Squash Blossom Risotto

What to do with all those zucchini? Stop them before they have a chance to become zucchini by enjoying the edible blossoms. I have had just about enough zucchini. And the blossoms were at risk anyway since there was a frost advisory last week. You hear about stuffed, fried squash blossoms but I already did that a few weeks ago. The bright orange adds wonderful color and a mild flavor to this risotto. I’m putting tomatoes in everything these days…they’re almost as bad as the zucchini were in August!

Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a meal
Prep Time: 5 min, Cooking Time: 25 min

3 to 3½ c vegetable or chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
½ small sweet onion
1 garlic clove
¼ c white wine OR 2 tbsp water & 2 tbsp white vinegar
1¾ to 2 c sushi rice

6-8 squash blossoms, plus a few for garnish
1 c cherry tomatoes

¼ c freshly gated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp butter
dash of nutmeg
salt & pepper

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Nobody needs two zucchini plants. I have heard the stories about endless, giant zucchini, yet in my first-year-gardener naiveté I planted two. I thought, “What if one doesn’t do well?” That would have been a blessing! So here I am, with countless opportunities to experiment and perfect my zucchini bread recipe. The current iteration is healthy and delicious.

Makes 1 loaf, plus 6 muffins
Active Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 ½ hours
Oven Temp: 350°F

Lobster Pasta Pesto

Nothing says Maine like lobster! Whether you go to the fish market on the pier or to the supermarket, it’s easy to get and you know it’s fresh. The only hard part about lobster is cooking it, although some supermarkets will steam it for free while you shop. If you opt for home cooking, be sure you have a pot large enough to fully submerge the lobster. I do not recommend cooking it in a pot with a glass lid…that’s all I have. I don’t know why, but I just find lobsters so cute!

Enough about the lobster – this is a great recipe on its own. Or try it with scallops, shrimp or chicken. The key is in the pesto. I never get pine nuts, so I end up using walnuts which absorb so much of the oil resulting in a paste rather than of a sauce. There are two secrets to a creamy, reduced oil pasta pesto: pasta cooking water and adding the ingredients to the pasta separately.

Serves 2
Active Time: 40 min, Total Time: 1 hour

1 live lobster, 1¼ lbs
½ lb fresh pasta or 2 servings
dried pasta (fettuccine or spaghetti)

⅓ c walnuts (or pine nuts)
2 garlic cloves
1 c fresh basil leaves, packed
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp unsalted butter
¼ c fresh grated Parmesan, divided
freshly ground pepper

Leek and Pancetta Risotto with Fried Egg

As seen on Tasting Table

Risotto for brunch? Excellent idea and a testament to the versatility of risotto. Pancetta is a classic Italian addition to this wonderfully creamy dish, but the egg adds a twist and shifts the risotto to the brunch category. If you are looking for something pretty quick for a weekend morning or craving breakfast at dinner time, visit Tasting Table’s website for the recipe.

Also check out my recipe for Grilled Asparagus Risotto.

Coconut Crusted Shrimp Curry

Mmmm…coconut. This dish is so tasty I can’t describe it – you just have to try it. There are a lot of little steps making it take a while, but it’s worth the effort. Breading the shrimp takes a bit of practice to get the coconut to stick; it’s messy and you have to really press it on. You can always return to the egg to pick up a second round of the bread mixture. Deep frying cooks the shrimp quickly for a wonderfully tender result.

Serves 2
Active Time: 45 min, Total Time: 1 hour
Oven Temp: 350°F

For the Shrimp:

½ lb medium raw shrimp (31/40 count – see tip)
2 bread slices
1 tbsp lemon juice
½ tsp ground cumin, divided
½ c flour
½ c shredded coconut
1 egg, beaten
vegetable oil for frying

For the Curry:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ small onion
½-in fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
¼ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom
⅛ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp chili powder
1 c coconut milk

¾ c uncooked rice

Spaghetti and Meatballs with a Twist

If you think this image looks like any other spaghetti and meatballs, you’re in for a surprise.  Jay had the excellent idea of putting an Indian twist on this classic dish.  He made the sauce the night before so we ate at a reasonable hour.  And of course there is plenty of sauce for later.  We don’t measure spices, so a lot of this is a guess: more of this, less of that is the key.  The plan was for lamb meatballs, but the grocery store was out resulting in my first in-home experience with bison.

Serves 4, with about a 24 oz jar of sauce left over
Prep Time: 20 min, Cooking Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Oven Temp: 350°F

For the Sauce:

1 garlic head
olive oil
garam masala
chili powder
salt & pepper

½ small onion
3 roasted chili peppers
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp garam masala
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp yellow curry powder
½ tsp dried savory
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp paprika
2 Roma tomatoes
6oz can tomato paste
28oz can crushed tomatoes
¾ c coconut milk

¼ c peanut butter
¼ c shredded mozzarella
¼ c freshly grated parmesan

Homemade Pasta and Sauce

It’s so easy to simply buy dried pasta and a jar of sauce – I’m hardly ever without these pantry staples.  However, the flavor and reward of making it yourself are worth the effort every once in a while.  There will be plenty of sauce left over to spruce up your next round of dried pasta.  Add herbs or spices to the pasta dough for even more flavor.  Make a big batch and freeze the pasta dough for later.  Beware of refrigerating unused dough longer than a day or two.  It turns an odd greenish color (maybe from the egg?) although it seems perfectly fine to eat despite the funky color.

Serves 4 runners, maybe 6 non-runners (1 lb pasta)
Prep Time: 1 hour, Cooking Time: 2 min for pasta, 30 min for sauce

For the Homemade Pasta:
Adapted from The Little Guides Pasta

1 c all-purpose flour
1 c semolina flour (or more all-purpose flour)
½ tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ c water
1 tsp olive oil
⅓ c flour for sprinkling

For the Sauce:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion
6 garlic cloves
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
14 oz can diced tomatoes
¼ c water
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried parsley flakes
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried savory
1 tsp ground black pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
salt to taste
grated parmesan cheese

Chicken & Rice with Thai Peanut Salsa

Whoever first combined peanuts and coconut milk eons ago was a genius.  It satisfies my biggest cravings (aside from bread, but rice a good substitute) in a single dish.  I found myself eating peanut sauce by the spoonful straight out of the pan, ignoring burning my mouth.  There are a lot of spices, mostly mild, some of which may not be pantry staples (they should be…) and I am sure it would still be excellent without them all.  Turmeric is a new favorite to provide an earthy base – try it in a tomato dish (of the Indian or Middle Eastern variety, not the Italian variety).

Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 min, Cooking Time: 35 min

Thai Peanut Salsa
Adapted from The Great Salsa Book

1 shallot
½ tbsp olive oil
1 c coconut milk
½ c peanut butter
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
cayenne pepper to taste, optional

Grilled Asparagus Risotto

For some reason, making this delicious creamy dish is daunting to many people.  It takes too long.  Arborio rice is expensive.  It’s hard to get the right consistency.  Be not afraid.  Once you get the hang of it, risotto will become your new favorite 30 minute meal.  With a simple base, the possibilities are endless, although I do tend to limit myself to one or two accent ingredients since the risotto is so tasty on its own.  Prosciutto or butternut squash risotto, anyone?  What better way to carbo-load!

Sushi rice is my recently discovered secret (well, America’s Test Kitchen discovered it): it’s much cheaper and results in an even creamier risotto than Arborio rice.  Vary the amount of rice and stock depending on how hungry you are or how many other ingredients you are adding.  Go easy on the nutmeg – a little bit goes a long way.

Beef Stir-Fry with Soba Noodles

Jay made this hearty noodle dish for dinner the other night.  Cornstarch in the marinade is the trick to super tender, fall-apart-in-your-mouth beef (it works for chicken too).  The chop sticks in the photo are also an original creation by Jay.  These and many other woodworking pieces can be seen at the Saltwood Studio blog and on Etsy.

Serves 2
Prep Time: 15 min, Marinade Time: 30 min, Cooking Time: 15 min

For the Marinade:
1 egg white
1 tbsp cornstarch
soy sauce
brown sugar
red pepper flakes
garlic powder
lime juice

½ lb flank steak