Some basic risotto ingredients

I was going to try a crockpot risotto recipe, but I decided to stick with the tried and true–it had been so long since I’d made this, I wanted to be sure we would enjoy the end product, especially since it was going to be the main course.

As mentioned earlier, the main essential to a good risotto is good arborio rice; you can usually find it in most good grocery stores, or through a whole foods co-op, or (gasp!) Amazon!

I’ve been checking out alternate sources for certain grocery items, and sometimes Amazon has the best price, and with free shipping, there are no additional costs.  They also offer ‘subscription’ service which means you set up an automatic order for 1, 3 or 6 month terms, which entitles you to an additional 15% off the regular price. I ordered an 11 pound bag of rice today that normally cost $22.00, but came to 18.70 after the discount, coming to $1.70 per pound, much cheaper than at the grocery store, and 35 cents per pound cheaper than what my co-op could offer, and to get their best price I would have had to order 50 pounds at once.  I can just see my husband’s face as I ask him to carry that bag to the basement!

Good olive oil, butter, and savories such as onion, shallots, leeks, garlic, herbs–there’s a lot of room for some variety there. White wine is usually one of the ingredients, and I definitely prefer the version with wine than without–it helps cut some of the richness, adding a bit of a sharp note against the cheese that is added later. Broth is the main liquid; I’ve most often seen chicken broth used, but a light beef broth would probably work, or a good flavorful veggie broth.

Freshly shredded parmesan is best if you have it; if not, I get shredded parmesan in 2 lb. bags from our local restaurant supply, and keep it in the freezer to use in dishes like this. The per pound price is cheaper than most of the grated parmesan products in regular stores, and the flavor much better. Regular grated parm can be used, but try to find a brand that is as close to 100% cheese as possible.  Cream and extra butter is often stirred in at the end, but we no longer do that–we like the risotto just a little lighter.  Final touch for me is grated lemon rind and a good squeeze or three of lemon juice. Like the wine, it helps balance out the cheese in the dish.

Adding veggies to the dish? No problem. I really enjoy peas or mushrooms in risotto, and I usually prepare them separately and add the last couple of minutes before serving, so they just heat through but don’t have time to really cook any more. Mushrooms I sautee until browned, peas are simply cooked in a little salted water till just done. (If using the petite peas, I often just let them thaw, heating them through in the end–I like them to have a bit of a bite.)

As I mentioned earlier, this is an easy dish, but does take some attention. It’s a good time for listening to your favorite music, or just enjoying some quiet time at the stove (quiet time at the stove is probably something we empty nesters enjoy more often than some!).  Without further ado, here is the recipe I made last night.

Risotto with Parmesan and Lemon

1 cup arborio rice

4 cups chicken or veggie broth, kept hot in saucepan

1 small onion, chopped fine

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine or pressed

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

1 t. dried thyme

1/4 t. nutmeg, freshly grated

1/2 cup dry white wine

2/3 c. shredded parmesan

Ground black pepper to taste

Grated rind of one lemon

juice of 1/2 large lemon, or whole small lemon

Heat broth in a separate pan, and keep warm while you prepare the risotto.

Heat olive oil and butter in a larger flat-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Toss in onion and garlic, and sautee until transparent. Stir in rice, and mix until the rice is all coated, then add thyme and nutmeg, stirring till well mixed.

Add the 1/2 cup of wine, and stir for a few minutes until the wine is absorbed and your spoon leaves a clear path on the bottom of the pan; at this point add about a half cup of broth, again stirring until it is absorbed. Keep repeating this a few times more.  If the broth seems to absorb to quickly, you should turn down your heat a bit so you won’t run out of broth before your rice is cooked.

After about 20 minutes or so have elapsed, taste a grain of rice to check for doneness. It should be firm, but not at all crunchy. If more time is needed, continue to add the broth and testing the rice every couple of minutes. Once the rice is fully cooked, and you have a nice creamy sauce holding it together, it’s time to add the cheese and lemon. I add the cheese and lemon rind together, making sure it is well incorporated, then squeeze in the lemon juice. I usually have to taste a couple of times before I’m satisfied with the balance–I definitely want the lemon to come through, but not to overpower the dish.

This is also the point where you would stir in a little heavy cream, a little extra butter, and any veggies you would like to add.

And that’s it. Serve it up in some nice bowls, sprinkle with a little extra parmesan (I had a tiny bit of extra nutmeg on mine),  have a nice plate of freshly sliced kiwi fruit nearby, and pour yourself a glass of that nice dry white wine.  I have to say, that is as close to a perfect meal as I’ve had in a while!

We inherited a pile of leftover veggies and crudites from a recent event, and my stove has had a busy couple of days. The vegetables involved included piles of carrots, both baby and stick fashion, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes and ripe-on-the-vine tomatoes and a couple of sweet peppers. First I started with a pasta sauce that I like to make, and which turns out differently every time I make it. It ends up being a nicely chunky sauce, not too tomatoe-y, and it’s quite versatile. The amounts vary depending on what is at hand, but the basic ingredients remain the same. You will need your food processor, which will do a lovely job of chopping everything into bits, and you can have this in your pot, simmering away for a couple of hours, in as little as 15 minutes.

Vegetable Pasta Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks (or baby carrots or carrot sticks)

1/2 lb. celery sticks or chunks

2 medium onions (or 1 large)

6 cloves garlic

2 sweet peppers

4 to 5 pounds of tomatoes, any variety or mix of varieties

Pinch of sugar if tomatoes are too acidic

Salt, pepper to taste

Thyme, fennel, rosemary, oregano (I use about 1 t. each if dry, larger amounts if herbs are fresh)

Begin to heat oil over medium heat in a 3 quart or larger heavy bottomed pan. In batches, beginning with onions and garlic together, place vegetables in food processor with the chopping blade and chop until small pieces are formed, about the size of corn kernels. Don’t overprocess, or the sauce will resemble a mush. As soon as the onions are chopped, place them in the hot oil, and adjust heat so that onions will begin to saute gently without burning. Chop the carrots, celery and peppers, adding them to the onions and garlic and letting that cook together while you prepare the tomatoes.

The tomatoes are the one exception to the processing rule–blend away until they are completely pureed. They will be very watery, but a good amount of that liquid will evaporate as the sauce simmers together. Pour over the vegetables in the pan, stir to combine, bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer; do not cover the pan. Allow the sauce to simmer for a couple of hours. If it is thick enough for you at that time, add the seasonings and let simmer slowly for another half hour; if not thick enough, let it continue simmering until it is close to your desired thickness.

This can be serve as is over cooked pasta, baked potatoes, rice, polenta, whatever strikes your fancy.

1. This recipe is specifically for blueberries.  While the principles of canning remain the same if you’re using other fruits, you cannot switch out blueberries for something else in the preparation of the recipe.  If you have other fruit, use a recipe tailored for that fruit so you can maintain the proper levels of acidity and sugar to preserve your jam best. 
2. Have your mise en place ready to go.  (Repetitively redundant, I know…)  Think of making this like you would  a stir-fry.  If you try to measure things out and run around to find implements you’ll run the risk of ruining it.  This is not a walk-away-and-do-other-things project.
3. Once you make your own jam you will be very, very bitter if you have to purchase jam at the store.  The flavor and cost of homemade jam will convert you powerfully fast!

Onto business…

Blueberry Jam Primer and Recipe

Ingredients for approximately 6 cups of jam:

• 4 cups sugar, measured into a mixing bowl
• 6 cups whole, clean, very fresh blueberries
• 1 package powdered pectin (not liquid!)

Sugar, blueberries and pectin for jam.

Hardware Needed for Canning 6 Cups of Jam:

• 3 sterilized pint jars (for tips on sterilizing jars, click here!)
• 1 or 2 extra sterlized half pint jars (just in case you have a bit of extra)
• Sterilized rings in the proper size for each jar (regular or wide mouth)
• New lids in the proper size for each jar (regular or wide mouth)
• Large stainless steel or other non-reactive* stockpot (not pictured below)
• Long handled wooden or stainless steel spoon (not pictured below)
• A timer or a clock with a minute hand (not pictured below- and don’t laugh.  I know people who are not in possession of these things on purpose!)

*I’m going to keep using the phrase “non-reactive” during canning season.  Basically, all you need to really know about this is that you should use stainless steel, glass or enamelware.  Anything else (aluminum, etc…) can chemically react to the food and create off-flavors during the process of preserving food.  That is most assuredly to be avoided.

Necessary gear for canning jam.

Helpful Gear (that is not strictly necessary) for Canning Jam:

• A large boiling water canner
• Canning tongs
• Canning funnel
• Silicone hot mitts
• Potato Masher
• Stainless steel or other non-reactive ladle

Boiling water canner, canning tongs and funnel, silicone hot mitts, potato masher and ladle.  Canning made easy!

The Process:

• Before you start smashing berries and boiling stuff like the witches in Macbeth, you need to have your jars, lids and rims ready to go.

Have your jars prepared so that when the jam is done you can fill them immediately!

• Pour blueberries into a large bowl.  Please, please don’t use a small bowl:  You’ll be chasing blueberries around the countertop and floor if you do.  Using a potato masher or the bottom of a drinking glass or jar, smash the daylights out of the blueberries.  If you’re in a hurry, you can pulse the berries in a food processor- but don’t purée them.  Jam is supposed to have bits of fruit in it!

How your berries look while mashing.

How your berries look when ready to continue to the next step… Smashing, no?

• Pour your 4 cups of smashed blueberries- you did measure again, didn’t you?- into a large non-reactive stockpot.
• Sprinkle powdered pectin over the surface of the blueberries.

Yes, I said sprinkle but this picture shows me dumping the pectin.  I am not so coordinated that I can gracefully sprinkle pectin and take a picture simultaneously. 

• Stir the pectin into the fruit thoroughly.

If you dump it in, don’t panic.  You’ll just have to do more stirring.

• Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly.  Do not walk away.  Burned blueberries smell very, very bad.
• When mixture reaches a full rolling boil*, add the sugar all at once and quickly stir it in completely.

*A full rolling boil is when it does not stop boiling even when stirred- which you’re supposed to be doing anyway, right?

Do not step away from the pan.  I repeat.  Do not step away from the pan.  Keep stirring!

• Bring back to a full rolling boil.  As soon as it reaches the full boil, begin timing.  Allow to boil hard for EXACTLY 1 MINUTE!  Do not overcook.  Kill the heat as soon as the timer goes off!
• As soon as you have removed the stockpot from the heat, begin ladling (or scooping by whatever sterile means are at your disposal) the jam into the jars.  And for the love of all that is holy- this stuff is HOT and it HURTS if you splash it on your bare skin so be careful!
• Using a clean, damp paper towel, wipe the rims of the jars clean.  You don’t want gunk of the rims because that increases the risk of spoilage.

These jars are filled, wiped clean and ready to be lidded and processed.

• Place a lid, seal side down, on top of each clean jar.  Add a ring and screw it into place.  Don’t overtighten! 
• Put all jars into the empty canner (or other deep pot with a fitted lid) and fill with water to completely cover all jars.
• Place lid on pot and bring to a full rolling boil.  When water reaches a full rolling boil*, start timer for 10 minutes**. 

*Again with the full rolling boil.  It’s important!

Doesn’t this look like a Macbeth moment?  You know- “When the hurly burly’s done.  When the battle’s lost and won,” and whatnot?

**If you’re using a larger size jar, adjust processing time accordingly.  Quarts process for 15 minutes.

• When jars have processed for the appropriate amount of time, carefully remove all jars to a cooling rack.

Can you tell I have wicked hard water?

• All that remains is to remove the rings carefully, wipe down the jars with a damp cloth, and check your seals.
• If you have any seals that failed, simply put those jars into the fridge to use right away.  All sealed jars can be stored in a single layer on a shelf without their rings!

Voila y voila!  Blueberry jam! 

I hope I’ve convinced you that it’s worth your time and effort to make this.  …But just in case I haven’t convinced you yet, here are a couple other great reasons to try it:

• It goes without saying that this jam is out of this world on toast but don’t stop there.  Put a couple spoonfuls in a bowl and mash about with a fork.  Then spoon that softened jam over vanilla ice cream (are you sensing the ice-cream-for-life-theme here?) 
• Throw a quarter cup into a blender with plain yogurt, frozen berries and purée for a fantastic blueberry smoothie. 
• Glaze roasted pork with softened blueberry jam.   

You can do so much with this stuff.  Get creative!

Leftover Pork chops from Father’s Day

Leftover Shredded Mexican Chicken

Leftover Slow-cooked Black Beans with Salsa Verde

Leftover Steamed Jasmine Rice

Steamed Edamame (not necessarily leftover, and not agreeing with the rest of the buffet, but let’s be flexible, shall we?) with sea salt and cracked black pepper

Leftover Vanilla Ice Cream with Raspberry Coulis

Our dinner was at Chez Subway home of the $5 footlong.  Guess what.  Even at $5 a pop it’s still really expensive to feed five hungry boys and two hungry adults there.

We got home, gave him the meds prescribed and watched the left side his face (and his lower lip) start to swell up like a really cute little balloon with very big blue eyes.  So at 11 last night my husband packed the little guy back into the van and headed back to the ER.

I stayed home with the other boys and cleaned the kitchen.  It made me feel better. And that’s saying something ’cause I hates cleaning!

This morning saw all five boys and I scooting to our pediatrician’s office so she could eyeball Leif herself.  We left with a new diagnosis- probable pneumonia, a new fistful of medications, a McDonald’s lunch courtesy of Nana and a serious need to chill out. 

That’s what we’re doing for dinner tonight.  We’re chilling out.  I don’t know what we’re having, but it’s probably not going to be worthy of description let alone pictures.

The good news is my little viking seems much improved.  His swelling has gone down and we just need to focus on clearing his pink little lungs.

Slainte Mhar everyone!!!!!

In case anyone is wondering why there was no quinoa salad on the plate last night I have an explanation.  The Big XY came home from work and was ‘famished’.  He needed something to eat ‘quickly’ and the quinoa salad was the first thing he could grab from the fridge.  Eh bien.  There was plenty on the plate anyway!

Tonight’s menu:

Grilled Ham Carbonara on Homemade Linguine (or with boxed rotini if I am having too much fun outside with the kids to tear away and make pasta!  Look at me- 3 meals in and already copping out!)

Steamed Broccoli with Garlic

Garlic and Italian Herb Bubble Bread

Blueberry Shortcake with Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream (The blueberry fulfills the fruit category, you see!)

~I was just ready to post this and my 6 year old, Ty, walked up to me with tears in his eyes.  “Mom,” whined he, “The guys think my Bionicle is their least favorite.  Can I make cookies with you tonight?”

*For those of you without kids let me break this down for you.  He is annoyed by his brothers dissing his Bionicle.  However, he is not so annoyed that he missed recognizing an opportunity to manipulate his mother into making cookies and letting him crack the eggs.   I informed him that I already had plans for tonight’s dessert (see above).  He whined, “Then what can I do?”

Mom:  “Well, you can quit whining, for one.”

Ty:  “For one dollar?”

You see what I’m dealing with? 

It wasn’t a wash because the kids sat on the library floor with the children’s librarian and the group of them built a gigantic brick castle and were shouting medieval things at each other.  I chatted with our town librarian about great places to buy produce locally and the best Salvation Army locations around here.  That woman is a librarian in the truest sense of the word.  She is a treasure-trove of information!

When the library’s power came back on we checked out the books we had grabbed by the dim emergency lights and headed home. 

Our power was back up, but my server was down.  ACK!  And I wanted to post my dinner plans for the night.  Here they are, better late than never.

Homemade onion poppyseed hamburger rolls

Grilled hamburgers with super secret toppings (I’m submitting this to a recipe contest and if I tell you I’d have to… Oh never mind.  If it’s published it’s not eligible for the prize!)  Of course, I’ll try to take a really good picture so you can see what’s on it.  C’est si bon! 

More Chilled Latin quinoa salad

Crash Hot Potatoes (Thank you The Pioneer Woman and Evil Chef Mom for giving me the heads up on these babies!  I’ve successfully addicted my kids, husband, mom, sister and three aunties to this recipe!)

Fresh plums

Gin and Tonic (“Gin and tonic, Pats?” “Oooooh, Gin and tonic, Eddy” wink wink.)

Updated with picture Wednesday June 12, 2008.