Cook Ahead Risotto

To cook ahead:

With this technique you never have to stand at the stove, stirring, for 30 minutes while your guests wonder where you have gone. You can make any kind of risotto you want using this method. This method is used by restaurant chefs.
A standard recipe of 4 servings uses 5 cups liquid (wine and stock) to 1-1/2 cups Arborio rice.
Prepare your risotto according to your recipe, but use only 3 -1/4 cups liquid. You will use the remaining 1-3/4 cups to finish the risotto. Cook on medium-low heat until 3-1/4 cups of stock is absorbed.
Remove the rice from heat. If you are going to use it within few hours, just keep it on side, covered.
10 minutes before serving

Remove chilled rice from refrigerator and bring to room temperature. Place the remaining 1-3/4 cups liquid in a wide pot or sauté pan; heat to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and add the partially cooked risotto. Stir with a wooden spoon until the stock is absorbed, approximately 4 to 5 minutes or until rice is tender but still firm (the rice is done when it is tender, but firm to the bite). Turn off the heat and immediately add the remaining butter and Parmigiano cheese, stirring vigorously to combine with the rice. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Chicken and Polenta Soup Balls

As I mentioned on my “Baked Pimento Pepper Halves” post, I made these dumplings using minced chicken and polenta instead of usual matzo meal or bread crumbs. It was an experiment that turned out better than I had expected. It started quite innocently with polenta experiment. I had an e-mail thread going with my favorite nephew Seb about cooking polenta. I wanted to know if it can be cooked in microwave. I took 1/2 cup of chicken stock and nuked it for 45 seconds on 100% power, then mixed in 1/4 cup fine ground corn and cooked another 45 seconds on 75% power, uncovered. And, what do you know; it had a decent texture and tasted cooked, it was actually pretty good even though it was on a dry side. I left it on my kitchen island and started to prepare new chicken-on-skewers recipe from Cooks Illustrated where chicken breast is kept moist by coating it with bacon paste made in mini-chopper. I made the paste with 2 cloves of garlic and then I changed my mind about the skewers, there just wasn’t enough meat for two people. Eureka! Chicken dumplings for a soup!
I cut up the breast into small pieces and then minced it in mini chopper together with 1 egg, 1/2 tsp. of salt, 2 Tbs. of chopped garlic chives, 1/2 tsp. marjoram, 1/2 tsp. baking powder and 1/2 tsp. of white pepper. Then I mixed in the polenta, formed it into 1-1/2” balls and slowly simmered in salted water for 15 minutes. They came out nice and fluffy (baking powder J).
These are now my favorite dumplings for a chicken noodle soup.

Korean Zucchini Pancake

Hobakjeon  호박전

Last few days I had cravings for potato pancakes (or Čmunda in Czech) but it is a winter or cold weather meal. While browsing through other food blogs I came across zucchini version and since I bought bunch of zucchinis at local farmers market my plan was formalized. There is nothing like eating local and in season, right?

This pancake is great for nice quick lunch and can be eaten hot or at room temperature.

My version is based on recipe from Maangchi’s blog that I follow on regular basis. She also has her own channel on YouTube.

Ingredients

2 medium zucchini (I used 1 green and 1 yellow)

3 green onions

2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. sesame oil

Peanut oil for frying

Julienne zucchini (matchstick size) and shred green onions. You should have about 2-1/2 cups of zucchini and 1/2 cup of green onions.

In large mixing bowl beat the egg and then add salt, flour, pepper, garlic and water and mix until well combined and smooth.

Add zucchini and onions and mix thoroughly with spatula.

Heat 12” non-stick frying pan, add 1 Tbs. of oil and when hot add about 3/4 cup of pancake mixture. Spread it evenly, making fairly thin pancake. Press down with spatula to get even browning on bottom. Add some sesame oil around the edges to help the browning. When edges are golden brown, about 2 minutes, flip or turn over and cook another 2 minutes. Again, add 1 tsp. of sesame oil around the edges.

Transfer to heated plate and keep warm while frying rest of the pancakes.

I know that it is basically traditional Korean dish and is served with spicy sauce but I served it with sour cream and sliced strawberries. Nice contrast in texture and taste!

Done just right!

Note: Do not let the frying pan get too hot or you end up with burned edges and raw center.

Baked Pimento Pepper Halves

Stuffed with Minced Chicken Breast

While rummaging in my freezer I came across vacuum packed chicken breast. Just one chicken breast is not enough to feed 2 people unless I use it in stir fry or with risotto or lots of pasta. None of these options appealed to me, I just had to come up with something that I haven’t done before. Last week I made soup dumplings using minced chicken breast, egg and polenta (!) instead of bread crumbs so I figured I could follow same process. Then I remembered one of our favorite dim-sums: fried and steamed green pepper halves stuffed with ground pork! I have a lot of red pimento peppers in my veggie garden (that I grew from seeds J) so I have decided to use them. They are just perfect size for quick bake, about 2” wide and 4” long. Problem: chicken breast is the leanest meat on the planet and because of that I will have to add some good fat. I figured since everybody (among normal people) loves bacon, why not take couple slices of bacon, chop it and then pulverize it in mini-chopper to add some taste and moisture. New recipe was done, at least in my head.

 Ingredients

1 chicken breast (1 halve), cut into 1” cubes

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

2 slices smoked bacon, roughly chopped

1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup milk

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. Hungarian paprika

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1/4 tsp. dried marjoram

1 Tbs. chopped garlic chives or French chives

6 small red peppers

Oil for initial frying

Process

Wash and dry peppers and cut off excess stem.

Split in half lengthwise, remove seeds, white ribs and cut across the stem and as close as possible to pepper wall. You should have only small green knob left.

Place garlic and bacon in a mini-chopper or food processor and process until bacon has a paste consistency.

Scrape the sides of processor bowl and add chicken and pulse until chicken is well minced.

Place bread crumbs, paprika, salt, thyme, marjoram and chives into mixing bowl and mix until well combined.

Mix beaten egg with milk and pour in bread crumb mixture and mix. The crumbs should form small pellets.

Mix the chicken mince with bread crumbs and mix until mixture is well combined and smooth. You should be able to form a ball that holds its shape. Adjust the consistency if needed by adding more milk if dry or more bread crumbs if too runny.

Take a teaspoon of the mixture, make a small pate and fry in little oil to test for seasoning, mainly if it is salty enough since bacon differs a lot in how salty the slices are. Adjust if needed.

With spoon, stuff the peppers with mixture, pressing the meat in all corners and stuffing it a little bit higher than the rim of the pepper. It should have a little mound above the rim.

Preheat oven to 400 °F and place rack in middle.

Heat about 1/2 cup of oil in small frying pan and shallow fry meat side of pepper till golden, about 20 – 30 seconds. Fry only 2 halves at the time, they are very slippery and hard to handle. When seared remove peppers with tongues to plate lined with paper towel. Repeat for rest of peppers.

Place peppers meat side up on a wire or roasting rack and place the rack on baking sheet. (I used my BBQ grill so I’ve omitted the baking sheet and roasted them on warming rack that is higher than cooking grill.)

Bake for 20 minutes.

To Serve

Only you imagination will direct you in how many ways you can serve these stuffed peppers. Simplest one, and the one I used when I served them freshly baked, is just as it is: on a bed of lettuce or arugula with a baguette toast rubbed with garlic and fresh tomatoes. Other suggestion are that you can cut the peppers across into 1 inch slices and put them on top of toasted baguette slices…or serve them in a hot tomato sauce with, you guessed it, garlic rubbed and toasted baguette slices. This was today’s reincarnation of this great meal. Hmmm, it looks like we do like toasted baguette slices rubbed with my very own hard neck garlic. I have to agree, we do. It makes a great base for almost any toppings.

Peppers are ready for initial browning.

Caramelized and ready for baking.

Burners on right and left were on full and two center ones were on low.

  Ready for any way you want to serve them.

Fruit Dumplings with Cottage Cheese and Butter

Strawberry Version

If you ask any adult Czech living abroad what childhood foods they miss the most, the Fruit Dumplings will be at the top of a list, no doubt. My mom was a master in making these and when I came to Canada every summer I dreamed about them. When she visited us for the first time it was this recipe that I just had to have. The version here is slightly modified because European ingredients are bit different but taste is the same.

There are several types of dough used for fruit dumplings. Some regions use dough made with potatoes and flour, others use cottage cheese and flour and some combine cottage cheese, boiled and riced potatoes and flour. I like to follow the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) and just use plain flour.

 Ingredients for the Dough

1/4 cup milk (room temperature)
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 egg yolks or 2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
1/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

Filling

1 pint strawberries, hulled, washed and halved.

 Process

In a bowl, mix together milk, water, vanilla extract and eggs.
In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, sugar and instant yeast to combine.
Slowly add liquid contents from bowl through the feed tube and mix till dough doesn’t stick to work bowl, about 45 seconds.
Since the flour moisture content varies you may have to adjust the ratio of liquid to flour by working in more flour if too wet or adding more water if the dough doesn’t form a ball.
Place the dough in clean, lightly buttered bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in warm and draft-free place until the dough has doubled in size, about 1 hour.

 Assembly

Punch the dough down and roll it out on floured board. You can roll the dough into 12-by-16 inch rectangle and cut it into 12 four-inch squares or roll it into a cylinder shape about 2” diameter, 18” long and cut into 12 disks about 1-1/2” wide and then flattened into pie shape that is 4” diameter. I did the later because I find it easier to make a ball with round disk instead of square.
Lay 2 strawberry halves into center of each disk, enclose the sides and roll it into a ball. Make sure that all the seams are tight and strawberries are well enclosed.
Place each dumpling on floured baking sheet, cover with towel and let them rise for 10 minutes.
In 4-quart pot, bring 3-quarts of lightly salted water to a bubbling boil. With a large slotted spoon, carefully place 4 or more dumplings (depending how wide your pot is) in the water. Partially cover the pot and once dumplings come to top, gently boil for 4 minutes. Turn dumplings over and cook additional 3 minutes.
Remove dumplings to large platter with a slotted spoon and immediately open each with 2 forks or prick them in several places with sharp needle to release the steam.
Repeat the process with remaining dumplings.
To serve, place 3 dumplings on preheated plate, top with cottage cheese, dribble melted butter on top and as an option, sprinkle sugar on top.
These dumplings are also popular when filled with pitted plums.

Salmon Poached in Brown Butter

With Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Asparagus

Even though fish is the main ingredient in this dish, it is definitely not a diet meal. First of all, the salmon skin is quickly fried and crisped up in mix of grapeseed oil and butter, more butter is added and flesh side of fillet is slowly poached till almost done. Then you have the potatoes that are mashed with 35% cream, 3.25% milk and mayonnaise. Yes, mayonnaise. I usually use sour cream but I didn’t have any, so out came the mayo jar. Man, I have really pigged out on this one! But, was it ever so creamy and supper delicious!

I served the salmon with steamed asparagus tossed in brown butter, lemon zest and a slice of lemon.

Salmon Tartare

I was a little bit surprised when looking over my salmon recipes (17 posts!) that I didn’t publish recipe for Salmon Tartare, one of the simplest and fastest way so serve a salmon. There are as many versions of Salmon Tartare as there are cooks. It is pretty much almost-anything-goes with one important exception: just like anything Tartare (basically raw protein) it has to be absolutely fresh. To be on a safe side and also to make it easier to chop I freeze my overnight and then let it partially de-freeze in refrigerator till I can chop it with my cleaver.

 

Ingredients

Salmon fillet, skinless and boneless, about 6 oz.

1 Tbs. capers, chopped

Lemon zest from 1 lemon

Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon

1/2 Avocado, chopped

1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt or to taste

Furikake for garnish, optional

Cucumber slices for serving

Slice the fillet into 1/4” slices, place in sandwich bag and freeze overnight. 1 hour before preparing the Tartare, remove salmon from freezer and place in warmest part of refrigerator. Cut the fillet slices into 1/4” julienne and then into 1/4” cubes. Place chopped salmon into mixing bowl.

Add chopped capers, lemon zest, lemon juice, chopped avocado and sea salt.

Mix with fork till well combined.

Serve on slices of cucumber and garnish with Furikake (optional).

This is very quick and healthy snack.