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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Honey Sesame Chicken

Mar 5, 2012 by Lindsey

Welcome back, readers! I am back from the cold, gray world of defeasible fees and presentment warranties. The kitchen is re-stocked with ingredients and my cookbooks are tabbed and ready. There are so many plans for Overcooked in the works right now - please continue to visit often for more great recipes and projects from my kitchen. Is there something you’d like to see featured on the site? Comment and tell me what you want to read!

Dinner last night was easy as 1-2-3.

Have you ever felt lazy about what to do for dinner? Despite my “lofty” plans for Overcooked after taking the bar exam, the rigor of last week continued to take a toll on me by Sunday night. My brain was still mush and dinner was the farthest thing from my mind! There was only one solution for what to cook in this situation: I pulled out my slow cooker, grabbed some chicken and veggies, and created this recipe for honey sesame chicken. This recipe for  will be right up your alley on days where you need to cook, but don’t feel like cooking.

Here is the recipe for slow-cooker Honey Sesame Chicken. The sauce is a nice, easy combination to remember for future stir-fry dishes. I forgot to take step-by-step photos because the slow cooker takes all of the drama out of cooking! You will be fine to follow the recipe as written.

INGREDIENTS (makes 4 servings)

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs

salt and pepper

1 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes

for serving:

1 tablespoon of cornstarch

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 cups of broccoli florets

1 cup cooked white rice

Instructions

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Place in a slow cooker with honey, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Mix well and cook on high for two hours.

When the chicken is finished, uncover and cut into bite-sized pieces. You can remove the chicken from the sauce to cut it, or simply use a knife and fork to pull it apart as it sits in the slow cooker. Add the cornstarch and sesame seeds to the sauce and stir well. Let everything sit uncovered to cool and thicken while you prepare the remaining two ingredients.

Prepare the rice according to directions.  While the rice is simmering, stir-fry the broccoli with a little vegetable oil. The broccoli is done when it is a bright green hue and crispy on the tips.

Serve the chicken and broccoli on top of rice.

We loved this recipe. The sauce has perfect balance of bold and sweet flavors, which cooks into every molecule of the tender chicken thighs. The cornstarch took it up a notch by making the sauce less runny and the perfect partner to white rice. Even diners who do not love asian food will find that the flavors of this dish are more like barbeque: sweet, spicy, bold, and thick. This is a delicious supper that will add some ”wow” to your weekly recipe rut, and it barely took 2 brain cells to throw together.

What are you doing in the kitchen this week? The seasons are changing and all new produce is popping up in the grocery store – reminding me that it is time to plant my spring garden!

See you next week!

Lindsey

 

 

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Quick and Easy Tex-Mex Rice

Dec 19, 2011 by Lindsey

Here is a quick recipe for mexican rice that is so delicious and easy. I adapted it over the past year to fit my taste from a cookbook. There are more variations that include adding tomato sauce or mexican spices, but this one is the simplest. This Tex-Mex rice is great because it holds up against any cuisine – from simple grilled chicken to beef enchiladas. And, you can use what you already have in your pantry; another excuse to clean out your cupboards.

Ingredients

1 cup chicken broth

1 cup water

1 cup brown rice (or white)

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Veggies of your choosing, such as 1/2 c frozen peas and carrots, 1/4 cup celery, onion, or

bell pepper.

salt and pepper

Instructions

Sautee the butter and rice in a large pot. Stir for about 2 minutes until the rice is sizzling. This breaks down the out outer “shell ” of the rice and helps it absorb the liquids. Add the vegetables, seasonings, and liquids and bring to a simmer. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes or until liquid is fully absorbed and the rice is soft.

Tonight, we served tex-mex rice with chicken burritos.  It was a great side dish that hardly took any thought!

Hasta la Vista!

Lindsey

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Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya

Aug 30, 2011 by Lindsey

School is back in session. I am officially in the home stretch of my law school career (yeah December graduation!) and the bar exam, finding a job, and my wedding are all just right around the corner after that. Did I mention I will also be an aunt again very soon?

Because of the crazy schedule around our house lately, I prefer to cook in bulk on Sundays and share quick and delicious leftovers with Jason for the remainder of the week. This week’s menu: Jambalaya.

Jambalaya is in the “exotic” section of my food vocabulary just because of its name. In actuality, it’s not all that exotic:  just chicken, sausage, veggies, rice, and spices. Nothing you haven’t seen before! I am surprised at how much I loved this dinner. It was no fuss to prepare (just a little chopping work), and hardly any labor after you get everything in the pot. The final dish is surprisingly light, spicy, and tastes extremely fresh. Plus, these cajun textures and flavors are not things that I eat every day so it is a nice diversion from my usual pizzas, pastas, and quesadillas. And it is a great way to sneak a ton of veggies into dinner!

I made this recipe up after reading dozens of recipes for jambalaya. I left out a few popular ingredients, such as bay leaves (whoops), shrimp (too expensive), and I substituted fresh wild rice instead of the popular white rice that often accompanies this dish. It’s perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing the next time I cook it on a rainy Sunday night, or expecting company over.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6-8)

3 tbsp butter

4 pieces of smoked turkey sausage sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

5 stalks celery, diced

10-15 Okra, sliced into rounds

2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 in ch pieces

4 garlic gloves, minced

2 tbsp oregano

2 tbsp thyme

15 or 20 turns of the black pepper mill

1 tsp Cholula hot sauce

8 oz canned tomato sauce

1 lb diced canned tomatoes

2 cups chicken stock

2 cups wild rice (or white)

INSTRUCTIONS

The hardest part of the meal, honestly, is chopping up all of the ingredients. Some stores sell pre-chopped onion, garlic, peppers, and celery. Do what you can! I bought pre-chopped onion, but did everything else myself while watching TV.

Preheat the oven to 350 and melt the butter in a large, 6 or 8 quart stock pot.

Keep the heat of the pot on high. Add the sausage to the pot and sautee until brown and sticking to the bottom.

Add the onion, peppers, celery, garlic, and okra. Stir for about five minutes until the onion is translucent.

Add the chicken and stir frequently until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside.

Reduce heat to medium and add thyme, oregano, pepper, cholula, and both canned tomatoes. Stir to combine and cover. Reduce the heat to low and walk away for about 8 minutes.

8 minutes later, uncover, add the chicken stock and rice. Stir, cover, and bake for 40 minutes.

It will be extremely hot coming out of the oven. Let the pot sit for ten minutes before serving.

This is a great reipe for fall. Your busy schedule won’t be compromised, your taste buds will dance, your soul will be comforted, and your happiness will skyrocket. We enjoyed it in bowls, sitting on the sofa, and watching The Good Wife (my new favorite show) under some blankets. It just felt right.

Happy cooking!

 

And.. Cheers!!

Lindsey

 

 

 

 

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