Sausage Risotto

I absolutely love holiday decorations, wreaths, Christmas trees, and lights inside and outside of a home. Unfortunately, I am terribly lazy and have not decorated my own place for the holidays for the past two years. Instead of hanging garland on my (non-existant) mantle, I decided to make a colorful dinner using red and green to celebrate Christmas and get me in the holiday mood.

Small dice onions, zucchini, red pepper and saute in olive oil in a pot or pan with deep sides until the vegetables are soft, but not brown. Once they are cooked through, add minced garlic and cook briefly. Season with freshly ground black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Sprinkle in arborio rice, stir and let the rice toast for about one minute. Add a small amount of chicken broth or stock, stir, and allow the liquid to evaporate. Repeat this process until the rice does not absorb any more liquid, keeping in mind you want the rice to be al dente--tender on the outside, with a slight bite on the inside.

While the risotto is cooking, slice chicken sausage first horizontally, and then vertically to make bite size pieces. Cook on high heat in a pan until charred.

Spoon the risotto into a bowl, and top with the chicken sausage (I used Trader Joe's roasted garlic chicken sausage). Sprinkle with grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, if desired.

Okay, so it may not be enough to make up for the lack of a Christmas tree. But I cannot even begin to explain how warm and fuzzy this dish made me feel! Enjoy.

Fennel and Tomato Soup

I am completely engaged by Anthony Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook, and not only because it is the book he autographed (!). The writing makes me want to start my own restaurant, and the recipes are intriguing and...mostly foreign to me. I am by no means a French cook--in fact, I cannot think of one French thing I've made, perhaps excluding a roux. Actually, what I think I'm trying to say is that this book scares me, but in a very very good way. So, it is only natural that the first recipe I chose to prepare was the one with the least ingredients and instructions.

Ingredients

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 fennel bulbs, cored and thinly sliced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small potato, cut into 1/4-inch cubes

1 8-ounce can plum tomatoes

6 cups light chicken stock or broth

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Equipment

large pot

wooden spoon

blender

Method

In the large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and add the fennel, onion, and potato. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the vegetables sweat for 10 minutes, taking care to not let them brown. Add the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes more. Stir in the chicken stock; bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour.

Remove the pot from the heat and let the soup cool for a few minutes. Transfer the mix to the blender and, working in batches to avoid accidents, puree until smooth. Return to the pot, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer, and season with salt and pepper.

I was initially skeptical about using the potato; it just didn't seem to "go". But when pureed, it added a slight creamy consistency and viscosity that added a lovely component to the soup. The slow cooking allowed all the flavors to blend and become one, which made the process completely worth the time. And, this is one of the healthiest dishes in the cookbook! Definitely making this one again, very soon...

P.S. My soup appears slightly chunky because, well--it is. I don't own a blender, so I used my mini food chopper. It worked just fine, but since I had to work in a few batches, and I was ravenous, I hastily and sloppily pureed the soup. It should be smooth.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts: A Love Affair

A few years ago, when I was attending NYU, my dad visited the city and wanted to take me out to dinner. After searching for nice places to eat, we decided on Alta, a restaurant in the West Village that serves small plates. Its entrance is easily missed, as evidenced by our walking up and down the block trying to find a sign, a glimmer of hope. We sipped on fancy cocktails and sampled a few dishes. The one that surprisingly stood out most was the crispy brussels sprouts. The sprouts were fancily accompanied with apples, creme fraiche, and pistachios...

While my version is much simpler, it is easy to prepare and just as delicious as Alta's, without all the fancy accompaniments. All you do is half the brussels sprouts and toss with olive oil, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them in a 425-degree oven for 35-40, or until the outside layers are crispy and dark brown.

http://www.altarestaurant.com/?q=munchies

Apricot-glazed Chicken

I am thoroughly obsessed with sweet-and-savory dishes, and this is a great example of this style of cooking. It is important to achieve a harmonious balance; the sweetness should not be overpowering, but instead should enhance the earthiness of the meal. Experiment with the ingredients, adding a little of each at a time, until you feel the flavors compliment one another.

For the glaze, coat and massage (yes, massage) the chicken with apricot jelly, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, toasted sesame seed oil, red pepper flakes, and minced garlic. Allow to marinate for at least 20 minutes, and then place into a 400-degree oven for about 35-40 minutes. Feel free to baste the chicken with the juices halfway through the cooking process.

While the chicken is cooking, toast sliced garlic with a little canola oil in a pan; the garlic should be golden brown--anything darker and it will taste bitter. Peel the bok choy into individual stems and add to the pan along with sliced mushrooms. Add red pepper flakes and let everything hang out and soften; I ended up adding a bit of water and covering with aluminum foil to steam the vegetables. Once the bok choy is tender, turn off the heat and drizzle with soy sauce and a very small amount of toasted sesame seed oil (the stuff is potent, so just a little will suffice).

Here is the bok choy getting a little heat:

The simple ingredients took on an exotic flavor once everything came together...

...and the marinade was so delicious, I wanted to drink it with a spoon...and I did...

Lettuce Talk Beer...Bread

I was first introduced to this stuff when one of my best friend's mom gave it to me for Christmas. Well, she gave me the dry ingredients, filled in a big beer bottle which came with a church key (bottle opener). All I had to do was dump out the ingredients, add a bottle of beer, and bake, and it was fantastic. (I attributed most of its goodness to the fact that my hands and brain had little to do with its preparation.)

About a week ago, nearly a year after my first encounter with this bread, I had a conversation with an eccentric Trader Joe's cashier who raved about her homemade beer bread, and how simple it is to make from scratch. I am not a particularly good baker, nor do I particularly enjoy baking, but I figured that I would try it on my own, without the aid and convenience of the gift I had received last year.

I proudly followed the recipe from the link below, but chose to forgo the optional glaze.
http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com/2005/11/beer-bread-update-whole-wheat-version.html
I used a 12-ounce bottle of Palm, a Belgian ale, and used water to make up the remainder of the required liquid.

The result: a very crunchy outer layer that shelters a tender and moist interior. The beer flavor is present, but not overwhelming, which may be partly due to the fairly mild selection I used. Next time I think I'll use an Oktoberfest beer and add raisins. And the time after that I will use a darker beer and add herbs and perhaps some cheese, as the original author of this recipe suggests. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is worth trying, and absolutely worth experimenting with, this recipe.