Spring Green Risotto

May 7, 2012 by Lindsey

Sometimes, we need to be reminded to be grateful for the little things. Friendships, families, health, our jobs, these are all things that I easily forget are luxuries in the grander scheme of life.  This weekend was full of reminders for me as I spent it celebrating both being engaged to my best friend and passing the Texas bar exam. The kindness of the hosts and hostesses who threw our engagement party just blew me away. I am humbled by my blessings and look forward to my future wearing two new hats — a lawyer and a wife.

In the spirit of gratitude, I prepared a cozy dinner for my fiance and myself to enjoy after the festivities had subsided. This spring green risotto is a fitting way to give thanks as it requires lots of time, patience, and attention. You cannot wander away from the stove for a second while it is simmering, but the end reult is perfect. A “risotto” is arborio rice that is slow-cooked in broth, so that it becomes creamy and smooth after aborbing the moisture over time. This recipe produces a creamy, lemony, fresh risotto that has layers of flavors and textures. It uses the freshest springtime ingredients, which saves you money and reminds you to enjoy the fruits of the season that we are in.  The marscapone cheese is an ingredient that I have hardly used before, but will certainly return to it again. What a nice, cheesy touch it adds to this risotto.

This recipe is originally by Ina Garten and can be found here. I modified the recipe very little. Here is how I prepared this amazing spring green risotto:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 shallot, diced
• 3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
• 4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1 pound thin asparagus
• 10 ounces frozen peas, defrosted, or 1 1/2 cups shelled fresh peas
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese, preferably Italian
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the olive oil, shallot, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the leeks and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with the vegetables, oil, and butter.

Add 1 cup of stock and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid  has been absorbed. Stir the rice constantly while the liquid aborbs and you continue adding more as needed. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes. If the pot starts to smoke, you should add more liquid or turn the heat down as you continue to stir.

Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water.

When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. I added the juice of one lemon for extra zest. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

I baked some hot italian chicken sausage to add protein and spice to our dinner. Jason and I paused for a moment on our busy Sunday evening to eat a meal together before conquering our separate “to-do” lists for the night. This recipe is so refreshing and fun to make. You will stir away your worries and your taste buds will be saying THANK YOU after the first bite. I hope you enjoy this amazing recipe!

Lots of love,

Lindsey

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Pasta Primavera

Mar 19, 2012 by Lindsey

The warm afternoons that we have been enjoying in North Texas mean that spring has finally arrived. My herb garden is planted, my tank tops and sundresses are unpacked from storage, and the Mayflies are taking over our house. This week I celebrated the changing seasons with a dinner of colorful, healthy Pasta Primavera. This is a very simple recipe and makes a plenty of leftovers to be enjoyed later. Pasta Primavera is a traditional italian dish that incorporates a small-spiraled pasta with lots of fresh, springtime vegetables in a light cream sauce. The hardest part is chopping all of the vegetables! It is as colorful as a spring garden and bursts with zesty lemon pepper flavor. You won’t regret making this light, veggie-packed dinner tonight.

Here is how to do it:

INGREDIENTS (makes approximately 6 servings)

1 tbsp butter

2 chicken breasts, diced into 1 inch cubes (** TIP: if dicing your own chicken makes you squirm, borrow some latex gloves from the butcher to use so you don’t have to touch it with your hands!)

salt and freshly-ground pepper

1 box bowtie pasta

1/3 cup of lowfat milk

1 cup of freshly grated parmesean cheese

1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

2 tsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 sliced yellow squash

1 head chopped broccolini

1/2 cup chopped portobello mushrooms

1/2 cup chopped asparagus

1/2 cup frozen sweet corn

1/2 cup chopped carrots

Instructions

Start by cooking the pasta according to instructions. The thickness of bowtie pasta means that it takes longer to cook and must be started early. While the pasta is underway, sautee the chicken breast cubes in 1 tbsp melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Cook thoroughly (10 minutes over medium-high heat) and set aside to incorporate later.

Set the chicken pieces aside on a paper towel to drain off any excess grease. In the remaining butter,  sweat the garlic until translucent and fragrant.

Add the vegetables (yes, all of them) to the pan and drizzle with olive oil. The olive oil keeps plenty of moisture in the pan and prevents the vegetables from smoking or drying out. Season generously with salt and freshly-cracked pepper. This is one of the few opportunities you have to add seasonings to this low-fat dish. Lower the heat to medium and let the vegetables cook through for approximately 5-7 minutes, stirring regularly.

When the vegetables are cooked to the point that they are hot and firm, but not mushy, you may begin adding the ingredients for the sauce. Add the chicken back to the vegetable skillet. Pour in 1/3 cup of lowfat milk, lemon zest, and parmesean to the vegetables. Simmer for 2 minutes while the pasta finishes cooking.

When the pasta is cooked and drained, add all of the ingredients to one pot (veggies, chicken & pasta). I used my my pasta pot to finish the dish because I knew it had the largest capacity. Squeeze 1/2 lemon over the pasta and add any additional seasonings to taste.

Let cool for 5 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken and absorb into the first layer of the pasta. If you wish, you can add a bit of heavy cream or some flour to thicken the sauce, but you can trust me that this tastes great without these added calories!

Top with a little bit of extra freshly shredded parmesean and serve. We were both famished and ate ours in no time.

You are going to be so pleased with yourself after making this easy-peasy pasta primavera. It is a great way to sneak some vegetables into your diet — even some vegetables you have never tried before! Broccolini and squash are certainly not regulars in my kitchen, but we are loving them this week.

Happy Monday and see y’all next week!

Lindsey

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Lemon Sole with Baked Pasta

Mar 12, 2012 by Lindsey

Tonight’s dinner was easy, healthy, and extremely affordable. For less than $5 a plate, I put together two servings of delicious lemon sole with sides of baked penne pasta and asparagus.

You can tell from my previous recipes that I rarely cook fish. However, this lemon sole has me excited to change my ways and cook more fish in the future. Three pacific-caught dover sole fillets used in tonight’s dish only cost $3.99 and cooked in two minutes. I even checked on the Monterrey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch recommendations to ensure that this was the best quality and eco-friendly fish that we could eat.

This blog post features recipes for both the lemon sole and the easy pasta bake. They were a great pairing because the dense pasta provided a nice escape from the light texture of the dover sole. Hope you enjoy!

 

Lemon Sole:

All you need for delicious lemon sole is a few fish fillets, 1 1/2 tbsp butter, 1/2 half cup of flour, one sliced lemon, and salt and pepper.

In a large ziploc bag or mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Coat the fish with the mixture while you melt the butter over medium-high heat. Place the fish on the butter and cook for 1 minute.

After one minute, flip the fish and top with the lemon slices. Cook for another 1 minute and 30 seconds until the fish is completely translucent.

Serve without the lemon slices. This is a fantastic dish to serve when you are looking for a light, fluffy, and summery dinner. The fish falls apart easily, so be careful when transferring to your plates!

Easy Pasta Bake

This pasta dish is about as easy as they come. All you need is 1 lb penne pasta, 3/4 cup of olive oil, a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, and fresh grated parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and toss the uncooked pasta with 3/4 cup of olive oil. Allow the pasta to soak in the oil in a large baking dish until the oven is preheated. When the oven is ready, toss the pasta with the can of crushed tomatoes and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Add a little salt and pepper if you’re into that.

Bake for 45 minutes, stirring the pasta every 10 minutes to ensure that the pieces on the bottom do not burn.

When finished, toss with plenty of parmesan cheese and serve.

How easy was that? Each of these recipes is great on its own merits, but we devoured them when served together. I also made a bit of sauteed asparagus for something green and crunchy. I hope you enjoy this dinner that won’t bust your budget or your waistline. Jason and I welcomed something light and satisfying after spending our afternoons running and biking around White Rock Lake!

Lots of love,

Lindsey

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