This is such an easy and delicious chicken recipe from epicurious.com.
One of the 636 reviews called it a "go to" recipe and we can see why. I served it with a baby arugula and spinach salad and butternut squash risotto.
Heavenly.
For years I was intimidated by this wonderful Italian specialty. But once I began experimenting with risotti, I discovered it was as simple as good timing and a strong stirring arm.
Risotto is a great dish for sneaking vegetables into unsuspecting kids - diced spinach, pureed winter squash, even mushrooms. The kids gobble up the Parmesan cheese laden rice with its hidden nutrients and are none the wiser that they've eaten something healthy.
Rachel Ray takes risotto one step further with a Risotto and Mini Meatball dish that is a bit too cute for my taste, but is sure to make the kids ask for seconds.
A basic risotto recipe can be altered simply by changing the intingolo, the sauce or cooked ingredients added to the risotto. Risotti are prepared following the same basic procedure, with variations according to the intingoli.
For this recipe, you'll require two pans - one for the intingolo and the other for the basic risotto.
Basic Risotto Recipe
Serves 6 to 8
Preparation:
Heat the stock to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then lower the heat so that the stock just stays hot. Note: Liquids added to the risotto should be warm rather than cold.
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the chopped shallot or onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until slightly translucent.
Add the rice to the pot, stirring briskly with a wooden spoon until the grains are coated. Don't let the rice turn brown.
Add the wine, stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed.
Then add a ladle of warm chicken stock to the rice, stirring until the liquid is fully absorbed.Continue adding ladles of stock and stirring the rice while the liquid is absorbed. As it cooks, the rice will take on a creamy consistency as it begins to release its natural starches.
Continue adding stock, a ladle at a time, for 20-30 minutes or until the grains are tender but still firm to the bite, without being crunchy.
If you run out of stock and the risotto still isn't done, you can finish the cooking using hot water. Just add the water as you did with the stock, a ladle at a time, stirring while it's absorbed.
As the last stock is being absorbed, stir in the desired intingolo.
Finally, stir in the remaining butter, the Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese and the parsley. Correct to taste with Kosher salt.
Serve immediately since risotto turns glutinous if held for too long. Properly cooked, the risotto should be soft and creamy.
Spinach Mushroom Intingolo
Ingredients:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the Cremini mushrooms, red pepper and garlic. Saute until tender. Then add the spinach and continue cooking until the spinach has wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
Recently I found myself in Chinatown - early - going for accupuncture and massage treatments. I love this time of day, when the streets are clean and uncrowded and the fishmongers are putting out the day's catch. It all looks good and smells good and inspires me to cook.
I spied a heavenly bag of wild mahogany clams next to the heaps of bags of brilliantly black mussels-alive-alive-oh. They glistened like wet tiger's eye. And into my shopping bag they went, to be transported back to Brooklyn for a garlicky feast.
Wild mahoghany clams or golden neck are similar in flavor to Quahogs, but more robust and a little saltier. They are fantastic in pasta dishes and hold up well in dishes with strong, complex flavor structures.
I bought a bottle of Shiao Xing wine, which tastes a bit like sherry, but drier, to add to my impromptu feast.
Wild Mahogany Clams with Fresh Herbs & Linguine
8 ounces linguine
2 tablespoons olive oil
Procedure
Place clams in a cold salter water bath with a 1/4 cup of corn meal for about a half hour, rinsing periodically as clams disgorge grit. Discard any clams with bnroken shells or those which are open and do not close when handled.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta.
Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, then add tomatoes, herbs, wine and stock. Finally, add clams and cover, reducing heat to medium.
Cook until clams open, about - 6 minutes. With tongs, transfer fresh clams to plate, throwing out any unopened clams. Add cooked pasta to sauce in skillet, tossing to coat the pasta, about a minute.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide pasta between bowls. Top with fresh clams and serve.
Wine pairing: Henry LaGarde Reserve 2008, Mendoza, Rose "Well-defined salmon color, clear and bright, with outstanding cherry flavors. This blend of Malbec and Pinot Noir is fresh and complex in the mouth." (Beacon Wines)
This Saturday night's eat-in is as easy as pie - pizza pie.
Spinach & Goat Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms