Tastes of Tuscany
There's nothing better than spending Friday night at home, cooking together and unwinding at the end of a long week. One of my favourite things to do is listen to music with my husband, light the candles, get dressed up and make risotto. Hey, it's not everyone's idea of kicking back, but it works for me.
Last night, we decided to make one of our favourites: Tuscan Cornish game hens and mushroom risotto. It may sound like a lot of work after working all day, but it really isn't. The whole meal from start to finish, including prep, takes a little more than an hour. And when you finally sit down at the table and take your first bite of creamy, earthy, cheesy risotto, you'll know it was absolutely worth it.
We enjoyed this meal with a delicious 2005 Spanish Tempranillo that cost less than $15 and was full-bodied and fruity with a hint of vanilla.
Cheers!
Tuscan Cornish Game Hens (serves 6, but you can easily adjust the serving size)
(From Flavours of Tuscany, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins)
6 slices prosciutto
3 slices pancetta
3 Cornish hens, each about 3/4 lb.
3 fresh sage leaves
3 fresh bay leaves
6 pitted black olives
2 tsbp. virgin olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Tuck a slice of pancetta, 2 olives, a bay leaf and a sage leaf inside each bird. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over Cornish hens, rubbing it into the skin, then rub them all over with the olive oil. Wrap each bird in two strips of prosciutto, crisscrossed. Set the birds into a baking dish into which they fit comfortably.
Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 325 F and continue roasting 30-45 minutes longer, until the juices run clear when the thigh is punctured with a skewer.
Let birds rest for 5 minutes, then cut them in half vertically and serve immediately, with pan juices.
We used 2 hens last night which makes 4 servings, so we don't have to cook tonight.
This is excellent with whipped potatoes and a salad, but my favourite side dish is:
Mushroom Risotto (serves 6)
(Adapted from the Kitchen Classics series Italian Kitchen by Jane Price)
3/4 oz. (20 g) dried porcini mushrooms (my grocery store only carries the 14 g package and that's fine)
4 cups (1 litre) chicken or vegetable stock
2 tbsp. olive oil
3 1/2 oz. (100 g) unsalted butter
1 lb 7 oz. (650 g) white or brown mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup (80 ml) dry white wine or vermouth
1 onion finely chopped
2 cups (440 g) arborio rice
1 1/2 cups (150 g) freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh thyme, to taste and for garnish
freshly ground pepper, to taste
Soak dried porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain through a sieve lined with a paper coffee filter or paper towel, reserving the liquid and coarsely chopping the mushrooms. Add the chopped porcini to your other sliced mushrooms. Add the reserved liquid to the 1 litre of chicken stock in a deep pot and bring to a boil, then let it simmer on a back burner.
Heat half the oil and butter in a frying pan over high heat, add the mushrooms and garlic and stir until tender, 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook a further 5 minutes. Increase the heat and add the wine or vermouth and cook for about 5 minutes, until most of it and the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Watch this, or it will burn. Set aside.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the other half of the oil and butter, add the onion and some fresh thyme and cook at medium heat until the onion is soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes. Still at medium heat, start adding the stock to the pan, a ladleful at a time and keep stirring the risotto until all the broth is gone. Keep ladling in the broth and stirring until all the broth is gone and the risotto is tender but al dente. If you use all the liquid and the risotto is still not cooked well enough, add another cup of broth. All the stirring takes about half an hour, so have a nice glass of Chardonnay at hand. You'll earn it. It also helps when your husband offers to take a turn stirring.
When the risotto is done to your liking, remove it from the heat and add the grated parmesan and the mushroom mixture. Stir till the cheese melts and sprinkle with fresh thyme. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste. You shouldn't need salt, since the parmesan is salty.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
For starters
I don't know about you, but when we host a dinner party, we like to start off with something to get our guests' tastebuds revved up, but not something so substantial that they lose interest in dinner.
I've found various recipes that work well, but this one is an appetizer I turn to frequently, probably because it contains some of my favourite foods (goat cheese, pine nuts, cream and fresh basil), all in one bite-sized offering. Let's face it, how could anything with those ingredients be bad?
Friends who've tried these have liked how light and fresh-tasting they are. Elegant looking and full of flavour, they're perfect in spring and summer when produce here is at its finest.
I like to call them basil boats, since that's what they look like, but the fancy name is:
Basil Leaves stuffed with Chevre and Pine Nuts
(makes 4 servings)
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 oz. soft chevre (goat cheese) at room temperature
2 tbsp. heavy cream
freshly ground pepper
20 large basil leaves, each about 3 inches long
1 medium tomato, finely diced
extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
In a small, dry skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally until golden and fragrant, about three minutes or so. Let cool.
In another small bowl, combine goat cheese and cream, and season with pepper.
Spread 1 tsp. of the goat cheese mixture onto each basil leaf. Sprinkle with pine nuts, pressing them into the cheese. Scatter the diced tomato on top. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic and serve on your prettiest plate or platter. These are great because you don't need serving plates -- they are one-bite wonders.
Notes: If you don't like to make lots of dishes dirty before your guests arrive, you can make a simpler version of this. Use goat cheese flavoured with pepper instead of adding freshly ground pepper, don't bother toasting the pine nuts (they're fine as they are) and omit the heavy cream. I've made them this way many times and it's much faster and they still taste like a symphony of fresh flavours in your mouth. If you do decide to toast the pine nuts, watch them carefully. They will burn fast if not jostled around in the pan.
We love this appetizer with sparkling wine, such as Prosecco, or lovely and inexpensive Tots, which our liquor store just stopped stocking. It's also nice with a Sauvignon Blanc.
Of course, it goes without saying that everything's lovelier with Champagne, but that's out of reach for me unless it's a really special occasion. Besides, I don't like cluttering up my bubbly with food.
As an added bonus, this is a great appetizer to serve if you have friends with nut allergies, since pine nuts aren't actually nuts. Be sure to check with your allergic friends beforehand, of course.
We started our own herb garden two years ago with great success, but we're having a devil of a time getting basil to grow outside. If anyone has any tips on that, I'd love to hear them, as I am a fresh basil freak.
I've found various recipes that work well, but this one is an appetizer I turn to frequently, probably because it contains some of my favourite foods (goat cheese, pine nuts, cream and fresh basil), all in one bite-sized offering. Let's face it, how could anything with those ingredients be bad?
Friends who've tried these have liked how light and fresh-tasting they are. Elegant looking and full of flavour, they're perfect in spring and summer when produce here is at its finest.
I like to call them basil boats, since that's what they look like, but the fancy name is:
Basil Leaves stuffed with Chevre and Pine Nuts
(makes 4 servings)
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 oz. soft chevre (goat cheese) at room temperature
2 tbsp. heavy cream
freshly ground pepper
20 large basil leaves, each about 3 inches long
1 medium tomato, finely diced
extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar, for drizzling
In a small, dry skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally until golden and fragrant, about three minutes or so. Let cool.
In another small bowl, combine goat cheese and cream, and season with pepper.
Spread 1 tsp. of the goat cheese mixture onto each basil leaf. Sprinkle with pine nuts, pressing them into the cheese. Scatter the diced tomato on top. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and balsamic and serve on your prettiest plate or platter. These are great because you don't need serving plates -- they are one-bite wonders.
Notes: If you don't like to make lots of dishes dirty before your guests arrive, you can make a simpler version of this. Use goat cheese flavoured with pepper instead of adding freshly ground pepper, don't bother toasting the pine nuts (they're fine as they are) and omit the heavy cream. I've made them this way many times and it's much faster and they still taste like a symphony of fresh flavours in your mouth. If you do decide to toast the pine nuts, watch them carefully. They will burn fast if not jostled around in the pan.
We love this appetizer with sparkling wine, such as Prosecco, or lovely and inexpensive Tots, which our liquor store just stopped stocking. It's also nice with a Sauvignon Blanc.
Of course, it goes without saying that everything's lovelier with Champagne, but that's out of reach for me unless it's a really special occasion. Besides, I don't like cluttering up my bubbly with food.
As an added bonus, this is a great appetizer to serve if you have friends with nut allergies, since pine nuts aren't actually nuts. Be sure to check with your allergic friends beforehand, of course.
We started our own herb garden two years ago with great success, but we're having a devil of a time getting basil to grow outside. If anyone has any tips on that, I'd love to hear them, as I am a fresh basil freak.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Roman holiday
Today it was blissfully sunny in my corner of the world, and I was reminded of a holiday in 2008 that took us to Italy.
We arrived in Rome on a blisteringly hot September afternoon and grabbed a taxi to our B&B, which had been recommended to us by a wine agent we had met during a sampling at our neighbourhood liquor store in St. John's. He was offering samples of Italian wines and we told him we were planning a trip. "If you go to Rome, you have to stay at Barbara's," he said, and told us how to get in touch with her.
We were so glad we took his advice. From the balcony of her elegantly and ecclectically furnished apartment, you could see the dome of St. Peter's in the shimmering haze of the sun. Tired from the trip but thrilled to be in Rome, we headed out as soon as we dropped our bags and followed glimpses of the dome for about 15 minutes until we reached the walls of Vatican City.
By now it was early evening, and feeling hot and tired, we were tempted inside a pizzeria by the gorgeous display of pizza and pasta in the window. It wasn't much more than a hole in the wall, with a few booths and tables inside, and three or four chrome tables set up outside on the sidewalk. We pointed to what we wanted -- funghi pizza, as it turned out -- and selected an ice cold bottle of pale gold Pinot Grigio.
The pizza was deceptively simplistic -- a white sauce, strewn with sauteed mushrooms and melted cheese -- but the taste was pure heaven. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms on a surprisingly complex creamy sauce with a hint of spice. The Pinot Grigio was like chilled sunshine. It was one of the simplest meals we had in Italy, and one of the best.
Best of all? After spending two and a half weeks in Tuscany, we returned to Rome for a couple of nights before our departure and found the very same pizzeria.
The waiter was the same as before. "Funghi pizza and Pinot Grigio!" he said, beaming, when he recognized us.
Once we were back in Newfoundland, I found myself longing for the rustic-style pizzas we'd had in Italy, where the focus is on fresh, quality ingredients, and not the number of toppings you can pile on.
I dug out Pizza and Antipasti, a cookbook by Wilton House that I'd had since the 1990s, and decided to try to recreate a little bit of Italy in our kitchen.
These two recipes were both a success (I've altered them a little), and are good representatives of authentic Italian pizza. If you're feeling lazy on a Friday night after work, buy pre-made pizza shells instead of making your own dough.
Then, chill some Pinot Grigio, invite a few friends over, and enjoy.
Pizza a la Creme
2 tbsp. salted butter
3/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, peeled and diced
1 cup of white sauce* (recipe follows)
1 pizza dough shell
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 slices crisp cooked bacon or prosciutto, chopped
a sprinkle of fresh thyme
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
White sauce
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 a yellow onion, diced
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups skim milk, heated
salt and white pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
For the white sauce
Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2 minutes over low heat. Stir in flour and continue cooking 1 minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly. Season well and add nutmeg. Cook sauce 8 to 10 minutes over low heat. Stir 3 to 4 times during cooking process.
Strain sauce through a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper that touches the surface of the sauce, and let cool before refrigerating. This should make enough sauce for 2 pizzas, depending on how saucy you are, and will keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
For the pizza
Preheat oven to 500 F. Heat butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Spread white sauce over pizza shell. Cover with mushrooms and shallots and top with grated cheese. Season with pepper, salt and paprika.
Cook 10 to 12 minutes. About 2 minutes before pizza is done, add chopped bacon or prosciutto and complete cooking.
Phyllo pizza (makes 6 to 8 servings)
2/3 cup melted salted butter
14 sheets of phyllo pastry dough
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the processed stuff in the shaker can)
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
4 large plum tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Brush large rectangular baking sheet with melted butter. Position first sheet of phyllo dough in bottom and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. And next sheet of dough, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat for remaining sheets of dough.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and basil. Season well and cook 4 minites. Spoon mixture over top layer of phyllo.
Cover with mozzarella cheese. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Drizzle remaining olive oil over tomotoes. Season with pepper.
Cook 30 to 40 minutes in the oven.
We arrived in Rome on a blisteringly hot September afternoon and grabbed a taxi to our B&B, which had been recommended to us by a wine agent we had met during a sampling at our neighbourhood liquor store in St. John's. He was offering samples of Italian wines and we told him we were planning a trip. "If you go to Rome, you have to stay at Barbara's," he said, and told us how to get in touch with her.
We were so glad we took his advice. From the balcony of her elegantly and ecclectically furnished apartment, you could see the dome of St. Peter's in the shimmering haze of the sun. Tired from the trip but thrilled to be in Rome, we headed out as soon as we dropped our bags and followed glimpses of the dome for about 15 minutes until we reached the walls of Vatican City.
By now it was early evening, and feeling hot and tired, we were tempted inside a pizzeria by the gorgeous display of pizza and pasta in the window. It wasn't much more than a hole in the wall, with a few booths and tables inside, and three or four chrome tables set up outside on the sidewalk. We pointed to what we wanted -- funghi pizza, as it turned out -- and selected an ice cold bottle of pale gold Pinot Grigio.
The pizza was deceptively simplistic -- a white sauce, strewn with sauteed mushrooms and melted cheese -- but the taste was pure heaven. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms on a surprisingly complex creamy sauce with a hint of spice. The Pinot Grigio was like chilled sunshine. It was one of the simplest meals we had in Italy, and one of the best.
Best of all? After spending two and a half weeks in Tuscany, we returned to Rome for a couple of nights before our departure and found the very same pizzeria.
The waiter was the same as before. "Funghi pizza and Pinot Grigio!" he said, beaming, when he recognized us.
Once we were back in Newfoundland, I found myself longing for the rustic-style pizzas we'd had in Italy, where the focus is on fresh, quality ingredients, and not the number of toppings you can pile on.
I dug out Pizza and Antipasti, a cookbook by Wilton House that I'd had since the 1990s, and decided to try to recreate a little bit of Italy in our kitchen.
These two recipes were both a success (I've altered them a little), and are good representatives of authentic Italian pizza. If you're feeling lazy on a Friday night after work, buy pre-made pizza shells instead of making your own dough.
Then, chill some Pinot Grigio, invite a few friends over, and enjoy.
Pizza a la Creme
2 tbsp. salted butter
3/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 shallots, peeled and diced
1 cup of white sauce* (recipe follows)
1 pizza dough shell
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 slices crisp cooked bacon or prosciutto, chopped
a sprinkle of fresh thyme
salt, pepper and paprika to taste
White sauce
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 a yellow onion, diced
4 tbsp. flour
2 cups skim milk, heated
salt and white pepper
a pinch of nutmeg
For the white sauce
Heat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2 minutes over low heat. Stir in flour and continue cooking 1 minute. Pour in milk, whisking constantly. Season well and add nutmeg. Cook sauce 8 to 10 minutes over low heat. Stir 3 to 4 times during cooking process.
Strain sauce through a sieve into a clean bowl. Cover with a sheet of waxed paper that touches the surface of the sauce, and let cool before refrigerating. This should make enough sauce for 2 pizzas, depending on how saucy you are, and will keep 2 to 3 days in the fridge.
For the pizza
Preheat oven to 500 F. Heat butter in frying pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and shallots and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Spread white sauce over pizza shell. Cover with mushrooms and shallots and top with grated cheese. Season with pepper, salt and paprika.
Cook 10 to 12 minutes. About 2 minutes before pizza is done, add chopped bacon or prosciutto and complete cooking.
Phyllo pizza (makes 6 to 8 servings)
2/3 cup melted salted butter
14 sheets of phyllo pastry dough
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (the real stuff, not the processed stuff in the shaker can)
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed and chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
4 large plum tomatoes, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Brush large rectangular baking sheet with melted butter. Position first sheet of phyllo dough in bottom and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. And next sheet of dough, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat for remaining sheets of dough.
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and basil. Season well and cook 4 minites. Spoon mixture over top layer of phyllo.
Cover with mozzarella cheese. Top with tomato slices and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Drizzle remaining olive oil over tomotoes. Season with pepper.
Cook 30 to 40 minutes in the oven.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Found recipes
Many food products have recipes on their labels, but often we never give them a second thought. The small print and scanty instructions are hardly eye-catching, but food-makers are getting more savvy when it comes to marketing.
The other day, I noticed a recipe attached by an elastic cord to a bottle of Diana marinade that looked mouth-wateringly delicious, and I vowed I would give it a try.
We made these salmon burgers Friday night for our teenagers and their friend, and we all gave it two thumbs up. They're a lot lighter (both in calories and weight) than regular burgers, and taste better, too. We made them on the barbecue but I'm sure you could bake them in a 350 F oven for about half an hour.
Here's the recipe. If you try it, let me know if you enjoyed them.
Sesame Lime Salmon Burgers (makes 4-6)
1/3 cup (75 ml) Diana Sauce original flavour
1 tbsp. (15 ml) sodium-reduced soy sauce
1 tsp. (5 ml) each of finely grated lime zest and sesame oil
2/3 cup (150 ml) panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (50 ml) each of chopped green onion and fresh coriander
1 egg
1 lb (500 g) boned, skinless fresh salmon
Toasted sesame rolls
Mayo, Diana Sauce original recipe and mixed lettuce leaves for garnish
Preheat the grill to medium high. Blend the barbecue sauce with the soy sauce, lime zest and sesame oil. Measure out half of the mixture and use it for basting. Mix the remaining mixture with the pnko crumbs, green onion, coriander and egg. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Starting from the outer edge of the salmon, flake off the fish with a fork and add the salmon to the crumb mixture. Using your hands, gently form the mixture into generous-sized patties; arrange them on a heavy-duty, foil-lined baking sheet, then slide the foil onto the barbecue grill. Grill for 5 minutes or so per side, or until they're done to your liking. Don't overcook or they will be dry and unappealing. Spread mayo and Diana sauce on your toasted sesame rolls and add some mixed lettuce leaves. Pile on the patties and enjoy.
Makes a lovely meal with a mixed salad, and my husband and I matched it with a glass of Pinot Noir.
We bought Atlantic salmon for about $11, so these burgers are pretty easy on the wallet, too.
Nutritional information: Per serving (patty only): 306 calories, 11 g fat, 30 g protein, 21 g carbs, 3 g fibre, 450 mg sodium. Excellent source of niacin, riboflavin, folate, and vitamins B6, B12 and D.
The other day, I noticed a recipe attached by an elastic cord to a bottle of Diana marinade that looked mouth-wateringly delicious, and I vowed I would give it a try.
We made these salmon burgers Friday night for our teenagers and their friend, and we all gave it two thumbs up. They're a lot lighter (both in calories and weight) than regular burgers, and taste better, too. We made them on the barbecue but I'm sure you could bake them in a 350 F oven for about half an hour.
Here's the recipe. If you try it, let me know if you enjoyed them.
Sesame Lime Salmon Burgers (makes 4-6)
1/3 cup (75 ml) Diana Sauce original flavour
1 tbsp. (15 ml) sodium-reduced soy sauce
1 tsp. (5 ml) each of finely grated lime zest and sesame oil
2/3 cup (150 ml) panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (50 ml) each of chopped green onion and fresh coriander
1 egg
1 lb (500 g) boned, skinless fresh salmon
Toasted sesame rolls
Mayo, Diana Sauce original recipe and mixed lettuce leaves for garnish
Preheat the grill to medium high. Blend the barbecue sauce with the soy sauce, lime zest and sesame oil. Measure out half of the mixture and use it for basting. Mix the remaining mixture with the pnko crumbs, green onion, coriander and egg. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Starting from the outer edge of the salmon, flake off the fish with a fork and add the salmon to the crumb mixture. Using your hands, gently form the mixture into generous-sized patties; arrange them on a heavy-duty, foil-lined baking sheet, then slide the foil onto the barbecue grill. Grill for 5 minutes or so per side, or until they're done to your liking. Don't overcook or they will be dry and unappealing. Spread mayo and Diana sauce on your toasted sesame rolls and add some mixed lettuce leaves. Pile on the patties and enjoy.
Makes a lovely meal with a mixed salad, and my husband and I matched it with a glass of Pinot Noir.
We bought Atlantic salmon for about $11, so these burgers are pretty easy on the wallet, too.
Nutritional information: Per serving (patty only): 306 calories, 11 g fat, 30 g protein, 21 g carbs, 3 g fibre, 450 mg sodium. Excellent source of niacin, riboflavin, folate, and vitamins B6, B12 and D.
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