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Fresh Basil-Mint Pesto

September 17, 2012 Appetizer 1 Comment

Even though it may be a bit late in the season to talk about using fresh herbs from your garden (my herb plants starting going south a few weeks back), it’s never a bad time to keep this quick tip in mind next time you are making fresh pesto. By simply cutting the amount of fresh basil in half, and replacing the other half with fresh mint – in other words, using equal parts basil and pesto – you end up with a tasty and vibrant alternative to an already fresh home made sauce. Whether you are serving it on pasta, chicken, salmon, baked potato, or as a vegetable dip, the fresh mint pesto will be sure to please!

 

 

 

 

Fresh Basil-Mint Pesto
Adapted from simplyrecipes.com

1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 cup fresh mint leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the basil and mint with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Use immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to a week.
Makes 1 cup.

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Escarole and Beans

September 10, 2012 Appetizer, Menu No Comments

Traditional side dishes are often my favorite part of a big Italian meal. The simplicity of sauteed greens (such as swiss chard, broccoli rabe or mustard greens) are always the perfect balance to the main course. Today I am sharing with you one of my favorites, sauteed escarole with beans.

Escarole is a mild green that is often used in soups – escarole and bean soup being one of the more common Italian soups. In my version, the escarole and beans are heated separately, then combined to make a delicious, creamy side that is perfect for serving with crusty Italian bread. You can add cooked sausage, bacon or ham to this dish for additional flavor.

 

 

 

ESCAROLE AND BEANS

1 large head Escarole, thoroughly cleaned and chopped
2 tbspn olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 16 oz can cannellini or garbanzo beans, undrained
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat one tbspn olive oil. Add garlic. When fragrant, add chopped escarole, tossing well until all leaves are coated. Stir for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Remove from skillet, season with salt and pepper. Place in a covered bowl and set aside.

Rinse skillet for reuse. Heat remaining tbsn olive oil, again adding garlic when oil is heated. Add the beans and their juices. Stir and simmer until a creamy sauce develops, about 10 minutes. Add escarole to the pan, toss and simmer for a few more minutes.

Serve on a platter with crusty Italian bread.

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Whole Grain Baked Arancini Rice Balls

August 28, 2012 Menu 1 Comment

This past weekend, I was given a very special and unique opportunity that favored the ‘good’ side of karma. You’ll recall a few posts back, when I chatted with nutritionist Dana Gollotto, who prepares the pre-game meals for the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s moments like this – being able to sit and chat with others who share the same passion as mine about food – that make writing my blog so gratifying. This past weekend, however, Dana raised the gratification bar to a whole new level when she asked me to prepare an Italian dish, using one of my own recipes, to be presented to THE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES!

Growing up as a life-long Phillies fan, I’m sure you could imagine how much of an honor this request was for me. Once getting past the initial excitement, reality set in. What in the world does one make for a professional sports team? Based on Dana’s suggestion of focusing on a dish high in fruits or veggies and/or lean meats and whole grains, I decided to put my recent love for risotto to the test and make a healthy version of arancini rice balls.

Traditionally, arancini rice balls are made with chilled risotto, shaped into balls (often stuffed with meats or cheese), then breaded and fried. To stay on the healthier side, I chose to use whole grain brown rice in place of arborio rice, then using a wheat bread crumb mixture for the coating, and then baking instead of frying. For additional flavor, I went with the classic combination of asparagus, lemon zest and lemon juice. For my test round, I used all brown rice. Because the brown rice does not release nearly as much starch as traditional arborio rice would, the process of making the risotto took twice as long. The rice simply would not break down and absorb the liquid. This also made for a dry taste and texture. Not bad, but not what I was shooting for.

When it was officially  ‘game time’, I decided to go with a 2/1 ratio of brown rice and arborio rice, using enough arborio to create the much needed creamy and sticky texture to hold the arancini rice balls together. This round was much better and made for the exact texture I was hoping for!

Although I was not allowed to deliver and present the arancini rice balls to the team personally – they are a professional sports team and understandably can not allow just anyone to enter their club house – Dana could not have been more grateful for the time that I spent making the dish. She also graciously passed along a bunch of recipe cards that I made up from my recent blog posts. After patiently waiting to hear what the players thought of my dish, Dana got in touch with me and said it perfectly…..” A huge hit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Everyone loved it.”

Even as a kid, I knew that my chances of ever making it to the major league was one in a million. But as far as my passion for food goes, I definitely knocked this one out of the park.

WHOLE GRAIN BAKED ARANCINI RICE BALLS
Makes about 30 balls

1 bunch asparagus spears, tough ends cut off
9 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1-1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups short grain brown rice
1 cup arborio rice
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cups wheat bread crumbs
1 cup corn meal
3 large eggs
2 tbspn milk
salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Cooking the Asparagus
In a large pot, bring enough water to cover asparagus stems to a boil. Add asparagus to boiling water for 5 minutes until crisp tender, remove from water and immediately place cooked stems into a bowl of ice water to shock the stems. When cooled, remove fro ice water, pat dry, chop into small pieces and set aside.

Step 2: Cooking the Risotto
In a medium pot, bring the stock to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting and keep warm.

In a deep skillet or pot, heat 1-1/2 tablespoons butter and oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine. Cook, stirring, until the wine evaporates. Add stock 1 cup at a time, stirring until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup. Continue until the rice is tender but not mushy. When almost finished, stir in the chopped asparagus, adding stock as needed and stirring continuously. Remove pan from the heat. Stir in remaining butter, cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest. Place cooked risotto into a covered bowl and refrigerate overnight.

Step 3: Preparing the Arancini Rice Balls 
Remove chilled risotto from the refrigerator. Scoop up about 1-2 tbspn of cold risotto and gently roll into a ball in the palm of your hands. Place the rice balls onto a baking sheet and refrigerate for about 1 hour to let the rice balls harden up again.

Preheat oven to 350˚. In one bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, corn meal, salt and pepper. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Remove rice balls from the refrigerator. Roll the rice balls into the breadcrumb mixture, then dip into the egg mixture, then roll into the breadcrumbs again. The double coating of breadcrumbs makes for an extra crispy coating. Place the rice balls on a baking sheet. Because you are baking instead of deep frying, you want to generously coat the rice balls with cooking spray to keep them from drying out. Place the baking sheets into the oven for about 30 minutes, until lightly golden and crispy. Serve immediately.

Image courtesy/istock.com © CactuSoup
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Lemon Mint Risotto with Zucchini

August 6, 2012 Entrees, Menu 2 Comments

Now’s the time to put that fresh harvest of vegetables and herbs to good use! One of the new herbs that I planted this year was mint. If I had known how abundant this herb was, I would have started planning recipes to use it with months ago! After putting together multiple batches of mint pesto, mint iced tea, and mint seasoned chicken to name just a few, I searched out  a delicious combination that would put not only my mint to use, but fresh zucchini and lemon as well. This dish adds lemon zing, mint accent and fresh zucchini to classic risotto. What I found most interesting about this dish was how the zucchini was sliced and added. By simply using a vegetable peeler to make long, thin slices, the zucchini takes on a beautiful ribbon shape and texture that holds up well in the warm risotto. The ribbons gently wrap around the creamy rice, yet melts in your mouth with every bite. The mint gives the perfect refreshing accent without overpowering. If you are a fan of risotto, I suggest you give this recipe a try.

LEMON MINT RISOTTO WITH ZUCCHINI

6 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for garnish
1/2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler
juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves, plus extra for garnish

Bring stock to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting and keep warm.
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and oil in a deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until softened, 2 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat. Add wine. Cook, stirring, until the wine evaporates. Add stock 1 cup at a time, stirring until nearly all of the liquid is absorbed before adding the next cup. Continue until the rice is tender but not mushy. When almost finished, stir in the zucchini, adding stock as needed and stirring continuously.Remove pan from the heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add mint leaves and serve immediately in bowls garnished with extra cheese, extra lemon zest and mint.

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