Ramp and Sausage Risotto

A couple weeks ago I found wild ramps at Central Market.  If you watch some of the cooking shows like Top Chef you've heard chefs praise these tasty little oniony garlicky lovelies.  It was only the second time I'd even seen them, and I'd never tasted them before.  Through the magic of the iPhone Epicurious app, I found this recipe while I was still in the store, and purchased the ramps and other ingredients.  This was my first taste of wild ramps, totally yummy, and my first time to make risotto, also totally yummy!


Ramp and Sausage Risotto


Bon Appétit
April 2009

by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen

Yield:  Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/2 pound hot Italian sausages, casings removed
12 ramps, trimmed; bulbs and slender stems sliced, green tops thinly sliced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup dry vermouth
3 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional for passing

Preparation:

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add sausage. Cook until no longer pink, breaking up with spoon, about 5 minutes. Add sliced ramp bulbs and stems. Saute´ until almost tender, about 2 minutes. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Add vermouth. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add 3 cups chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, simmering until almost absorbed before next addition and stirring often. Continue cooking until rice is just tender and risotto is creamy, adding more broth if dry and stirring often, about 18 minutes. Mix in green tops and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Season risotto to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional grated cheese separately.


Kearby's Notes:  I added the chicken broth more slowly than the recipe instructs and took longer simmering it into the rice.  I used store-bought low-sodium chicken broth, but would definitely use homemade chicken broth if I had it.  Risotto necessarily takes a long time to prepare, all of it hands-on, but it's really easy, just slowly adding broth and stirring frequently.  Next time I make risotto I want to try a meatless recipe so the delicate, creamy flavor of the rice can shine through more.

Brining Chicken

Poultry when brined before cooking is transcendent.  Regardless of the cooking method you plan to use for your chicken or other poultry, soak it in a brine before cooking for amazing results.  You'll get a tender, flavorful, and juicy bird. 

The simplest brine is nothing more than water, salt, and sugar.  There are plenty of recipes that call for brining your chicken in a stockpot or other large container placed in your refrigerator.  I have very limited space, so here's my space-saving brine:

Simmer the following just until the solids dissolve:

1 quart water
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup sugar

Also needed:

Ice cubes

When the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from the heat and let the brine cool to room temp.  Rinse your chicken and put it in a heavy-duty gallon ziplock bag.  Add the room temp brine and enough ice cubes to fill the bag (and chill everything), press out the air, and seal the bag.  I always put the whole thing in a second bag and seal it also (trust issues).

Put the ziplocked brined chicken on a platter or storage container and place it in your fridge or in an ice-filled ice chest for 2 to 24 hours before cooking, less time for boneless skinless chicken parts and more time for a whole chicken with skin.

This brine works beautifully with whole chicken or chicken parts.  Trust me, if you've never tried brining your chicken before preparing it, you'll thank me.  Brining turns budget food into gourmet!!!

Sesame-Soy Meatballs

Pictures don't do justice to these succulent meatballs.

Gordon prepared these yummy meatballs based on a recipe in the budget cooking section of Cooking Light Magazine.  They were absolutely delicious, and if you have a reasonably well stocked pantry they are indeed very budget conscious.

Note:  To keep recipes budget friendly, make substitutions when necessary.  We didn't have any chile paste (sambal oelek) on hand, so Gordon substituted sriracha chile sauce (you know, the Rooster sauce with the green plastic top).

Sesame-Soy Meatballs

1/2 cup minced green onions
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 tablespoon chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 pound ground sirloin or other ground beef
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine green onions, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, chile paste, salt, and garlic in a large bowl.  Add beef and mix gently to combine.

With moist hands, shape beef mixture into 20 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add half of the meatballs to the pan.  Cook 4 minutes, turning to brown meatballs on all sides.

Arrange browned meatballs in a single layer on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray, or if using a higher-fat ground beef arrange browned meatballs on a baking rack set over a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray (so that more of the fat can drain off during the baking).

Bake meatballs at 400 degrees for 7 minutes or until done.

When Life Gives You (Meyer) Lemons ...

I have the good fortune to have several Central Markets and Whole Foods Markets nearby, so springtime is Meyer lemon time!  Try these recipes for preserving lemons.  On the left, Moroccan Preserved Lemons from David Lebovitz's blog.   On the right, Lemon Confit, from Michael Ruhlman's Charcuterie.  I haven't used the Moroccan lemons in a recipe yet, but they smell fabulous.  I have used the confit'ed lemons in several recipes and they're a yummy addition to chicken marinades and pork loin stuffings.  They add a really unique, bright flavor.

RIP Robert Rives

On Ash Wednesday, the life of my beloved cousin (in-law) Robert came to an end far too soon, leaving an empty spot in the hearts of all who knew him.  If you're a praying person, please offer up a prayer for Rob's family, friends, and his fiancee and my dear friend Amy.

If you suffer from depression, I beg you to see a doctor or counselor for help.  Please don't suffer in silence.  There is treatment and medication; you don't have to feel hopeless.  I wish no one else would ever have to experience the heartache that Robert's family and friends are now experiencing from this tragic loss.

Robert's Obituary:

Robert Kenneth Rives, born in Elkhart, Indiana on June 27, 1974, passed away on March 9, 2011. He is survived by his grandfather, Chester A. Adams, his parents, William Kenneth Rives and Malinda Land Rives, his sisters, Kimberly Rives Miers and Jennifer Leigh Chandler, his brothers-in-law, Harris Wood Miers III and James Scott Chandler, his nieces, Megan Leigh Miers, Brooke Armstrong Chandler and Harper Leigh Chandler, his nephews, Harris Wood Miers IV ("Dru") and William Wyatt Chandler, his fiancé Amy Stover, many extended family members and friends. Robby was Director of Operations for Miers Group, LLC. He attended Cistercian Preparatory School, graduated from Duncanville High School in 1992 and attended The University of Texas at Arlington. Intellectually and musically gifted, Robby possessed a contagious sense of humor and indescribable strength. He loved music, the Texas Rangers, current events and above all else his family. Services will be held at The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, 3966 McKinney Ave., Dallas, at 2pm, on Saturday, March 12, 20011. Graveside service will be at Laurel Land Cemetery in Dallas. In lieu of flowers the family asks that you donate to the Rives Education Fund at Bank of America, 5500 Preston Road, Ste B, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-559-6476. Pall Bearers are Chris Cash, Chris Dearborn, Jerrod Escalante, John Stamey, Joey Stewart and Dean Weaver. Honorary Pall Bearers are Derrek Adams Michael Ballew, Scott Chandler, Alli Dearborn, Harris Wood Miers III, Harris Wood Miers IV ("Dru") and Gordon Rives Jr. Ushers are Andy Gambrell, Pete Griffith, Matthew Allen, and Chris Bomberger.




Rives Education Fund: 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rives-Education-Fund/169752313075933?sk=wall#!/pages/Rives-Education-Fund/169752313075933

Stuffed Chicken With Sherry Mustard Sauce

Recipe For Stuffed Chicken With Sherry Mustard Sauce

(Very slightly adapted from this Food Network recipe)

Cooking spray
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves *
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Creole mustard

Preheat the broiler.  Mist a shallow rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.  Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the broccoli and cook until bright green and crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Drain in colander and rinse under cold water until broccoli is cold.  Drain well and pat dry with paper towels.

Chop the broccoli and toss in a bowl with the Gruyere and garlic.  Insert a paring knife into the thickest part of each chicken breast to make a 3-inch deep pocket.  Stuff each chicken breast with the broccoli mixture.  Rub both sides of the chicken breasts with olive oil and thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes.  Put the chicken in the pan and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.  If the chicken begins to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to medium to finish cooking through.  Transfer to the baking dish.

Meanwhile, combine the evaporated milk and chicken stock in a small saucepan, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Stir the sherry and cornstarch together until smooth, then pour, whisking constantly, into the sauce.  Cook until just thickened, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in the Parmesan.  Top each chicken breast with 2 tablespoons of sauce and place under the broiler.  Broil until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.

Whisk the mustard into the remaining sauce.  To serve, spread mustard sauce on each plate and top with a chicken breast.


* For the juiciest, best-tasting results, brine the chicken breasts before preparing the recipe.  Combine 1 quart of water with 1/2 cup Kosher salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar.  Warm over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until salt and sugar dissolve.  Remove from heat and add 1 quart of ice cubes.  Put chicken breasts in a heavy duty zip top plastic bag, pour in the brine, and refrigerate for an hour or two, giving the bag a little shimmy-shake every now and again.  Drain the brine and prepare the stuffed chicken recipe above.

Homemade Creole Mustard



If I knew how well this would turn out, I would have made more!



Homemade Creole Mustard Recipe

(Adapted slightly from this Creole Mustard recipe on the Nola Cuisine blog)

1 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or regular crushed red pepper)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup brown mustard seeds, crushed
2 tablespoons freshly grated horseradish
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch ground allspice
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Steen's Pure Cane Syrup
4 tablespoons Colman's mustard powder

Sterilize a small canning jar and lid.

Bring the vinegar, Aleppo pepper, and garlic to a boil in a small saucepan.  Turn off the heat and let steep for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain the mixture and discard the solids.  Bring back to a boil, then add the mustard seeds, turn off the heat, and let steep for 30 minutes.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar mixture with the horseradish, cayenne, allspice, salt, sugar, and cane syrup.  Whisk in the mustard powder.

Pour into the sterilized jar, put the lid on, and process in a water bath for 15 minutes.  When cool, tighten the lid and make sure the jar is sealed.  Place in a cool, dark place and let mature for 3 to 4 weeks before using to allow the flavors to marry and mellow.

Refrigerate after opening.