Risotto: From Italy With Love (Via India and Spain); How To Succeed in Creating a Classic Entrée Without Really Trying

Risotto is popular common entrée served in Italy and a favorite around the world. I wondered how a rice dish achieved this status in a land noted for pasta and discovered that risotto has an interesting history. In the 14th century, the Arabs brought rice to Sicily and Spain most probably by way of India.  That same century, rice made its way into the Po Valley and it's flat lands, plentiful water and humidity made perfect growing conditions. In the centuries that followed rice became a staple in that part of Italy.

A young stained glass artisan is credited as the creator of risotto. In 1574, Valerius was put in charge of making a window for the Cathedral Duomo Di Milano. In what seems to be a case of 16th century bullying, the Milan townspeople made fun of him, implyng that the herb saffron was to be credited for the beautiful colors in his artwork. Valerius became angry and decided to retaliate by adding an excessive amount of saffron to the rice being served at his master's wedding hoping to ruin the event. Instead, everyone loved the rice, and risotto became an instant culinary favorite in Italy! 

There are several varieties of rice used in the preparation of risotto but here in the United States arborio is the most common. Others include carnaroli, vialone nano, baldo, and Calriso. They all have several things in common: plump, medium to short grains and a high proportion of amylopectin, a type of sticky starch which produces the creamy texture of risotto. 

The recipe I used tonight is a plain risotto made with Parmesan cheese, leeks and white wine, a very easy and inexpensive meal to prepare. As simple as it is to make, risotto is rich and satisfying: fresh bread, a salad and a glass of Italian wine is all you'll need for an enjoyable evening meal.

Parmesan Risotto

Ingredients

Serves 4

6 cups of chicken stock

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup minced shallots

1 cup arborio rice (or any others mentioned if available)

1/2 cup white wine

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (also shave some extra for garnish)

1/4 cup fresh parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

• Heat stock in saucepan and keep at low temperature.
• In large saucepan, heat olive oil and add chopped shallots cooking until translucent.
• Add rice and cook until you hear a clicking sound about 3-4 minutes.
• Add wine to the mixture, stirring slowly until wine is absorbed.
• Ladle small amounts of heated stock into the rice constantly stirring until stock is absorbed. Keep adding stock in small amounts until rice is translucent. Rice should be al dente but not crunchy.
• Remove from heat. Add butter, cheese and parsley.
• Serve immediately.
• Rice should be served as a mount with shaved Parmesan cheese topping the dish.

Note: according to Martha Stewart Living where I saw this recipe the proper way to eat risotto is to flatten the outer edges of the mound to cool it slightly. Slowly eat you way into the middle so that the rice will always be at the right temperature.

Hanging Around The House: Festive Banners You Can Make For Any Occasion

Remember when you had a birthday party and your mother purchased foil letters that fanned out to say " Happy Birthday"? They were also available with 'Welcome Home' or 'Good Luck' sentiments?














Well, the party banner has come a long way from those foil letter days. Searching a favorite party website karaspartyideas.com you can find any number of styles and sizes of banners that creative party givers make. All sorts of fabrics, papers, ribbons and decorative details adorn these fluttery flags and I put it on my list of things to try.

Teachers: this makes a great classroom undertaking.

A couple of weeks ago I made my first banner assisted by my two young grandchildren who got into the spirit right away since a lot of gluing was involved! This banner had a purpose: a loved one was in the hospital and was due to come home after a 10-day stay. I shopped for some heavy card stock and chose a book sold in craft stores for scrapbooking aficionados. There were 48 12x12-inch sheets in the book in varying patterns of graphic black and white designs, actually more than I needed, but it wouldn't go to waste. I also purchased some stencils and colored construction paper for the letters, ribbon and of course the glue. The banner pictured on yesterday's post was a bit long. The words "Welcome Home' are quite lengthy and I would have been better cutting down the size of the paper from the original 12-inch size.

I did another smaller flag banner using the same paper for a girl that could be used on a door or on the headboard of her bed.

The best part about this project is that you can really do anything and it looks great. It's fun coordinating the banner to a themed party or room decor and it's a fun project to get children involved in their own party. They can trace letters, cut them out with safety scissors and glue it together. A perfect rainy day activity!

I made another banner for a boy's christening. I used light blue dessert sized blue paper plates in squares and circles and paper doilies with the letters cut out ('expert' cutting skills are needed for this example!!). I punched two holes at the top of each plate and ran a length of measured ribbon through to string the plates together. The blank plate (used to separate the words) is perfect for a black and white photo of the baby or child. This is also nice for a communion party.

I'm working on fabric flags for a child's play room. Will post the final result when completed.

I've included these two photos from Kara's Party Ideas website. The checkered banners came from the 'Gingham Party' post, the other is the top post for today, a christening party.

What You Might Need
For paper banners, depending on the style:
cardstock or paper plates
contrast paper for letters
stencils or computer generated letters
pencil, glue, scissors, ruler
ribbon or cording
hole punch
decorative stick-ons
doilies

Instructions

• Measure length of area where the banner will be hung and cut triangles (all of the same size) out of cardstock to fit measures. You can back the triangles with paper as well to make it read on both sides if it will be hanging across a room. If not, decorate one side only. 
• Trace letters from stencils or print letters on a computer and cut out using contrasting colors.
• Glue letters to triangles on front and back. If using two sides, run ribbon in between gluing to both sides of triangles. You can space the flags apart (as on the gingham ones above) or glue them edge to edge. 
• When dry, add decorative items or bows and let dry if needed before hanging.
• Ribbon length should include at least a foot extra on either side for hanging purposes.
• For paper plates: purchase plates and doilies (or other paper) that coordinate your event. Trace letters onto doily or paper and cut out, gluing to plate to create a 3D effect. Or just glue letters right onto plate.
• Measure length of ribbon or cording to fit area as above. 
• Punch two holes at top of each plate to run the cording through. 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day To All

No post today...

Tomorrow: " Easy Banners to Make 
For Room Decoration or Any Occasion" 

Four St. Patrick's Day Quizzes: Amaze and Impress Friends and Family With Your Superior Knowledge of All Things Irish

There is no lack of misinformation about St. Patrick who is celebrated on March 17th as the Patron Saint of Ireland. But one thing is certain: he was not born in Ireland. According to legend, Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to pagan Celts and the miracle of driving of snakes out of Ireland, also attributed to him, is probably not true because Ireland didn't have snakes in the first place!

The quizzes below can answer many of your questions and separate fact from fiction. 

For example: 

• Do you want to know where the largest St. Patrick's Day parade is held? 
• Or which city in the U.S. held the first parade? And when?
• How many Americans claim Irish ancestry? 
• Which U.S. city dyes it's river green for the holiday?

http://www.theholidayspot.com/patrick/quiz.htm 

http://www.lifescript.com/Quizzes/Holiday/Rate_Your_St_Patricks_Day_IQ.aspx?

gclid=CJj35cKG1KcCFYbb4AodgjwG9g&trans=1&du=1&ef_id=VyZNImowBQABRq0:20110316214129:s 

http://www.squiglysplayhouse.com/Games/Quizzes/People/StPatricksDay.html 

http://a4esl.org/q/h/lb/stpat.html

Irish Quotes and Toasts

May those who love us, love us.

And for those who don't love us,

May God turn their hearts.

And if he can not turn their hearts,

May he turn their ankles,

So we may know them by their limping.

May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.

Here's to you and yours

And to mine and ours.

And if mine and ours

Ever come across to you and yours,

I hope you and yours will do

As much for mine and ours

As mine and ours have done

For you and yours!

May the roof above us never fall in, and may we friends gathered below never fall out.

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand

There are many good reasons for drinking,

One has just entered my head,

If a man doesn't drink when he's living,

How the hell can he drink when he's dead?

May the saddest day of your future be no worse

Than the happiest day of your past.

I Yam So Confused! The Difference Between Two Commonly Mislabeled 'Tubers'

Q. What’s the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? 

A. About ten cents a pound. 

Ba dum.

Last year, I got into a friendly argument with a colleague at work about the difference between the sweet potato and yam. I didn't think there was a difference and I stood my ground. He disagreed, describing the yam pretty vividly. But he was a man whose wife (I'm sure) did most of their food shopping as do I, so what could he possibly know?

It turns out I was wrong. There is a difference but one that is made more confusing by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture which requires that the label “yam” always be accompanied with the words “sweet potato” when referring to a sweet potato. No wonder I was confused!

The sweet potato is a yellow or orange 'tuber' (a kind of elongated root vegetable). The yellow sweet potato has a thin skin and is not sweet despite the name. When cooked, it has a texture similar to the white baked potato. The orange variety (often called "yam" in error) has a thick, dark orange-reddish skin with orange flesh. It is sweet and moist. I used this variety for my recipe.

The yam

A true yam is the 'tuber' of a tropical plant and is not related to the sweet potato at all. The yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and the Caribbean with many varieties available. The yam is sweeter than than the sweet potato and can grow over seven feet in length. The skin is brown or black skin and off-white, purple or red flesh, depending on the variety. 

Now that that's settled, I came across a recipe last week that I made on Sunday. The recipe called for a whole sweet potato topped with caramelized onions and parmigiano-reggiano This is almost to easy too post but it's such a nutritious side dish loaded with beta-carotene, an antitoxident that helps prevent heart disease and cancer. I changed up the recipe not being a huge fan of onions  and served mine with sauteed spinach (even more carotene!) and of course the tasty Italian cheese. 

Tonight, I sliced the leftover sweet potato and added it to my salad. Did I call this a side dish? It could really be a main course! 

Baked Sweet Potatoes With 

Caramelized Onions and 

Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano

Ingredients

6 medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

4 large yellow onions cut in half, then sliced into 1/2 inch thick half-moons

(OR substitute 3 cups of fresh spinach, steamed with 2 tablespoons olive oil added when cooked)

3 tablespoons sugar

I teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup freshly shaved parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Place potatoes on a baking sheet for 45 minutes.
• For caramelized onions:  Melt butter in non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add sugar, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for about an hour until they become caramelized adding small amounts of water if needed. Add vinegar and stir.
• For spinach: Steam spinach leaves until tender. Drain and dry as much as possible. Place spinach in saute pan and olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
• When potatoes are done, split open and top with onions or spinach and cheese.

The sweet potato

Green Soup, No Ham; Spinach and Potatoes Make A Hearty Soup For Cool Day

I was going to call this post 'the wearing of the green' in honor of St. Patrick but I thought it might do this recipe a disservice implying that perhaps the soup would drip onto your shirt, dress or tie while eating. Actually, it's nice and thick and you'll love it if you're a fan of creamed spinach.

An easy soup to make, you'll also love the fact that the soup version has far fewer calories than the aforementioned creamy vegetable side dish because the thickness comes from the potatoes, not heavy cream. I had some leftover Irish Soda Bread (the second recipe from last week, which stayed fresh in a sealed plastic baggie) and I paired it with the soup for dinner tonight.

My soup days may soon come to an end, there is a promise of 70 degree weather by the weekend but there are so many spring and summer dishes to look forward to! This one tastes great, give it a try.

Pureed Spinach-Potato Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted buter
1 onion cut into small pieces
3 garlic cloves minced
5 small Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into smal pieces
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cans chicken broth
1 large cello bag spinach (or two small) washed and dried
Kosher salt and pepper

Directions

• Melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat adding onions, potatoes and garlic.
• Pour wine, broth and 2 cops of water into pan while stirring. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are soft and tender
• Stir spinach into pan and cook until wilted. 
• Using a blender work in two batches pureeing soup until smooth.
• To serve: put soup back into saucepan and heat.
• Add salt and papper to taste

I swirled some buttermilk in mine for photographic purposes.

Taking A Break From Celebrating Things Irish; Boeuf Bourguignon is on Sunday's Menu As the Clocks Change and We Spring Forward

I know St. Patrick's Day is this week and I've been busy testing soda bread recipes and a few other things as the holiday approaches. But today, with the 'spring forward' time change, I got a case of early (maybe premature?) spring fever and I though I'd try a recipe that for me is decidedly 'cold weather' fare before it was too late. The dish was a classic Boeuf Bourguignon.

When I decided to start a blog I was influenced by a movie from a couple of years ago called "Julie, Julia" starring Meryl Streep as the inimitable Julia Child and Amy Adams as a novice chef and blogger Julie Powell.  I loved the premise of the movie and the fact that it was a true story. Julie's quest to try all of Julia Child's recipes appealed to me and one of the most difficult she attempted was the very French Boeuf Bourguignon.

I came across a recipe from Martha Stewart Living circa 2004... it was a bit complicated but I had the time to try it today and my daughter and son-in-law were invited over to be the 'guinea pigs', er, 'recipe tasters' slash 'honored guests'. I also had a bottle of a heavy red wine purchased a couple of years ago (deemed undrinkable by me) at a winery in Northern New Jersey and though it wasn't the official 'burgandy' it was a suitable substitute.

As I wrapped up the preparation, I did a taste test and thought the gravy way too salty. Mon Dieu! Was the dish ruined? But when I served the meat, it was wonderfully tender and had just the right amount of salt. Not sure why that happened but I'm mentioning it should you care to give this recipe a try.

Everyone survived and agreed it was delicious. I served the beef with mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli and french bread but wide egg noodles would be a good substitute instead of potatoes. You'll need about 3 and a half hours from start to finish, a dutch oven, cheesecloth and a couple of hungry guests!

Boeuf Bourguignon

Serves 8

Ingredients

1 large onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, chopped

 8 cloves garlic, chopped

10 sprigs flat leaf parsley, cut in half

(reserve some for garnish)

6 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 tsp peppercorns

2 tbls olive oil

6 ounces salt pork  (trim off rind and cut into small pieces)

3 pounds beef chuck cubed

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

3 tbls all-purpose flour

3 cups beef stock

1 bottle red wine, preferably burgandy

1 tsp tomato paste

1 pound frozen pearl oions

1/2 c water

1 tbls unsalted butter

1 tbls sugar

10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered

Directions

• Cut 2 12 x 22 inch pieces of cheesecloth and lay them on a clean surface, overlapping in the center to form a cross. In it, place the chopped onion. carrots, garlic, parsley, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves and peppercorns. Gather the ends together and tie with kitchen twine. Place in a dutch oven and set aside.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add salt pork. Saute until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon transfer pork to dutch oven leaving fat in skillet.
• Season beef cubes with salt and pepper and working in two batches place beef cubes in skillet browning on both sides. Transfer with tongs or long fork to dutch oven, leaving fat in skillet.
• Whisk the flour into fat in the skillet and slowly add  the three cups of beef stock, stirring until thickened.
• Pour liquid into dutch oven around the cheesecloth bundle. Add wine and tomato paste, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil then transfer, covered, to oven. Cook for about 2 and a half hours in oven.
• Remove pot from oven and transfer cheesecloth bundle to a strainer over a bowl. Squash the bundle down releading liquid. Discard bundle and add juices to dutch oven. 
• Remove beef and pork from the pot using a slotted spoon, setting aside. Return liquid to a boil over high heat reducung liquid further. Skim surface off oil if possible.Reduce heat and add the meat back in.
• While that is cooking, put skillet over high heat. Add onions, water, butter, sugar and mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and transfer to dutch oven. Season to taste and serve immediately. Garnish with reserved chopped parsley.