, split between thigh and drumstick (I removed the skins)

Few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 red pepper, julienned

1 onion, sliced

half of a small fennel bulb, finely chopped 

1 tablespoon high-quality hot or sweet Hungarian paprika

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

3/4 cup tomato sauce

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraîche

salt and pepper

 

Method

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil on medium-high in a large sauté pan and, working in batches, brown the meat on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan add the julienned pepper, onion, fennel, and paprika. Lower heat to medium and cook until vegetables are soft.

Add the garlic for the final minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add the tomato sauce and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper.

Put the chicken back in. Cover the pan, and cook, turning the meat occasionally, until tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and arrange on serving platter. Cover with foil to keep warm. Turn off the heat, stir in the cream, check the seasonings (including the paprika, adding more if you like), then pour over the chicken, and serve.

Happy cooking!