i will make this someday soon

The Pope's Risotto

By KIM SEVERSON

Published: April 23, 2008

Adapted from Lidia Bastianich

Time: 45 minutes

FOR THE RAMP “PESTO”:

1/2 cup (packed) ramp leaves or young leeks or chives

1 1/2 cups (packed) spinach or Swiss chard leaves

1/3 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more if needed.

For the risotto:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup minced scallions (about 6 scallions)

1 tablespoon minced shallots

2 1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

6 1/2 cups hot vegetable or chicken stock

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/2 cup fresh shelled peas, or frozen

1/2 cup asparagus, sliced on bias in 1/2-inch chunks and blanched for two minutes

1 cup fava beans, shelled, blanched, skins removed (or use one extra half cup each of peas and asparagus)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 cup grated grana padano or parmesan

Ground black pepper to taste.

1. For pesto: Put vegetables and salt in a blender or small food processor. With machine running, add oil slowly. Process into a rough paste. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

2. For risotto: In a heavy, wide, 3- to 4-quart casserole or pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Cook scallions and shallots together until translucent, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add rice, stir to coat and cook until edges become translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Pour wine into pot and stir well until absorbed. Add 1/2 cup hot stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until stock is absorbed into rice. Add another half cup stock and stir so rice remains moist. Stir in peas, asparagus and favas. Keep adding small amounts of stock, stirring constantly so rice slowly absorbs liquid. Rice should simmer very gently and become creamy but al dente. This will take a total of about 18 minutes.

4. Remove pot from heat and quickly stir in ramp pesto. Add butter and continue to stir quickly until melted; then mix in 1/2 cup cheese. Taste and add remaining salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, ladled into warm shallow bowls. Top with remaining cheese.

Yield: 6 servings.

Apparently this was served to the Pope during his visit. The problem with cooking for one is that I come across so many recipes like this that I desperately want to make but are really dishes to share. I'll just have to have more dinner parties. Of course, I'll have to try it out for myself first!

well, I'm definitely a democrat...

but i follow trends in both the obama and clinton lists.... but then, i shop at safeway and like my cookies crunchy. what an odd way to categorize voters.

some dreamy day

maybe a valentine's day when i have someone to do it for, i'll make these.

Recipe: Pomegranate-Rose Cream Meringues

2 extra-large egg whites

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons rose water (sold in specialty shops and some supermarkets)

Dried or candied rose petals (see note), optional

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons crème de cassis

1 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam

Pomegranate seeds or fresh raspberries, for garnish.

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment or wax paper.

2. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat egg whites until white and frothy. Gradually beat in granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until whites are stiff and glossy. Sift confectioners’ sugar over egg whites, and gently fold in with a rubber spatula. Fold in rose water.

3. Spoon 2 1/2-inch mounds of meringue onto prepared baking sheets. (You should have about 12 meringues.) If using rose petals, crush between fingers, and sprinkle over meringues. Bake 1 1/2 hours. Turn off heat, and place a wooden spoon in oven door to keep it slightly ajar; let meringues cool in oven 2 hours.

4. Just before serving, in an electric mixer beat heavy cream until it thickens. With mixer running, beat in crème de cassis. Beat until soft peaks form.

5. In a bowl, whisk jam to break it up. Fold in a small amount of whipped cream to lighten jam; then fold jam mixture into remaining whipped cream. Serve meringues with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds or raspberries.

Yield: 6 servings.

an attempt

i shall attempt to be a better blogger!

today was still incredibly snowy. but my new boots helped.


i gave up on the multiple attempts at knee high boots. apparently my calves are giant and my ankles are oddly shaped, because none of the beautiful boots that i carefully oggled, selected, waited for, and carefully unwrapped when they finally showed up fit well enough for me to invest the amount of money they cost me. so, i gave up and bought a pair of sorels from sierratradingpost.com and while they are more than slightly boatish, they keep my feet warm and i can go tromping. so, snow is beautiful, if still inconvenient, again.

other than that, lovely evening out with first years as mb's boyfriend is in town for the weekend. deliciously huge mediterranean meal at cedars - hummus, pita, lamb, cauliflower, baba ganooj, veggie curry, and divine rice pudding and baklava for desert. still full. still so happy.

seeing mb with the bf made me wish for friends to visit again... having ap and fchm here a couple weekends ago was so lovely. i enjoy my friends here, but big h people still know me better. and ap is the best of make bfs i've had.... default date, whatever. we go on wonderful outings and snuggle and can hang out for simply ever. and i think we've never had any hang ups in sexual tension or contemplating anything more, at least not from this side. i do hope that we stay friends forever.

in any case.... it is late, i am contemplating splurging at anthropologie sale site on some beautiful things i'll post later. i think it's time to invest in some good quality clothes that won't just lose their sparkle with wear.

the favorite grocery store

no work done today, just much unpacking, organizing, and shopping.

to share, the produce section at our favorite market.



look at that incredible arrangement


it just goes on forever


hispanic fathers and sons


peppers of all sorts


and an avalanche of tomatillos

recovery

merry christmas everyone!

or heppy christmas as the queen would say


and i suppose today is actually boxing day, so happy boxing day as well. i imagine dad the post man will come home with a few more things from those people who still give their postmen thank you gifts the day after christmas. we do already have a lovely bunch of cookies and chocolates and honey and such, but can you ever have too much food at the holidays?

holidays were mostly wonderful. christmas eve party was preceded by massive amounts of tamale and mole making in the caset home


tamale mama

steamy pot of tamales

an armful of tamales

don't they make the perfect holiday food all wrapped up like presents? so yummy... so pretty...

what else.... lots of kitchen gadgetry and movies and books for christmas, everyone loved the things i gave... i now have at least 3 sets of canisters, probably the loveliest being from krb - vintage nesting tins in sage that say coffee, sugar, and flour

i love cooking implements.

what else..... oh plenty... ill try to take a picture of the outside of hte house all lit up at some point before we stop turning on the lights. the roof says POE. can you figure it out?

holidays at home

holidays at home mean

people in the co-op talking about solstice plans
the npr station advertising its pagan dance music hour
days when i'm in a skirt, tights, and a sweater and the rest of the town is wearing big coats
decorating everything inside. and plugging in the lights that my dad has hung outside.
constant rain. or drizzle. or fog.
screeches from the highway at least twice a day
spending evenings curled up with friends, board games, and movies
reading somewhat trashy fiction while drinking many mugs of tea and hot chocolate
cooking for hours with mom - today was mole and chicken, tomorrow is tamales

home this time also means taking care of mom with a bad cold. making tea and toast, trying to keep her in bed, keep her from shouting, keep her from going to work so that she can be healthy for christmas. also means that i didn't get the house to myself for my first days home as i was expecting. she's very frustrating when she's sick, because she doesnt let herself get better. i mean, i understand to a degree - bed gets boring and things need doing, but i'm here, my dad had at least one day off this week and we can get things done. i made dinner almost by myself, i vacuumed, i decorated, i helped dad move things out of the living room so that it actually looks livable. she still sounds like marlena dietricht on a very smoky day, but doesn't feel quite as shitty. hopefully even better by the big party on monday.

Happy Thanksgiving!

well, i don't know of any thanksgiving books... instead, my favorite cranberry recipes, one of which i am having this tday, the other of which i'll have to wait for til i get home. why do we only eat cranberries at the holidays? they're wonderful and such a pretty color!

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread (recipe care of KRB and what i made for KS's family as a thank you)

In one bowl, mix 2 1/2 cups flour, 2tsp baking powder, 1tbs pumpkin pie spice, and 1/2tsp salt.
In another bowl, mix 2 eggs, 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup oil, 15oz can pumpkin. Mix the two together and fold in 1 cup cranberries. Pour into two loaf pans and bake at 350 for 60 minutes.

Resist if you can! having to wrap the loaves up instead of eating them right away was terribly difficult...




Orange Cranberry Relish


1 bag cranberries, 1 orange (peel and all), 1 cup sugar. put through food processor. enjoy. So much better than the canned stuff. so gorgeous. so tart and sunny in your mouth. add more sugar if necessary.

hope everyone is warm and cozy and full of good food and love, or will be soon

can't think tonight

too much reading to do and brain too dead to do even a brief write up (pastitsio was a procrastination technique but well worth the effort - see below - and no, i didn't eat all of that; RP helped)

before:

after:



so posting a couple cookbooks that are favorites instead

my mom's two mexican cooking bibles:




childhood favorite:


and of course

i cant remember the name of the greek cook book she uses, but i'll find it someday

Pastitsio

Favorite recipe to make me feel better. It's in the oven now and smells sooooo good. I'll post a pic later, or at least i'll try to if i can keep myself from digging in long enough.

the recipe is from my mom's greek cooking cookbook and i stick to it pretty closely, though tonight i cut everything in half as i really don't need all the calories that would come from eating this much over the week. so long as i alternate with my pozole, it should be okay.
i generally add more nutmeg than called for, but that's just me! enjoy!

Pastitsio

1 lb long macaroni
4 tbs butter
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
¼ tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
3 eggs, lightly beaten

Meat Sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbs butter
1.5 lb ground beef
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup dry red or white wine
½ cup stock
2 tbs chopped parsley
½ tsp sugar
salt and pepper

Cream Sauce:
1/3 cup butter
½ cup flour
3 cups milk
¼ tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten

1. Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and return to pan.
2. Melt butter until golden brown and pour over macaroni. Add ½ cup of the cheese, the nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and toss well. Leave until cool, add eggs and toss again. Keep aside.
3. Make meat sauce. Gently fry onion and garlic in butter until onion is soft, increase heat and add ground beef. Stir well and cook until meat begins to brown.
4. Add remaining eat sauce ingredients, cover and simmer over gentle heat for 20 min
5. Make cream sauce. Melt butter in a saucepan, stir in flour and cook gently for 2 min. Add milk all at once and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil gently for 1 minute
6. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste and cool a little before stirring in beaten egg.
7. Add ½ cup o this sauce to the cooked meat sauce.
8. To assemble Pastitsio, butter a 33x23x8 cm oven dish. Spoon half of the prepared macaroni evenly in the base and top with the meat sauce. Cover with remaining macaroni, leveling top.
9. Pour on cream sauce and spread to completely cover macaroni. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cook in a moderate oven for 50 min until golden brown.
Let stand for 10 min before cutting into squares to serve

Pozole

something new with tomatillos. picante and limey and wonderful - just dont eat the jalepeno slices. i ddint have hominy, so i added a potato and some zucchini instead. good with quesadillas. probably very good as a first course, but i'm eating it for the next week as lunch/dinner. mmmmmm

Ingredients

object2=">1 pound tomatillos
object2=">6 cups chicken stock
object2=">2 cups chopped onion
object2=">3 pounds chicken breast halves, skinned
object2=">4 garlic cloves, chopped
object2=">2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and quartered
object2=">1 (30-ounce) can white hominy, drained
object2=">1 teaspoon salt
object2=">1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
object2=">1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
object2=">8 lime wedges

Preparation

Discard husks and stems from the tomatillos. Cook whole tomatillos in boiling water 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Place tomatillos in a blender; process until smooth; set aside.

Place stock and the next 5 ingredients (stock through hominy) in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from bones; shred. Stir in pureed tomatillos and salt; cook for 5 minutes or until heated. Stir in chicken, and serve with cilantro, sour cream, and lime wedges.

various developments

some days i feel like shit. today is one of them. i'm so exhausted, i just burned my grilled cheese sandwich - on both sides! - and am resorting to pasta with butter and cheese instead. the response paper i wrote is utter crap, despite taking an hour long nap before even attempting it. i said nothing interesting in class this morning and i still have two-three hours of class tonight in which i have to say something smart or i'll get called out by the prof. and i have to read another article and write another response by tomorrow, in addition to at least vaguely looking over some secondary material so i can approach a prof about being the second reader for my seminar paper and not look like a complete idiot.

i'm blaming it on waking up before 7:30 two mornings in a row. today for class. yesterday for my doctors appointment. and yesterday i was so positive! my spanish exam monday night went fine, and i was so proud of myself for finally going to the doctor and being open and honest and not terrified during my appointment - i finally felt like an adult. background: before yesterday, i hadnt had any sort of physical in probably six years. i don't really like doctors. no particular reason that i know of, i just like my privacy, hate scales, and think i can take care of myself. but this of course means that, despite being 22, i had never had a pap smear or any sort of discussion about birth control etc (not that it was necessary, of course).

but yesterday i went, met my new nurse practitioner - who was incredibly nice and incredibly pregnant - and got through the whole thing no problem. with a prescription for birth control and the number of the counseling services if my anxiety acts up again. all of this made me feel very grown up and responsible. i'm taking charge of my problems! i'm taking care of my body! she didn't judge me for not having had an appointment in six years!

and then today i woke up with absolutely no motivation, no desire to go to class, no drive to get my work done, nothing except a desire to go back to sleep. which is where i still am. and off i go again.... with a headache and a belly full of pasta.

hopefully yum

just stuck this in the oven. it's the thing i made a couple weeks ago using the wrong kind of peppers, so i'm hoping this time i'll actually be able to use it. remember to get mild peppers to put as the base! otherwise, pretty simple

Chicken Chile Relleno Casserole

Preheat oven to 350.

2 4 oz cans diced chiles – put in bottom of Pam-sprayed dish

Chop and sauté 1 onion for about 10 minutes.

Chop some garlic and a de-seeded jalapeno and add to onion.

Shred a cooked chicken breast and add in.

Season with your favorite spicy chicken seasoning.

Saute a little longer.

Layer on top of chiles.

Layer on some shredded cheese.

Beat 4 eggs. Add 2 cups skim milk & 1 cup half & half. Add 1 cup flour, some salt, pepper, cumin powder and ground coriander seed. Beat again.

Pour over chile/chicken/cheese.

Bake at 350 for about an hour.

not muches:
the awkward teenage boy talking to his dog on the street - i do that all the time at home
the fact that the walk home was not much longer than usual, even with what felt like 20lb of books
all the hours of work those books represent

success and failure

after a quick dash to the market across the street, made myself some hangover french toast. first piece diving - egg soaked and sweet and divine. second piece, i'm not finishing as it's dry and a bit burnt and i apparently just failed in my excitement over the success of the first. such sadness.

today's book (to read, not to write about - that's later today): crucifixion by power. guatemalan society 1944-1965. hopefully helpful, but the years are too late for my project in many ways. why has no one written about guatemala in the years i want to study!?!!!!?

mmmmmmmmmm

made albondigas for dinner tonight. absolutely delish. as in turned out just like i wanted it to and perfect for a lovely fall evening.

1 quart beef or chicken broth
2/3ish cup of tomato sauce
an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/3 cup cooked rice
1 egg
salt and pepper
garlic powder
pico de gallo powder or other chili powder

sautee the garlic and the onions in some oil til soft. pour in the tomato sauce and broth and bring to a boil.

in a bowl, lightly beat the egg. add ground meat, rice, and spices and mix. shape into meatballs and drop into broth. cover tightly and simmer for 30 min.

not muches:

the tupperware of chocolate eyeballs passed around during workshop and the giggles it inspired as people picked their favorite colors while someone spoke eruditely about the presenter's dissertation proposal.

mmmmmm

eggplant being one of my new favorite foods and today actually feeling like fall inspired me to search out some eggplant soup recipes for dinner. the results were divine and will last me for days. I didn't add the cream, put some parmasean on top instead of goat cheese, and didn't have any thyme, but these things happen and it was still delicious. thank you epicurious!

Ingredients

3 medium tomatoes, halved
1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise
1 small onion, halved
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
4 cups (or more) chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1 cup whipping cream
3/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (about 3 1/2 ounces)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on large baking sheet. Brush vegetables with oil. Roast until vegetables are tender and brown in spots, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Scoop eggplant from skin into heavy large saucepan; discard skin. Add remaining roasted vegetables and thyme to same saucepan. Add 4 cups chicken stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to saucepan. Stir in cream. Bring to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Season soup with salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with goat cheese; serve.

(Thank you to Theresa Shelton for the image :) )

procrastination

I have done nothing today. Not quite true. I just haven't done any work. I can't get myself to read for my colonialism/postcolonialism class. I know that I wont' have any chance to say anything about it in class - the prof does not encourage discussion - and the important readings are all pdfs/word files that I can print out tomorrow at work for free. And I always remember more when I can write all over the pages anyways. (Do you like the elaborate construction of excuses?)

So instead, I slept til noon (thank you advil pm), talked to friends, went to the produce store, avoided buying pastries from the nuns despite deep desire for sweets, and made a chile relleno casserole care of mom's recipe. Of course, the recipe didn't include specifications as to type of chiles and the only ones I had in the cabinet were chipotles which I didnt even think about. So despite the delicious top of the casserole, it was impossibly spicy, which then necessitated making rice and beans.... and now Brothers and Sisters is on so of course I can't do anything.

I have been vaguely downloading articles and skimming with tv on in the background all day. But really, it's the same problem I had in college. I can't make myself work for a class I don't care about.

Yesterday I did get a lot of reading done. Including the infuriating Empire's Workshop by Greg Grandin. Infuriating in many ways, both in its material and the manner in which it's written. If you feel like hating Republicans even more, it's a perfect book. Essentially, it's an account of US intervention in Latin America over the last 40-odd years and how what happened then provided a good learning experience for what's happening now. Not only in terms of policies military, economic, and otherwise, but also actual individuals who have been executing and refining these policies since forever ago. And the final chapter is all about how none of these policies have worked, and, in fact, have worsened social and economic conditions pretty much throughout. Of course I have problems with the book, especially in terms of its presentation of its project and the sweeping statements it makes regarding Latin American responses/weakness, but at least it's straight forward in declaring its intentions.

not muches:
wearing a skirt in october without needing tights (perhaps also a bit frightening, but pleasant nonetheless)
running into people I know and can say hello to when out walking (small steps!)

sleepy day....

Michael Clayton last night with KS and MB (first year history girls) downtown. We'd intended to see Across the Universe, but it was sold out, even though we arrived half an hour before the show. So we went with the next available show. I'd heard a bit from a friend and the nytimes, and it's George Clooney - something pretty to look at at least! And it turned out to be a wonderful film. Very smart, just enough occasional humor to counteract the cancer and corruption, and good political/corporate undercutting. Highly recommended.

Of course, then, I couldn't sleep at all last night. 3am...4am...5am... and finally fell asleep only to dream about some sort of crazy pirate adventure where tom cruise was a flying doctor who had to save a number of children with serious internal injuries. apparently watching grey's anatomy before bed isn't the best idea.

And today has been spent trying to read, cleaning house a bit, and at Costco with KS. Such an overwhelming place.... but I think I made it out without buying anything I didn't going in meaning to buy. Chicken, parmasean, cereal, a dvd player. and lots of deodorant. just means I won't have to buy deodorant for the rest of grad school.

Tonight.... well, tonight I'll probably spend camped out in front of the tv/reading ... all alone... and I don't even have a bottle of wine. how sad am I? I did make bechamel and pasta for dinner... perfect comfort food. a little thick, but added some of my parm and nutmeg and it made for quite a treat.

not muches:
The light coming into my room when I woke up this morning, off the yellow in the bedspread.
Piles of leaves along the road, slowly growing and changing in the wind.
Bend it Like Beckham on TV.